Taylor Swift and Beyonce are two of the biggest pop stars in the world, with massive fanbases that result in huge demand for tickets whenever they go on tour. However, Taylor Swift concert tickets routinely sell for higher prices on the secondary market than Beyonce tickets. There are several factors that contribute to this price discrepancy between the two superstars.
Taylor Swift Tours Less Frequently
One major reason why Taylor Swift tickets command such high prices is that she tours less often than Beyonce. While Beyonce typically embarks on a world tour every few years, Taylor has had longer gaps between tours. Her last tour was the Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, and before that she toured in 2015-2016 for her 1989 album. This compares to Beyonce, who toured in 2016, 2013-2014, and 2009-2010. The scarcity of Taylor Swift tours automatically increases demand and drives up prices.
According to Pollstar’s 2019 Mid-Year Top 100 Worldwide Tours report, Beyonce has grossed $270 million touring since 2009. In contrast, Taylor Swift has grossed $967 million touring in the same time frame. But Swift has only embarked on 4 major tours compared to Beyonce’s 5 tours in that period. Less frequent touring makes Taylor Swift concerts a hotter commodity.
Taylor Swift Has More Hit Songs and Albums
Another factor is that Taylor Swift simply has more hit songs and albums than Beyonce over their careers so far. Swift has released 8 studio albums since 2006, all of which have sold over 4 million copies each. She has charted 33 top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including 10 #1s. Swift has won 10 Grammys for her music, including Album of the Year twice.
In contrast, Beyonce has released 6 studio solo albums since 2003, 3 of which have sold over 4 million copies. She has charted 22 top 10 singles on the Hot 100, including 5 #1s, and won 24 Grammys. While both have been hugely successful, Taylor Swift has more prolific output and chart success.
Artist | Studio Albums | Albums Sold Over 4 Million | Top 10 Hits | #1 Hits | Grammy Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taylor Swift | 8 | 8 | 33 | 10 | 10 |
Beyonce | 6 | 3 | 22 | 5 | 24 |
Taylor Swift simply has more prolific and commercially successful output at this stage in her career. This gives her concerts more hit material to draw from, making tickets more in-demand.
Taylor Swift Cultivates a Scarcity Mindset
Taylor Swift very deliberately cultivates an aura of scarcity around everything she does. On the rare occasions when she tours, tickets are scarce by design through exclusive presales and limited tour dates. When she releases album pre-sales, there are special codes and limited-time offers. Her merchandising drops are limited-time only. This extends to her interaction with fans online and media as well. Taylor Swift makes herself seem rare, exclusive and scarce.
Meanwhile, Beyonce has embraced technology and collaboration in ways Swift has not. Her latest projects like Lemonade, Homecoming and Black Is King have all premiered on streaming services. She collaborates often with other artists like Jay-Z. While immensely successful, she does not cultivate the same aura of scarcity as Swift.
This mindset directly impacts prices on the secondary market. Because everything Taylor Swift does seems rare and exclusive, people are willing to pay higher prices for concert tickets. Her persona and brand have an impact on demand.
Taylor Swift Fans Are Die-Hard Loyal
Taylor Swift has cultivated an extremely passionate fanbase over her career spanning multiple generations. Fans grew up with her as she transitioned from country to pop. The connection Swift has built with her fans through her confessional songwriting makes them incredibly loyal.
Beyonce also has a devoted fanbase, known as the “Beyhive.” But Swift’s fanbase, often referred to as “Swifties,” are famous for their utter devotion. There is an almost religious fervor surrounding Taylor Swift for some fans. This leads to her concert tickets being in greater demand from loyal, die-hard fans willing to pay higher prices.
Taylor Swift Embraces Commercial Pop More
Stylistically, Taylor Swift’s music is more commercial pop compared to Beyonce’s music. Swift started in country but crossed over into mega pop stardom with 1989. Her songs are structured for mass appeal – catchy melodies, big hooks, and universal lyrics about love and relationships. Swift is a master at writing songs that connect widely.
While massively successful, Beyonce’s music encompasses more genres like R&B, soul, hip-hop, and experimental. Sonically, Taylor Swift’s style of commercial pop lends itself to more mainstream appeal and connections with casual music fans. This broadens the potential audience for her tours even more.
Taylor Swift Ticketing Uses “Platinum” Dynamic Pricing
On her last tour, Taylor Swift used a tiered ticketing system with dynamic “platinum” pricing – setting aside some of the best tickets to be priced much higher based on demand. Beyonce has not used this kind of system before. So a large section of the best Swift tickets were automatically priced higher from the start.
According to reports, up to 50% of tickets for Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour were set aside for platinum pricing. The platinum tickets for some shows ended up priced 4x higher than base ticket prices. This led to an automatic increase in the average resale prices compared to tours without platinum pricing like Beyonce’s.
Conclusion
In summary, Taylor Swift ticket prices are higher than Beyonce’s for several key reasons:
- Swift tours less often than Beyonce, making her tickets more scarce.
- Swift has more prolific output and chart success so far in her career.
- Swift strategically cultivates an aura of exclusivity around everything she does.
- Swift’s fans exhibit incredibly loyal, die-hard devotion.
- Swift’s music embraces commercial pop aesthetics more than Beyonce.
- Swift utilizes platinum dynamic ticket pricing to increase prices.
Due to differences in their touring frequency, fanbase loyalty, musical style, and ticketing practices, Taylor Swift can charge higher prices and see greater resale demand. Both artists are incredibly successful, but Swift’s tickets cost more right now due to the perfect storm of factors that make her shows hot commodities.