As she starts wrapping up the US leg of her Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has reportedly gifted large bonuses to the crew members who helped make it happen.
People Magazine reported that the singer gave bonuses totalling US$55 million ($83 million) to everyone who worked on the tour. According to the publication, that included dancers, lighting and sound technicians, caterers, riggers and more
The news comes after the CEO of a company that provided transportation for the massive concert run said Swift recently gifted nearly 50 truckers a check for $US100,000 ($152,378) each.
Swift’s bonuses to crew ‘life-changing’
Shomotion was one of two transportation companies that worked on the tour, handling transportation of the stage and structural elements for concerts.
The Colorado-based company’s founder and CEO, Michael Scherkenbach, told CNN the “generous” bonuses would be “life-changing” for his team.
While big artists typically gift workers with bonuses at the end of a tour, Scherkenbach said they are rarely the size of what Swift has paid, typically ranging from $US5,000 ($7,610) to $US10,000 ($15,220) each.
Scherkenbach has highlighted the demanding nature of the job.
“These men and women, they live on the road. They sleep during the day and work all night,” he said.
“It’s a gruelling task. They leave their families, young children for weeks. For Taylor’s tour, they’ve been away from home for 24 weeks.”
How much will Taylor Swift earn from the Eras tour?
Swift’s Eras tour could be one of the highest-earning concert tours of all time. With its North American leg coming to an end, Swift will take the tour across the globe next year, with dates in Australia as well as Europe, Japan, Singapore and the UK.
Touring industry trade publication Pollstar has estimated the tour could gross over $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) when it ends in August 2024.
