The Colorado Sun: When Taylor Swift came to Denver she brought a spectacle and left a $140 million economic afterglow

July 17, 2023

Pop stars have stans and rock stars have groupies, but Swifties are a different breed. More empowered, and more enterprising. It’s unsurprising, since Swift herself has a reputation as a savvy businesswoman who reportedly brings in more than $13 million per show, and whose tour as a whole is being compared to the GDPs of countries. Her two nights in Denver alone are estimated to contribute $140 million to Colorado’s GDP this year.

Of course, it’s not all about the money. It’s also about the community, the empowerment and the genuine connection her fans feel to the music. But it’s also about the money.

The positive shock

“We can easily see that we need positive shocks to the economy,” said Kishore Kulkarni, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Metropolitan State University. Positive shocks are events like the NBA Finals, or the Super Bowl, or the Democratic Party Convention, he said. “The Taylor Swift shock is just bigger.”

Swift has been selling out stadiums since her first tour in 2009, the Fearless tour, during which both her Staples Center show in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden show in New York set records for the fastest ticket grabs in either arena’s history (one and two minutes, respectively).