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Find Out Who Helmed The Top Grossing Tours Of 2018

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In a year full of blockbuster tours, which artists came out on top in terms of earnings?
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 6, 2018 - 4:33 pm

This has been a big year for big tours, with many of today's biggest artists raking in big revenue. But who brought in the most dough? As it turns out, Ed Sheeran tops Billboard's ranking of 2018's top-five tours ranked by gross. Having performed 99 shows, with attendance of more than 4.8 million in his audiences, Sheeran's tally is a towering $429 million total. The four-time GRAMMY winner added his latest wins earlier this year at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, with Best Pop Solo Performance for "Shape Of You" and Best Pop Vocal Album for ÷ (Divide).

Coming in second place on Billboard's list with 48 shows is Taylor Swift, who entertained 2.6 million in her audiences, taking away $315 million. Swift's career total of GRAMMY wins is 10 to date.

Third on the list is the power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z—The Carters—whose On The Run II Tour had 48 performances with audiences of 2.1 million and a gross of $253 million. As of now, Beyoncé has one more GRAMMY win than Jay-Z. She has 22 and he has 21. Their single "Apes**t" and its music video is now the basis of a tour at the Louvre Museum.

Bruno Mars placed fourth, giving 100 performances for audiences totaling 1.9 million, with a gross of $237 million. His career GRAMMY wins of 11 include six from last year as he swept the categories he was nominated in. At the 60th GRAMMY Awards, the album 24K Magic and its single of the same name won Album Of The Year, Best R&B Album and Record Of The Year. Mars' "That's What I Like" won Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Song Of The Year.

Fifth is P!nk, giving 88 performances for audiences of 1.2 million with a gross of $180 million. Pink is a three-time GRAMMY winner. Her most recent album is Oct. 2017's Beautiful Trauma. At this coming GRAMMY Week, she will perform at the MusiCares Person Of The Year gala honoring Dolly Parton.

For the casual music fan and industry enthusiast alike, there is something awesome about the scale of these numbers that is represented in the six GRAMMY winners above, themselves. The dollars, the audiences, the hard work and most of all the art are, taken together, tremendous accomplishments. Touring is an industry based on live music and many more capable performers ensure its vitality. But there is something to marvel at even in the top five alone.

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

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Taylor Swift On Track For Top-Selling Tour For Summer 2018

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Ed Sheeran earns top per-show act status according to StubHub's annual preview report, with the Eagles, Harry Styles, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z also ranking high on the list
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
May 30, 2018 - 2:37 pm

Last week we asked you to vote on your most anticipated summer tour, from the TDE Championship Tour and  G-Eazy to Luke Bryan, Harry Styles, and more. On May 30 Stub Hub released their fourth annual report on the hottest in-demand summer 2018 tours by the numbers. Let's see how your vote stacks up.

Taylor Swift is predicted to be the top-selling act overall and the seventh highest when calculating the per-show rate, while Ed Sheeran raked in the best overall position according to per-show sales spanning U.S. tour dates from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2018.

Overall, Swift is followed by the Eagles' tour at No. 2, who also placed third highest when factoring in a per-show rate. Third overall was Styles, followed by Beyoncé and Jay-Z's co-headlining tour at No. 4 and the Foo Fighters at No. 5. Others who made the Top 10 for best-selling artist overall include Kenny Chesney, U2, Journey and Def Leppard's co-headlining tour, and Sam Smith (No. 10).

George Strait rounded out second place for most sales per show behind Sheeran. Pearl Jam, whose guitarist Mike McCready was just honored at the 2018 MusiCares Concert For Recovery, also placed in the Top 10 for best-selling act per show, along with Billy Joel, Justin Timberlake, Pink, U2, and the Foo Fighters.

Go Inside MusiCares' 2018 Concert For Recovery

Billboard pointed out that women had a strong representation among the Top 30 overall and per-show tours. In addition to T-Swizzle and Queen Bey, Britney Spears, Shakira, and Shania Twain all earned prominent placement. Swift also outpaced her closest companions on the list by a wide margin, besting the Eagles by 40 percent and Styles by 65 percent.

So what do you think? Where did your favorite artist rank via the numbers?

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Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

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Report: Ticket Sales For Tours Thrived In 2018's Digital Music Environment

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Live music takes on richer meaning as fans relate to their favorite artists through streaming and social media
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Dec 18, 2018 - 1:29 pm

Digital music and the internet have changed everything, but 2018's thriving concerts and music events ticketing demonstrates how it's paying off in the real world, too, especially for top touring acts such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift. The top 25 concert tours reported over $3 billion in sales, up $500 million compared to 2017, an increase of 20 percent.

"We had the perfect storm with the perfect artists," promoter Louis Messina told Billboard. His 2018 success stories included $266 million from the U.S. dates for the Reputation Stadium Tour, making Taylor Swift the artist with the top U.S. annual ticket grosses ever. International dates and sales added to the bottom line's demonstration that the internet and its digital connections have not replaced the live music experience — they've given it a new context.

Jay-Z scored another first as his 4:44 Tour came in at 25 with a $45 million take from 30 shows while The Carters' On The Run II Tour came in at No. 3, taking in $254 million from 48 dates. That's the first time ever that a single artist appeared in a year's top 25 tours twice.

"Because of the ways tickets are priced and distributed," said Live Nation Senior VP Touring Omar Al-Joulani, "a lot of veteran artists are seeing some of the highest grosses of their careers."

One key is the science of analytics and how digital data has informed what cities artists decide to perform in, what top prices can be charged for seats, and even low-priced ticket sales for some appearances. Instead of looking for fast sell-outs, this marketing science is described as a "steady as she goes" approach.

"Streaming music and video is driving all demand right now," said Marc Geiger, head of music at William Morris Endeavor. He's had a front-row seat for the digital revolution, which has come a long way since he co-founded Lollapalooza and the web-based ARTISTdirect. "Anyone can listen to anything at any time, anywhere, and that has allowed more fans to have relationships with artists," he said.

Billboard details how leaders like AEG and Live Nation, and its Ticketmaster Verified Fan program, don't settle for playing catch-up while digital keeps changing the rules. Festivals and genre-specific events are using the same techniques to give fans a reason to go live in a big way. Looking ahead at 2019, it's clear the online and in-person music experiences can not only coexist, but they help stoke each other's flame.

Find Out Who Helmed The Top Grossing Tours Of 2018

The Carters

The Carters

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The Carters, Cardi B Top 2018 MTV VMA Nominations

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Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello also notch notable nomination tallies
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jul 16, 2018 - 1:58 pm

It's that time again. On July 16 MTV Video Music Awards announced its 2018 slate of nominees.

Leading the pack this year with 10 nominations are new mom Cardi B and seasoned parents the Carters — aka Beyoncé and Jay-Z — with a total of eight nominations. Childish Gambino and Drake racked up seven nods each, Bruno Mars earned six and Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello follow close behind with five total nominations.

The MTV VMAs are awarded in a variety of categories such as Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Genre-based awards in pop, hip-hop, Latin, dance, and rock are also awarded. Notably, fans are eligible to vote in eight of these categories, including Best Collaboration and Video with a Message through Aug. 10, while voting for Best New Artist will stay open until the telecast airs.

"It has already been a monumental year in music, and this year's VMAs will take things to a whole new level," said Bruce Gillmer, head of music and music talent, Global Entertainment Group, Viacom. "The extraordinary group of nominees have amazed us with their talent and inspired us with their creativity — and when you get them together for one night, anything is possible."

The VMAs will take place on Aug. 20 at Radio City Music Hall,, which was the home of the inaugural VMAs in 1984. This year's show will mark the 12th time the telecast makes its way to the iconic Big Apple venue.

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Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

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Cardi B, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift Top 2018 Teen Choice Noms

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Voting is open now that the popular nominations have been announced
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Jun 13, 2018 - 4:04 pm

The 2018 Teen Choice Awards announced many of their nominees on June 13, putting an array of America's most beloved entertainers up for popular voting that is now open and sure to be extremely viral.

For some quick tastes from the top categories, Choice Female Artist nominees are Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift. This year's Choice Male Artists include Drake, Niall Horan, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, and Louis Tomlinson. Those are great selections to choose from.

Voting is open either online via TeenChoice.com or by Twitter hashtag, one per Tweet by pairing a name with #ChoiceMaleArtist or #ChoiceFemaleArtist. The limit on enthusiasm is 10 votes per day, per category, for each platform user ID, a wrinkle some multiplatform fans are likely to use effectively. Among other things, for the musical artists, this really is a chance for their fan bases to show their love.

The competition in each category is interesting, for example Choice Latin Artist nominated J Balvin, Becky G, CNCO, Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi, and Maluma. J Balvin is super fresh, Becky G has many teens who identify with her, and Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi had last summer's biggest hit.

So the viral chase is on for fans to vote their Teen Choice Awards favorites up the ranks. On August 12 the winners will be announced live on Fox.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"