Revenue / 10.11.23

The Future May Be Female, but So Is the Past and Present

Access Staff

Pollstar (10/05/23) King, Ariel

Women have made significant progress in the live music industry over the last 10 years, with onstage, backstage and attendance all areas where their presence has vastly expanded. The third quarter saw Taylor Swift and Beyoncé dominate Pollstar's Top Worldwide Tours Chart, with Swift's tour on track to be the highest-grossing tour in history. "Society has treated women in music in unfavorable ways," says Live Nation's Ali Harnell. "We've seen women fighting for equity and the ability to shape their personal and professional future in our society for centuries — which transferred into the challenges women faced in the music industry as well. However, I think the world has evolved in many ways and what women today are experiencing is different than what I did 30-plus years ago when I entered the industry." Veteran artists who broke the glass ceiling still tour today, with Stevie Nicks grossing $13 million on her headline shows this year alone. Moreover, the woman's dollar has been keeping the industry buoyant overall. "I think attitudes are definitely shifting and women are excelling in certain genres while breaking down barriers and challenging biases and gender-based stereotypes," Harnell notes. "The fact that P!NK, Beyoncé and Taylor are selling out stadiums around the world and commanding the economy is exciting progress." Today's superstar female performers are calling out the pioneering women who inspired them, like Madonna, Lauryn Hill, Diana Ross and PJ Harvey.

Read the full story from Pollstar.

Tags: Revenue , Women Artists