Taylor Swift distributes $197 million in bonuses to her tour crew

International star Taylor Swift distributed huge bonuses to the crew of her historic Eras Tour, amounting to more than $197 million, in a move that made news headlines and sparked a widespread wave of emotion among her workers.

According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, the rewards included all participants in the tour, which lasted 21 months between March 2023 and December 2024, and included 149 shows in 21 countries, achieving revenues exceeding two billion dollars, making it the highest income in the history of music.

The moments of the reward distribution were documented in the new documentary series on Disney+ entitled
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour / the end of an Era, where Swift appeared as she gathered her crew and delivered personal letters to them including the value of each individual’s reward, amid scenes of crying and shock.

Rewards included drivers, technicians, dancers, band members, lighting and sound teams, production, security, costumes, hair and makeup, and other supporting teams for the tour.

In a touching scene, a crew member read a message of thanks from Swift for the sacrifices and traveling around the world, before revealing a large reward, which prompted a number of attendees to cry, while one of the dancers almost fainted from the intensity of emotion.

This is not the first time that Taylor Swift has been known for her generosity, as in 2023 she previously granted bonuses worth $100,000 to each truck driver during the American leg of the tour. She also recently confirmed that the profits from the tour helped her regain the rights to recordings of her original songs, and she described this as one of the most important achievements of her life.