List of highest-grossing live music artists
The highest-grossing live music artists (also known as "highest-grossing touring artists")[lower-alpha 1] are reported by Billboard and Pollstar boxscores. The cumulative figures may be incomplete because not all concert dates are reported by either publications. For simplification, the figures are presented in nominal dollars without being adjusted for inflation, hence they do not reflect the real value of revenue from older concerts.

The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music act of all time, collecting over $2.5 billion according to Billboard Boxscore. The band is followed by U2 and Elton John, who both also passed two-billion mark in concert revenue. The concert industry is very male-dominated,[1] and only four women have grossed more than $1 billion, with Madonna being the first.[2] According to Pollstar, Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing woman with over $1.68 billion.
All-time ranking
_(cropped).jpg.webp)
.jpg.webp)
Pollstar
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.16 billion | 22.13 million | 2022 | [3] |
2 | U2 | Ireland | $2.12 billion | 26.17 million | 2022 | [3] |
3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $2 billion | 22 million | 2023 | [4] |
4 | Taylor Swift | United States | $1.68 billion | 12.54 million | 2023 | [3][5] |
5 | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | United States | $1.67 billion | 21.52 million | 2023 | [3][6] |
6 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.55 billion | 17.79 million | 2023 | [7] |
7 | Madonna | United States | $1.38 billion | 11.67 million | 2022 | [3] |
8 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.35 billion | 10.90 million | 2022 | [3] |
9 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.32 billion | 17.75 million | 2022 | [3] |
10 | Eagles | United States | $1.31 billion | 10.99 million | 2022 | [3] |
11 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $1.28 billion | 15.39 million | 2023 | [lower-alpha 2] |
12 | Metallica | United States | $1.21 billion | 19.46 million | 2022 | [3] |
13 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1.19 billion | 10.45 million | 2022 | [3] |
14 | Billy Joel | United States | $1.18 billion | 16.97 million | 2022 | [3] |
15 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.16 billion | 10.38 million | 2023 | [3][11] |
16 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.11 billion | 16.41 million | 2022 | [3] |
17 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $1.08 billion | 23.27 million | 2022 | [3] |
Billboard
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.6 billion | 28 million | 2022 | [12] |
2 | U2 | Ireland | $2.22 billion | 28.3 million | 2021 | [13] |
3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $1.98 billion | 20.6 million | 2023 | [14] |
4 | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | United States | $1.489 billion | — | 2017 | [lower-alpha 3] |
5 | Madonna | United States | $1.376 billion | — | 2020 | [18] |
6 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.3 billion | 11.6 million | 2023 | [19] |
7 | Ed Sheeran | United States | $1.27 billion | — | 2023 | [lower-alpha 4] |
8 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.172 billion | 17.9 million | 2023 | [22] |
9 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.115 billion | 8.8 million | 2019 | [lower-alpha 5] |
10 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.03 billion | — | 2016 | [25] |
11 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.017 billion | 12 million | 2022 | [26] |
12 | Eagles | United States | $1 billion | — | 2022 | [26] |
13 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1 billion | — | 2022 | [27] |
Decade ranking

.jpg.webp)


2000s
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $869,471,325 | 8,236,586 |
2 | U2 | Ireland | $844,157,925 | 9,869,953 |
3 | Madonna | United States | $801,299,671 | 6,387,124 |
4 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $688,136,476 | 8,605,238 |
5 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $603,804,670 | 5,789,833 |
6 | Celine Dion | Canada | $536,593,262 | 4,099,963 |
7 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $505,447,901 | 11,230,696 |
8 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $477,931,760 | 9,210,288 |
9 | Bon Jovi | United States | $419,481,741 | 5,384,747 |
10 | Billy Joel | United States | $418,421,266 | 4,141,287 |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $529.1 million | 11.6 million |
2 | Celine Dion | Canada | $522.2 million | 4 million |
3 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $455.6 million | 8.6 million |
4 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $444.3 million | 5.7 million |
5 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $426.9 million | 3.2 million |
6 | U2 | Ireland | $391 million | 4.4 million |
7 | Madonna | United States | $325.3 million | 2.1 million |
8 | Eagles | United States | $313.4 million | 2.8 million |
9 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $286.4 million | 2.5 million |
10 | Jimmy Buffett | United States | $285.8 million | 4.5 million |
2010s
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross |
---|---|---|---|
1 | U2 | Ireland | $1.018 billion |
2 | Taylor Swift | United States | $910.2 million |
3 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $907.6 million |
4 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $848.3 million |
5 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
6 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | Unrevealed |
7 | Beyoncé | United States | Unrevealed |
8 | Bon Jovi | United States | Unrevealed |
9 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
10 | Roger Waters | United Kingdom | Unrevealed |
Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross |
---|---|---|---|
1 | U2 | Ireland | $1,038,104,132 |
2 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $929,196,083 |
3 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $922,361,663 |
4 | Taylor Swift | United States | $899,627,048 |
5 | Bon Jovi | United States | $868,715,392 |
6 | Beyoncé | United States | $857,405,819 |
7 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $813,811,559 |
8 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $731,805,591 |
9 | Bruce Springsteen | United States | $729,789,815 |
10 | Roger Waters | United Kingdom | $702,231,419 |
See also
Notes
- The figures are not limited from touring and may include standalone concerts or concert residencies.
- Ed Sheeran grossed $922,361,663 as of 2019 according to Pollstar.[8] He expanded the number with $251,000,000 in 2022 and $105,309,873 in mid-2023.[9][10]
- Bruce Springsteen grossed $1,196,116,507 as of May 2014, according to Billboard.[15] He expanded the number with $255,364,196 in 2016 and $37,972,463 in 2017.[16][17]
- Ed Sheeran grossed $848.3 million as of 2019 according to Billboard.[20] He expanded the number with $417.67 million in 2022 and 2023.[21]
- Majority of Celine Dion's figure came from her Las Vegas concert residencies. She remains the highest-grossing residency artist of all time, with a total of $681 million as of 2019, according to Billboard.[23][24]
References
- Mims, Taylor (November 7, 2019). "Female Executives Discuss Navigating a Male Dominated Industry at Billboard Live Music Summit". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- Terry, Josh (May 27, 2014). "These Five Artists Have Made Over a Billion Dollars Touring". Consequence. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "Top Touring Artist of the Pollstar Era" (PDF). Pollstar. June 10, 2022. pp. 1–4. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- Speer, Debbie (July 10, 2023). "Elton John's Sun Goes Down on UK's Yellow Brick Road With Epic Glasto Finale". Pollstar. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- Allen, Bob (September 26, 2023). "What A Friggin' Year! 2023 Boxoffice Results Remain At Record Highs". Pollstar. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- Borba, Ryan (June 26, 2023). "Mid-Year Top Tours: No. 2 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's '2023 Tour'". Pollstar. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- "Coldplay – Tour History Report". Pollstar. 2023. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- "No. 3 – Ed Sheeran". Pollstar. November 21, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- Gensler, Andy (December 12, 2022). "2022 Year-End Biz Analysis: Record-Setting Year Marked By Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran & Stadiums". Pollstar. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- Gottfried, Gideon (June 26, 2023). "Mid-Year Top Tours: No. 5 Ed Sheeran's ' +–=÷× Tour'". Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- Allen, Bob (July 14, 2023). "Chart Scene: Beyoncé Debuts On LIVE75 With European Tour". Pollstar. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- Frankenberg, Eric (2022-09-08). "The Rolling Stones Celebrate 'SIXTY' Years With $120 Million Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- Frankenberg, Eric (2021-04-13). "Boxscore Flashback: 10 Years Ago, U2 Set The All-Time Boxscore Record With The 360 Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- Frankenberg, Eric (July 13, 2023). "Elton John's Farewell Tour Comes to an End With $939 Million and 6 Million Tickets". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- Waddell, Ray (May 27, 2014). "Rolling Stones No. 1 on List of Top 25 Live Artists Since 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "Top 25 Tours of 2016" (PDF). Billboard. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- Allen, Bob (March 8, 2017). "Bruce Springsteen's Australia & New Zealand Tour Earns Nearly $40 Million". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022.
- Frankenberg, Eric (December 3, 2020). "The Year in Touring Charts 2020: Elton John Crowns Top Tours in Abbreviated Year". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- Frankenberg, Eric (October 13, 2023). "Here's How Beyoncé's $580M Renaissance World Tour Stacks Up in the Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- "Top Touring Artists". Billboard. 2019-10-31. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- Frankenberg, Eric (July 14, 2023). "Taylor, Beyoncé & Beyond: Who Could Challenge Elton John's Boxscore Record?". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- Nicholson, Jessica (August 24, 2023). "Top-Grossing Country Artists of All Time, According to Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- "Celine Dion Wraps Historic 16-Year Run in Las Vegas With Record-Breaking $681 Million in Ticket Sales". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- Frankenberg, Eric. "Celine Dion Debuts Courage World Tour to $30 Million | Billboard – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- Allen, Bob. "Madonna Extends Record as Highest-Grossing Solo Touring Artist | Billboard – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- Frankenberg, Eric. "Coldplay Hits $1 Billion in Career Touring Grosses – Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- Frankenberg, Eric (2022-06-23). "Paul McCartney's Career Boxscore Total Soars Past $1 Billion". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- "Top Touring Artists of the Decade". Billboard. 2009-12-11. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- "Top Tours of the Decade: North America 2000-2009" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "Top Touring Artists of the Decade". Pollstar. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2022.