From Taylor Swift to Travis Scott to Sabrina Carpenter, Boardroom breaks down the biggest music news from the last year.
As part of our end-of-the-year coverage, the Boardroom staff put together a few special editions of Headline to Go that recap the biggest moments and trends across the sports and entertainment industries. We hope you enjoy them, and happy holidays!
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Taylor Swift, Travis Scott Set Touring Records Worldwide
Few artists impacted live music more in 2024 than Taylor Swift and Travis Scott. From stimulating economies internationally to moving millions in merch, the singer-songwriter and the rapper-producer each upped the ante on how much money could be made by hitting the road.
In 2024, Swift wrapped up her 21-month Eras Tour to the tune of $2 billion in ticket sales – a figure that places Swift’s sweep of both hemispheres as the highest-grossing tour of all time. Similarly, Travis Scott’s storied Circus Maximus Tour sold over 1.7 million tickets across 76 shows. Not only did the Utopia-based run double attendance of Scott’s last solo tour, but five different markets on the circuit made history for merch sales.
Kendrick Lamar, Future & Tyler, The Creator Lead Bounce Back Year for Hip-Hop Sales
After a lackluster 2023, where hip-hop celebrated its 50th anniversary but fell to just 25.9% of American market share, 2024 was a banner year for the art form both in culture and on the charts. The lightning rod proved to be Kendrick Lamar’s battle-tested “Not Like Us,” which generated over $7.6 million in revenue, holding down the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.
Across the genre, 21 Savage, Ye & Ty Dolla Sign, Eminem, Scott, Yeat, Tyler, The Creator, and Lamar each launched No. 1 albums. Much momentum in 2024 came from Future and Metro Boomin, who combined for three No. 1 albums alone, igniting hip-hop’s $15 million beef and a competitive spirit that caused conversation and amplified sales. Such was reflected in Spotify’s end-of-the-year Revealed data, which showed that the number of rap residents in the Top 10 Artists in the US doubled year over year, with hip-hop’s elite taking up six total spots.
Bob Marley Biopic & Celine Dion Documentary Forecast More Music Movies in IP Era
Music’s momentum in 2024 was much more than song streams and concerts. Famously, films and documentaries diving into the lives and times of great artists made noise both at the box office and across silver screen platforms. Bob Marley: One Love led all artist biopics in theatres thanks to box office earnings of $176.7 million.
Biopics based on Pharrell Williams, Amy Winehouse, and Bob Dylan also achieved theatrical success, setting the table for more to come in 2025. On the streaming side, documentaries covering Celine Dion, Bruce Springsteen, Yacht Rock, “We Are the World,” and much more received release as the battle between subscription platforms and the need to cash in on catalog sales spurs supply.
Snoop Dogg Makes Millions & History with NBC Summer Olympic Coverage
Rap revenue was just one small slice of the pie for living legend Snoop Dogg in 2024. The owner of Death Row Records and revered pitchman for products of all varieties scored the gig of a lifetime this year through his viral brand of comedic commentary in the sporting space.
Famously, NBC tapped Snoop as an analyst for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. While his takes and reactions made waves on linear television and online, the biggest headline was perhaps his reported payday of $500,00 per day, reaching roughly $9 million in earnings over the 17-day spectacle.
The Weeknd Reigns As King of Spotify Streaming
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, did not release a new album in 2024. What he did do was absolutely dominate Spotify streaming charts. In January, the Canadian crooner became the first artist with a 4 billion stream single on Spotify thanks to the continued cache of 2020’s “Blinding Lights.”
The momentum mounted in July when RIAA accredited him for seven Diamond-certified songs due to steady streams for “Save Your Tears” and “Die For You.” While back catalog classics carried The Weeknd all the way up to the No. 2 spot on Spotify’s Top Streamed Global Artists of 2024 list, a new album in January 2025 could see him dethrone Swift as the most streamed artist in the world in the new year ahead.
Charli XCX, Billie Eilish & Sabrina Carpenter Ignite Girl Pop Summer
Femme fatales in hip-hop and folk flourished in 2024, but Girl Pop Summer saw a season in itself. Ariana Grande got the ball rolling in March by way of her sixth No. 1 album, setting the stage for Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, and Charli XCX, each illuminating the charts, TikTok, and even the 2024 Presidential Race.
Carpenter caught her stride six albums in on Short n’ Sweet, spawning three Top 10 hits and her first No. 1 album. Eilish earned another Platinum plaque for Hit Me Hard and Soft, capping a three-peat performance of Grammy nominations for Album of the Year. Lastly, XCX’s Brat became the UK artist’s biggest Billboard debut, famously leading to an array of endorsements and a campaign co-sign from Kamala Harris.
Shaboozey, Beyoncé & Post Malone Lead Country Crossover
As hot as rap and pop performances got in 2024, nothing held a candle to country music’s monster year. Industry acolytes such as Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift continued to top charts with archival material, showing favor to the genre’s ability to sell physical albums and attain staying power.
However, Nashville’s dominant domain was not without new entrants. Both Beyoncé and Post Malone put their names in the cowboy hat in 2024, each releasing No. 1 albums in the country category that attained critical and commercial acclaim. Notably, both Cowboy Carter and F-1 Trillion each earned nominations for 2025 Country Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
However, the genre’s biggest breakthrough was Shaboozey. The Virginia vocalist’s twangy reinterpretation of J-Kwon’s 2004 hit “Tipsy” topped Billboard’s Hot 100 for 19 weeks, tying a record for the longest-running No. 1 song ever.
