Taylor Swift returns to the top of StubHub’s fourth annual preview of the concert landscape, unseating U2, who ranked as last summer’s top-selling act.
Ed Sheeran commands the most sales per show on StubHub, marking his strongest demand on StubHub since he started touring. Nostalgia acts are also a significant portion of the summer touring landscape, with the ’90s trending highest among acts that span five different decades.
2018 Top Selling Acts Overall
Based on total sales on StubHub for U.S. tour dates from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2018
2018 Top Selling Acts – Per Show
Based on average sales per show for U.S. tour dates on StubHub from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2018
- Ed Sheeran
- George Strait
- Eagles
- Billy Joel
- Justin Timberlake
- Taylor Swift
- P!nk
- U2
- Pearl Jam
- Foo Fighters
“The 2018 summer concert season has something for everyone,” said Jeff Poirier, General Manager of Music, Theatre and Performing Arts for StubHub. “The most popular concerts on StubHub include acts from every decade dating back to the ’70s, making this a truly unique season for live music fans of all ages. The ’90s are showing a particularly strong comeback this year.”
BREAKING DOWN THE TOP 10
Back At the Top
- Taylor Swift outsells #2 act, The Eagles, by more than 40% of their total sales and #3 act, Harry Styles, by over 65%
- Swift’s average ticket price is 21% less than her 1989 Tour in 2015
Moving On Up
- Sheeran fuels the most sales per show of all artists – nearly tripling the per-show sales of Taylor Swift, who ranked #6 on a per-show basis
Legacies Work
- Journey & Def Leppard (co-headlining tour) have the busiest tour schedule of any of the acts taking the top 10
Summer Steal
- Sam Smith is the most affordable tour this summer with average ticket prices ranking 4% cheaper than the next most affordable act, Kenny Chesney. Smith’s Philadelphia show on July 4th at Wells Fargo Center is the most affordable at an average ticket price of $101
- The best fan deal scored so far on StubHub for Summer shows is for Harry Styles, at only $6 for the Indianapolis show on June 27 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
LEADING ACTS THROUGH THE DECADES
- 1970s: The Eagles, Billy Joel
- 1980s: Journey & Def Leppard, U2, George Strait
- 1990s: Foo Fighters, Kenny Chesney, Radiohead, Pearl Jam
- 2000s: Taylor Swift, Beyoncé & Jay-Z, P!NK, Justin Timberlake
- 2010s: Harry Styles, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran
TOP TRENDS
Girl Power and Farewell Tours
Female acts Taylor Swift, Beyoncé (co-headlining with Jay-Z), P!NK, Britney Spears, Shakira and Shania Twain have a strong showing in the top 30 normally populated by male rock acts. Farewell tours are a trend for the entire year but this summer, acts with goodbye dates are limited to Paul Simon, Ozzy Osbourne, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Slayer and Anita Baker. Fans will have to wait for the Fall to see Elton John in the states.
