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Taylor Swift effect: blessing or curse for arts audiences?

Ahead of her Australian tour dates, Tay-Tay mania is in full swing. But can the local arts sector expect any knock-on gains?

12 Feb 2024

Jo Pickup

Taylor Swift: A picture of Taylor Swift in a little black dress holding a microphone, performing on stage in front of a projected image of her face.

Performing Arts

Photo: Makaiyla Willis, Wiki Media Commons.

For Taylor Swift fans – or “Swifties” – in Australia right now, the wait is almost over.

After packing out stadiums in the US and Brazil in 2023, Swift’s epic Eras Tour is about to land in Melbourne and Sydney to deliver her most hotly anticipated Australian shows since 2018.

But in her five-year absence from the Australasian region, Swift’s international star power has reached new stratospheric heights. Her current Eras Tour – comprising 151 shows across five continents – has surpassed $1 billion in revenue, making it the highest-grossing music tour by any artist in history.

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Jo Pickup

ArtsHub's Arts Feature Writer Jo Pickup is based in Perth. An arts writer and manager, she has worked as a journalist and broadcaster for media such as the ABC, RTRFM and The West Australian newspaper, contributing media content and commentary on art, culture and design. She has also worked for arts organisations such as Fremantle Arts Centre, STRUT dance, and the Aboriginal Arts Centre Hub of WA, as well as being a sessional arts lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).