• Music Taylor Swift makes history by becoming the first artist to occupy the top 10 of the most listened songs in the US
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Will Taylor Swift manage to beat Elton John's record and achieve the highest-grossing tour in pop history? It all depends on whether she wants to or not. The mathematics are on their side: 52 concerts in four months, at an average collection of 14 million dollars (13 million euros) per night go to 728 million dollars.

But Swift, at least in theory, could continue her tour this year and next in Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Europe. Not to mention the possibility of adding more dates in the United States, where all their concerts are already without tickets. If so, his 'Eras' tour, which kicked off last week outside Phoenix, Arizona, will comfortably pass the billion-dollar barrier and put the live music industry before a record that could be lasting.

Swift might not be the first artist to gross more than a billion dollars. Elton John, in his farewell tour 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' has already 870 million dollars (810 million euros) in 278 shows. He still has another 55 – including a stop at the Glastonbury festival – to finish. But most of those concerts are in sports palaces, while Swift is exclusively occupying football stadiums, which are the largest sports venues in the world.

Swift's tour, which began with controversy due to the chaos of the tickets, will consecrate this 31-year-old girl born in Pennsylvania as the greatest pop artist in history. She will not have the charisma or the ability to generate attention of, for example, Madonna, but her discreet style has connected with millions of young people and teenagers who are willing to collapse the systems of the ticketing website Ticketmaster, trigger an action by the president of the United States against the 'hidden rates' of online sales and even to provoke an audience in the Congress of that country. Some have taken it to even more personal ground: At the first concert of the tour, a couple got married. "She [Swift] is my life. Any 'swiftie' [which is what the singer's fans are called] will recognize the importance of incorporating Taylor Swift into your marriage," the bride said. Her newlywed, apparently, agrees with the love triangle.

Swift, in addition, is achieving these records without disheveling. Their tour only goes out on average at about ten concerts a month, a comparatively low figure with what is usually a big pop or rock tour. He only performs on weekends, with the exception of a Thursday and the final five-night race in the SoFi state of Los Angeles. In return, poor Elton John will have to reach 333 shows to touch the billion dollars. Ed Sheeran reached 776 million euros (which, adjusted for inflation, would be 764 million euros) with 250 concerts on his 2017-2019 tour. If Swift puts her mind to it, she can pulverize that record between now and September.

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  • Taylor Swift
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