The Eras tour momentum shows no sign of slowing down, raking in nearly 4.6 billion dollars in projected economic growth according to Forbes. But with the unprecedented influence of live entertainment, it’s important to take a look at the challenges and benefits of these massive productions.
The most obvious impact is money. Isabel Sami, a staff reporter for the Houston Business Journal found that the shows in LA added an estimated 3,300 jobs in LA alone, resulting in approximately $160 million changing hands into local businesses. However, the pressure of this influx of capital can also expose faults in local economies, particularly for workers. In fact, Sami reports that while hotel room prices jumped 16%, workers in those hotels still made 15% less than their pre-pandemic pay. This tension resulted in the tour coming under fire from the local hotel union who was planning a strike at the time. While issues like these are no fault of her own, they are a natural consequence of large scale economic shocks. Additionally, Swift’s tour exposed a long standing issue with the concert ticket industry. Ever since Ticketmaster’s 2010 merge with Live Nation, they’ve become the gatekeepers for mega tours like Eras. In fact, one lawsuit from this past March alleges that Ticketmaster engaged in anti-competitive action against Swifties, a claim not unfamiliar to the company. However, these issues have not gone unnoticed. While workers were unable to convince Taylor to postpone her tour, many Swifties are in broad support of the strikers now that the tour has concluded in LA. Additionally, the lawsuit brought about against Ticketmaster has opened up not just a Senate investigation, but also attracted the eye of investigators who may seek antitrust action. In the age of mega entertainment, it is more important than ever to be conscientious of the issues that come along with it, ensuring that this growing industry does not exacerbate the struggles of local communities.