Selling out a 56-date stadium tour that grosses over half a billion dollars is no small feat. For Beyoncé, it’s been two decades in the making. Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour’s total $580 million gross marks an increase of nearly 3,000 percent since her first tour in 2004.
“Beyoncé is one of the rare acts capable of selling out stadiums—and grossing eight figures a night—which creates incredible economies of scale,” says Zack O’Malley Greenburg, author of the Jay-Z biography Empire State of Mind. “Compared to most other musicians, this gives her the ability to reach more fans with fewer shows, all while further padding her considerable coffers.”