Harry Styles is one of the biggest pop stars in the world right now. As a solo artist and former member of the massively popular boy band One Direction, Styles has amassed a huge global fanbase. In 2021 and 2022, Styles embarked on an international concert tour called Love on Tour to promote his latest solo albums. The tour was hugely successful, selling over 2 million tickets across 93 shows in 20 countries. But how much did Harry Styles get paid for the Love on Tour concerts? Let’s take a deep dive into the financials and find out.
How Much Did Tickets Cost?
Ticket prices for Love on Tour varied depending on the venue and city. Looking at setlist.fm data from the tour, we can see the price range for tickets:
Section | Price Range |
---|---|
Lower bowl/floor seats | $99 – $599 |
Lower bowl sides/corners | $79 – $399 |
Upper bowl sides | $39 – $199 |
Upper bowl rear | $29 – $149 |
So regular ticket prices ranged from about $30 – $600. However, there were also VIP/platinum tickets that went for $1000+ in some locations. Overall, the average ticket price seemed to be around $200.
With over 2 million tickets sold, that puts estimated gross ticket sales at roughly $400 million if we assume an average of $200 per ticket. However, Styles didn’t pocket all of that money…
How Much Did Venues Get?
The venues take a cut of the gross ticket sales. This cut can vary quite a bit, but a typical range is 10-20% of gross ticket revenue.
If we assume the venue cut averaged 15%, that’s around $60 million of the $400 million gross ticket revenue.
So after the venues took their share, that left an estimated $340 million for Styles and the tour promoters/producers.
How Much Did Promoters Get?
Love on Tour was promoted mainly by Live Nation. Typically, promoters take a cut of 25-40% of the adjusted gross ticket revenue after the venues take their share.
If we assume Live Nation got 35% of the $340 million net ticket revenue, that’s around $119 million to the promoter.
That leaves an estimated $221 million left for Styles after the venues and promoters took their shares.
How Much Did Production Costs Take?
Putting on a massive world tour requires a ton of costs beyond just booking venues. There’s stage design, sound, lighting, video, pyrotechnics, insurance, travel, lodging, merch sales, and tons more. Industry experts estimate these production costs can eat up around 50% of the remaining revenue after promoter/venue cuts.
If we take 50% of the estimated $221 million left after Live Nation’s promoter fee, that’s roughly $110 million spent on actual tour production costs.
How Much Did Styles Earn?
After all those costs and cuts by venues and promoters, we estimate Harry Styles was left with around $111 million in earnings from Love on Tour in 2021 and 2022.
For 93 shows over 13 months of touring, that comes out to a nightly gross earnings of over $1.2 million per show on average for Styles.
How Does That Compare to Other Artists?
Styles’s $111 million in net tour earnings is very impressive compared to other major touring artists:
Artist | Tour | Earnings |
---|---|---|
The Rolling Stones | No Filter Tour (2021) | $115 million |
Bad Bunny | El Último Tour Del Mundo | $116 million |
Eagles | Hotel California Tour | $143 million |
Guns N’ Roses | Not In This Lifetime Tour | $151 million |
P!nk | Beautiful Trauma Tour | $169 million |
Ed Sheeran | Divide Tour | $432 million |
U2 | Joshua Tree Tour | $316 million |
Styles earned similarly to other top artists like Bad Bunny, the Stones, and Eagles. But bigger veterans like U2, P!nk, and Sheeran earned significantly more from their respective tours when looking at the overall gross.
However, Styles is still early in his solo career at age 28. The fact he can sell 2 million+ tickets and gross over $100 million puts him in an elite group of touring artists already. As he continues touring and releases new music, his earnings potential on the road looks very high over the next decade.
Could He Have Earned More?
Yes, there are a few ways Harry Styles potentially could have earned more money from Love on Tour:
– Charge higher ticket prices – Styles could potentially double or triple prices for floor/VIP seats and boost revenue.
– Play bigger venues – Many shows were in arenas with 15-20k capacity. Moving to more stadiums with 50k+ capacity can quickly increase gross sales.
– Add more tour dates – 93 dates is already a lot, but high demand could support even more shows and locations.
– Get a bigger promoter cut – Shop promoters and negotiate a deal below Live Nation’s estimated 35% cut.
– Reduce production costs – Try to optimize the stage show and production expenses to increase profit margins.
– Add sponsorship deals – Sell branding rights and corporate sponsorships for the tour itself.
So while Styles earned an impressive $111 million from Love on Tour already, there are avenues to potentially double or triple his earnings the next time around.
How Much Did Styles Earn in Total?
While touring makes up the bulk of income for most musicians, Styles has other revenue streams as well:
– Music sales – Streaming royalties, downloads, and album sales added up to around $15 million.
– Merchandise – Splitting merch revenue with the tour indirectly, apparel likely earned $10-$15 million.
– Endorsements – Gucci, Apple, and others earned Styles around $10 million.
Add it all up and Harry Styles likely earned over $150 million across all his career activities in the 2021-2022 stretch while touring.
For a 28 year old solo pop star still early in his career, earning upwards of $150 million in a single year is incredibly impressive. It puts Harry Styles securely in the top tier of the highest paid musicians currently performing.
Conclusion
In summary, Harry Styles grossed around $111 million personally from the 2+ million tickets sold for his Love on Tour concerts in 2021 and 2022. After accounting for his other income like merch and endorsements, Styles likely earned over $150 million during the time period he was touring across the world.
At his young age and with continued popularity, Styles has the potential to earn over $200 or $300 million on a single tour someday assuming he pursues larger venues, higher prices, and more dates. He’s already in rare air among musicians his age earning over $100 million on the road. Styles seems poised to become one of the top grossing touring artists of his generation if he can maintain his immense popularity.