The success of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” may have earned the singer $14.7 million per show, but it hasn’t been bad for her support acts, either.
Artists who have performed alongside the American singer-songwriter on various legs of the global 152-date tour have enjoyed boosts in their sales, page views and demand.
Ticket sales for Paramore climbed by 31 percent year-on-year in 2023, according to data from the ticket reselling platform Viagogo after the band supported Swift in the United States, Britain and the rest of Europe.
In 2023 Sabrina Carpenter performed as a support artist on the “Eras Tour” in South America, Singapore and Australia. Since her appearances on the tour, the American singer’s popularity has grown significantly, with her new singles “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please” rising to No 1 and No 2 on the UK singles chart, respectively.
“On Viagogo, we’ve tracked ticket demand for several acts, including Paramore, Gracie Abrams and Sabrina Carpenter, whose page views have skyrocketed by 16,000 percent over the past year,” Candy Fortescue, head of supply and international ticketing for Viagogo, said. “This shows the immense impact that superstar acts can have when they choose to share the spotlight with up-and-coming talent.”
Many of the cities on Swift’s itinerary have felt the economic impact of the tour. Restaurants in Santa Clara, California, reported a 170 percent increase in sales in the run-up to her concert. In Kansas City, Missouri, there was said to have been a 50 percent increase in accommodation figures when Swift performed.
The “Eras Tour” has helped to boost the profile of Gracie Abrams, the singer who performed at several shows on the US leg and is due to return for the second tranche of American and Canadian shows this year. Since the beginning of her run of shows, Abrams has secured a Grammy nomination for “best new artist”, while her popularity has climbed, with a 1,700 percent annual increase in her page views on Viagogo.
As Swift continues her run of performances, analysts at Barclays have estimated that the full economic value of her tour, including ticket sales, accommodation and travel costs for fans, is about $1.3 billion.
Emma Taggart is a business reporter at The Times of London
