The Inquiry

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shattered records, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour of all time, redefining what’s possible and confirming a new era in the business of touring. As streaming transformed how we listen to music, selling records is no longer the financial centrepiece it once was for artists. Instead, exclusivity has been transferred to the live experience. But staging shows on this scale requires enormous investment and complex production. At the same time, ticket scarcity fuels extraordinary demand and rising prices, which mean big ticket prices.Tanya Beckett explores how technology, fandom and economics turn modern concert tours into multi-billion-dollar ventures.This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: How did music megatours become such a money spinner?Contributors Kevin Kim, Head of Asia at music distribution company Route Note, Seoul, South KoreaSerona Elton, professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, United StatesAdam Behr, Reader and Head of Music at Newcastle Un