Max SteventonColdplay have topped the list for the millennium’s most successful touring artists.
The data, published by Pollstar, lists the 25 most successful touring artists since 2001 with total ticket sales used for the ranking. Other data includes total shows and gross revenue.
Coldplay have sold 24.8m tickets across 731 shows since 2001. More than half of these sales (13.2m) were sold as part of the band’s record-breaking Music of the Spheres World Tour (pictured).
Coldplay are also the highest grossing artist on the list with a total revenue of just under £2.5bn.
Irish rock band U2 sit behind Coldplay in second place on the list with 20.2m ticket sales, while Ed Sheeran is in third place with 19.6m ticket sales. Dave Matthews Band are the highest American act on the list (fourth) having sold 19.5m tickets across 1,171 shows.
Taylor Swift, whose Eras Tour is the highest-grossing tour in history, ranks fifth. Most of her ticket sales and revenue come from that record-setting tour.
British legends Elton John (10th), Rolling Stones (12th) and Paul McCartney (22nd) also made the list with ticket sales of 13.8m, 12.5m and 9.4m respectively. Dutch violinist André Rieu has the highest output of anyone on the list with 1,700 shows since 2001 – over 400 more than the next highest.
Pollstar’s data also note that in recent years total ticket sales and revenue has increased sharply. According to its data, the number of concert tickets sold has risen 214% since 2001. The organisation also points to the growth of large-scale music venues and arenas, noting that more artists are now able to fill these spaces, further driving the surge in ticket volume.