Just How Much $ Did Beyoncé & Taylor Swift Pump Into KC’s Economy?

The Kansas City area is having a great year when it comes to huge events and big spectacles. First, there was the NFL Draft which was a blockbuster success for the Kansas City area, now we're starting to see the economic impact major superstar concerts at Arrowhead Stadium brought to the Kansas City area.

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Kansas City Mayor Quintin Lucas took to Facebook earlier today to break down and talk about the economic impact the summer shows at Arrowhead brought to the Kansas City area, and the impact was significant.

He says, "Estimated returns are in and great for Kansas City venues, workers, businesses, and taxpayers from major concerts in 2023." The economic impact, $80 million dollars.

Yet, this $80 million dollar economic impact was generated by five superstars who played in Kansas City this summer: Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.

Just how much impact did each of these artists have on Kansas City's economy? Mayor Lucas broke out the numbers, and the biggest economic impact came from the two artists who right now have the most rabid fanbases in music. Here's the impact each of these concerts had in the Kansas City area:

• Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks $7.4 million dollars.
• Ed Sheeran $9.6 million dollars.
• Beyonce's Renaissance Tour $16 million dollars.
• Taylor Swift's Eras Tour over two nights $47.8 million dollars ($23.9 million dollars per night.)

Together Beyonce and Taylor Swift's three concerts had an economic impact in the Kansas City area of $63.8 million dollars, with Billy Joel/Stevie Nicks and Ed Sheeran driving an economic impact of $17 million dollars.

Billy Joel/Stevie Nicks and Ed Sheeran doing stadium shows having an economic impact of $17 million dollars isn't surprising. Beyonce and Taylor Swift having an economic impact of $63.8 million dollars, that's surprising, and not something I think we're going to see again anytime soon.

Both Beyonce and Taylor Swift are artists who come from the compact disc era, both of whom enjoyed an era where music was more of our collective consciousness and where some of their hits were inescapable. They then managed to keep their fan bases while music became a more singular, customized, experience in our lives.

Could the next Beyonce and Taylor Swift tours drive that much cash in our economy? Potentially, Swifies and the Beyhive are committed to their idols. Yet, you have to think, as their fans age, ticket prices continue to increase, and fans end up with other priorities, it's completely possible their tour stops in a place like Kansas City will have a more modest impact.

Not to mention, at least at this point, there are no guarantees in our digital world where a lot of music listening is customized to our personal taste that the world will see superstar artists like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Prince, or Madonna. It's not impossible, just not as easy as it has been in the past. So I suspect it'll be a while until we see another summer concert season that has this much of an economic impact in Kansas City or anywhere.