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The ongoing growth of the global live entertainment industry in 2018 saw gross revenue surpass US$2 billion from the Top 10 tours for the first time, with Ed Sheeran attaining the highest gross ever recorded for a touring artist in a single year. 

Sheeran and the nine other acts included in the Top 10 on Pollstar's annual Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart all topped $100 million in sales during the year.

Sheeran, along with other Top 10 acts Taylor Swift, Pink, Bruno Mars and Roger Waters, each toured Australasia during the year, with Sheeran's performances at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, which generated gross income of $26.7 million (US$20.9 million), the third largest international box office takings of the year.

Sheeran's performance at Sydney's ANZ Stadium earned $25 million (US$19.9 million) to be ranked sixth on the Top 100 international box office earnings while P!nk's Rod Laver Arena performances in July and August earned $27.3 million (US$20.2 million) to rank fifth.

Among promoter's Michael Gudinski's Frontier Touring was ranked the world’s third seventh top selling business, and Australia’s largest.

Pollstar listed Chugg Touring at 47th in its Top 100 international promoters and TEG Dainty at 61st.

Pollstar's list of the world’s top performing concert venues saw New York's Madison Square Garden replace London’s O2 arena as the top performing venue with 1,115,480 ticket sales. Australia's top performing venues each saw significant rises in ticket sales during 2018, with Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena the world's 10th best performing venue, and the top performing venue in the region, in terms of ticket sales.

Australia's top performing venues during 2018 were:

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney - 790,798 ticket sales, 10th on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne - 586,506 ticket sales, 21st on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
RAC (Perth) Arena - 418,295 ticket sales, 43rd on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
Brisbane Entertainment Centre - 408,310 ticket sales, 45th on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
Marvel (Etihad) Stadium, Melbourne - 365,460 ticket sales, 10th on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart
ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park - 351,493 ticket sales, 11th on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart
Optus Stadium, Perth - 208,838 ticket sales, 29th on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart
Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, Sydney - 207,368 ticket sales, 104th on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart 
ICC Sydney Theatre - 186,201 ticket sales, 33rd on Pollstar's Theatres chart 
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - 181,402 ticket sales, 40th on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart
Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay, NSW - 101,729 ticket sales, 76th on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart Sites chart
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne - 91,842 ticket sales, 62nd on Pollstar's Amphitheatre Venues chart
Melbourne Stadium (Hisense Arena) - 83,774 ticket sales, 157th on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
AAMI Park, Melbourne - 83,687 ticket sales, 92nd on Pollstar's Outdoor Stadiums chart
Newcastle Entertainment Centre - 82,259 ticket sales, 160th on Pollstar's Arenas Venues chart
Brisbane Riverstage - 53,393 ticket sales, 87th on Pollstar's Amphitheatre Venues chart
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre - 40,880 ticket sales, 162 on Pollstar's Theatres chart 
Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House - 31,653 ticket sales, 200th on Pollstar's Theatres chart 

Click here to view Pollstar's Top 200 Arenas in 2018

Click here to view Pollstar's Top 100 Outdoor Stadiums in 2018 

Click here to view Pollstar's Top 100 Amphitheatre Venues in 2018

Click here to view Pollstar's Top 200 Theatres in 2018

Click here to view Pollstar's list of the Top 100 global promoters in 2018

Image: Ed Sheeran performs at ANZ Stadium.

Related Articles

24th January 2019 - Frontier Touring ranked top Australian promoter in new Billboard global report

6th October 2018 - Major revitalisation will ensure live music future at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion

21st September 2018 - P!NK sets new ticket sales record at Qudos Bank Arena

21st August 2018 - New name for Melbourne’s Hisense Arena

20th August 2018 - RAC secures Perth Arena naming rights

16th July 2018 - Pollstar acknowledges Bluesfest as Australia’s top music festival

16th July 2018 - Pollstar Mid-Year Charts show soaring ticket prices as Ed Sheeran’s tour breaks records

16th July 2018 - Australasian venues strong performers in Pollstar’s Mid-Year concert rankings

26th January 2018 - Record breaking year for global concert business

12th January 2018 - ANZ Stadium looks back on hosting of 57 events in 2017

1st November 2017 - Qudos Bank Arena named in world’s top six performing venues

28th February 2017 - Ticketmaster Australia renews Riverstage partnership

20th January 2017 - Australasian venues strong performers in Pollstar 2016 Ticket Sales chart

21st November 2016 - Australasian venues strong performers in Pollstar global ticket sales rankings

18th November 2016 - 2016 Billboard Touring Awards recognises the best of the global concert industry

21st December 2015 - Ed Sheeran and Fleetwood Mac announced as Ticketmaster’s ‘tickets of the year’

25th July 2012 - Australian venues score in Pollstar ticket sales ranking

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