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Rolling Stones are No1 on league table for highest concert earnings – with nearly £2bn in ticket sales

The Rolling Stones are No1 on a league table for highest concert earnings credit:Bang Showbiz
The Rolling Stones are No1 on a league table for highest concert earnings credit:Bang Showbiz

The Rolling Stones are No1 on a league table for highest concert earnings.

Sir Mick Jagger, 79, Keith Richards, 78, Ronnie Wood, 75, and the late Charlie Watts sold 22 million tickets since 2018 – earning more than £1.8billion.

Close behind the group were Irish stadium favourites U2, while Sir Elton John, 75, came third with his £1.4billion in earnings.

He will likely reach the Stones’ milestone by the end of his current ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour.

The Stones’ old Beatles rival and this year’s Glastonbury crowd-pleaser Sir Paul McCartney, 80, was the third British act in the top 10, making just under £1billion.

Metallica’s position at number nine made them the most lucrative heavy metal live act on the table.

The rest of the top 10 were fellow Americans Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Bon Jovi and the Eagles, plus Canadian Celine Dion.

The chart, created by US music magazine Pollstar, has been analysing acts’ ticket sales since 1981.

In the top 20 were Rod Stewart with (£659million) and younger acts such as Coldplay (£861million), Beyoncé (£836million) and Ed Sheeran (£802million).

Brodie Cooper from American marketing firm PRrppd said: “This poll demonstrates the staggering appeal that UK artists have in the music business.

“For a small set of islands these have achieved astonishing success given all the other countries with enormous selling acts.”

Top 10 Ticket Earners

The Rolling Stones $2,165,280,638 (£1,794,530,470)

U2 $2,127,771,684 (£1,763,515,351)

Elton John $1,748,183,036 (£1,448,909,037)

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band $1,527,407,373

(£1,265,928,281)

Madonna $1,389,746,222 (£1,265,928,281)

Celine Dion $1,354,352,578 (£1,122,498,988)

Bon Jovi $1,329,891,400 (£1,102,225,355)

Eagles $1,314,544,780 (£1,089,505,945)

Metallica $1,219,599,179 (£1,010,814,220)

Paul McCartney $1,193,812,645 (£989,462,570)