As we count down to 2019, Ticket Club is reviewing the past year in the entertainment industry. Follow along with our series as we explore the best of 2018’s live events, determined by internal sales data.
Elton John has achieved yet another major musical milestone. 50 years into his career, he has topped the list of this year’s Top 20 best-selling artists – beating out fellow superstars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé & Jay-Z and Paul McCartney.
The legendary singer shocked the music world in January when he announced his retirement from touring. As a result, fans came out in droves to score tickets for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. The massive world tour, which is set to run through 2021 after some 300 shows, kicked off in September to both rave reviews and packed houses. 2018 also marked the conclusion of his Las Vegas residency show The Million Dollar Piano – also a likely factor attributing to his dominant sales figures.
Looking ahead to 2019, Sir Elton John is likely to see equal success as his farewell tour marches on in the U.S. and overseas. A boost in tour sales may also be in the cards for the composer once his life is chronicled in the new biopic Rocketman, due in theaters next May. A turn on the big screen can not only enhance an artist’s musical relevance but help also drive their concert sales as well, as evidenced by Lady Gaga following her starring role in A Star Is Born and smash-hit Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Trailing behind John as the No. 2 performers of 2018 are Beyoncé & Jay-Z. Their On the Run II Tour was met with hysteria upon its announcement, but fans went especially crazy when the couple dropped their first joint album Everything Is Love, credited as The Carters. They edged out iconic rockers Journey and Def Leppard, whose co-headlining tour put them in the No. 3 spot.
Rounding out the Top 10 are pop powerhouses like Justin Timberlake, Pink, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeran, plus iconic rockers Fleetwood Mac and Metallica. On the other hand, the latter half of the list is much more of a mixed bag. Drake and Migos represented rap and hip-hop, while country kings Jason Aldean and Keith Urban appear, as do veteran rockers Bob Seger, Billy Joel, The Eagles and Paul McCartney. Meanwhile, K-pop phenomenon BTS made their way onto the Top 20 following their brief, yet wildly popular North American debut.
Of course, there were a few surprises too. Noticeably absent from the list were Kendrick Lamar, who headlined the spring’s TDE Championship Tour, and Kenny Chesney’s ambitious Trip Around the Sun stadium tour. Both treks proved popular among their fans but could not compete with the juggernaut tours their fellow artists produced.
Check out the full list below.
Ticket Club – Top 20 Best-Selling Artists of 2018
- Elton John
- Beyonce & Jay-Z
- Journey & Def Leppard
- Justin Timberlake
- Fleetwood Mac
- Bruno Mars
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra
- Metallica
- Pink
- Ed Sheeran
- Drake & Migos
- Paul McCartney
- Keith Urban
- The Eagles
- Cher
- Taylor Swift
- Jason Aldean
- Billy Joel
- BTS
- Bob Seger
Want to see more posts like this? Check out the rest of our Year in Review series here.