List of highest-grossing live music artists
The highest-grossing live music artists (also known as "highest-grossing touring artists") are reported by Billboard and Pollstar boxscores. The cumulative figures may be incomplete because not all concert dates are reported by those 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, and only four women have grossed more than $1 billion (as of 2024), with Madonna being the first. According to Pollstar, Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing woman with over $1.96 billion.
All-time ranking
Pollstar
| Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.16 billion | 22.13 million | 2022 | |
| 2 | U2 | Ireland | $2.12 billion | 26.17 million | 2022 | |
| 3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $2 billion | 22 million | 2023 | |
| 4 | Taylor Swift | United States | $1.96 billion | 13.91 million | 2023 | |
| 5 | Guns N' Roses | United States | $1.91 billion | 24.31 million | 2023 | |
| 6 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.70 billion | 18.84 million | 2023 | |
| 7 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.59 billion | 12.12 million | 2023 | |
| 8 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $1.44 billion | 16.93 million | 2023 | |
| 9 | Madonna | United States | $1.38 billion | 11.67 million | 2022 | |
| 10 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.35 billion | 10.90 million | 2022 | |
| 11 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.32 billion | 17.75 million | 2022 | |
| 12 | Eagles | United States | $1.31 billion | 10.99 million | 2022 | |
| 13 | Metallica | United States | $1.21 billion | 19.46 million | 2022 | |
| 14 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1.19 billion | 10.45 million | 2022 | |
| 15 | Billy Joel | United States | $1.18 billion | 16.97 million | 2022 | |
| 16 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.11 billion | 16.41 million | 2022 | |
| 17 | Dave Matthews Band | United States | $1.08 billion | 23.27 million | 2022 |
Billboard
| Rank | Artists | Nationality | Nominal gross | Tickets sold | As of | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | $2.6 billion | 28 million | 2022 | |
| 2 | U2 | Ireland | $2.22 billion | 28.3 million | 2021 | |
| 3 | Elton John | United Kingdom | $1.98 billion | 20.6 million | 2023 | |
| 4 | Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | United States | $1.489 billion | — | 2017 | |
| 5 | Madonna | United States | $1.45 billion | 12.13 million | 2023 | |
| 6 | Beyoncé | United States | $1.3 billion | 11.6 million | 2023 | |
| 7 | Ed Sheeran | United Kingdom | $1.27 billion | — | 2023 | |
| 8 | Kenny Chesney | United States | $1.172 billion | 17.9 million | 2023 | |
| 9 | Celine Dion | Canada | $1.115 billion | 8.8 million | 2019 | |
| 10 | Bon Jovi | United States | $1.03 billion | — | 2016 | |
| 11 | Coldplay | United Kingdom | $1.017 billion | 12 million | 2022 | |
| 12 | Eagles | United States | $1 billion | — | 2022 | |
| 13 | Paul McCartney | United Kingdom | $1 billion | — | 2022 |
Decade ranking
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 |