Inside Culture

How joint tours became music’s hottest ticket

Forget solo acts, joint tours are fast becoming the dominant force in live music, offering scaled-up productions and unique hybrid experiences that fans crave

The joint tour is having its moment. Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s Sweat tour was a massive success in the U.S., transforming sweaty, euphoric club culture into an arena spectacle across North America. The tour grossed $28 million from 297,000 tickets sold. Last month, Kendrick Lamar and SZA announced their 2025 Grand National North American stadium tour, kicking off next spring—marking their first-ever stadium tour. As demand for live music experiences continues to grow—global music tour revenue hit a record $9.17 billion in 2023—artists are finding innovative ways to maximise cultural impact and sales. One key strategy? Joint tours that unite different fandoms and create unique, hybrid experiences for fans.

For artists, joint tours offer an opportunity to scale up, transitioning from smaller venues to arenas or stadiums. For fans, they fulfill a growing appetite for in-person music experiences. These tours also cater to fans’ passion for world-building, transforming live gigs into epicenters of creative expression. From curating outfits that reflect a tour’s aesthetic to traveling across the globe to attend shows, fans seamlessly blend music, fashion, and tourism into one. Music tourism, in particular, is booming, with the industry projected to grow to $13.8 billion by 2032.

Brands can capitalise on this by feeding into fans world-building desires through crafting products that are integral to the world-building and fan-led experience. Nike has collaborated with music artists like Travis Scott to design exclusive merchandise that reflects their aesthetic and resonates with their audience. Brands can also tap into the rarity that these joint tours embody by crafting exclusive experiences that align with these moments. For Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, Amex created an immersive dining experience inspired by the singer’s track ‘The Diner’, which included Eilish memorabilia and cocktails inspired by the album.

19%
of Gen Zers say that an unmissable concert is the main reason they’d skip work at the last minuteYouGov/Viagogo (2023)
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