Expert forecasts Swift $660M economic impact for Toronto next November

It may only be August, but Taylor Swift fans in Canada are already grabbing their cardigans and preparing for their own great war against Ticketmaster to see the songstress in Toronto in November of 2024.

It’ll be the best day for Swifties when Swift comes to Canada, but perhaps even better for businesses in the city.

Music industry expert Eric Alper told Gormley on Wednesday that the six-show stint Swift is set to perform in Toronto should generate roughly $660 million for the city.

That ‘s based just on the approximately $1,800 fans are each currently spending on a ticket to The Eras Tour, along with possibly the cost of their hotel, parking, food and drinks for the show.

“That’s a lot of money,” Alper said. “No wonder why (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau wanted her to come to this country so badly.

“The sheer amount of money that is exchanging hands is huge.”

Even just selling tickets to Swift’s concert has had tremendous economic impact felt around the world. Two months ago, Alper said, the gross national product of America reportedly rose 0.2 per cent “totally based on the fact that Taylor Swift tickets were on sale that month.”

“Being able to shift the entire country’s economy is something that Taylor should be used to because she’s seen it already before,” Alper added, noting the substantial economic sway felt in Latin America, Mexico and the United Kingdom when tickets to her shows went on sale in those parts of the world.

Alper credited much of the intensity and demand for Swift to her songwriting.

“She has been able to connect and figure out how to write songs in complete isolation away from everybody else and release them and somehow feel exactly what tens of millions of people have felt,” Alper said.

While many songwriters try to do this, Alper said achieving it so successfully is rare.

“But Taylor Swift, from the age of 12, has just been able to write songs that most girls and women … just love,” he said. “Without the songs, you really don’t have anything.”

Alper also pointed to the “Lover” singer’s social media, which gives fans a bit more of a glimpse into Swift’s personal life, from her cats to her friends and plenty of witty Easter eggs for fans to enjoy and decipher about what she might do next.

Alper noted Swift is never after the hard sell or convincing her hundreds of millions of followers to spend money.

He also said Swift is aware of the perceptions people have of her — even the turmoil Canadian fans were in waiting to hear if the musician  would be crossing the border to perform.

“She has been able to just tap into something that is truly once in a generation,” Alper said, comparing Swift’s fandom to that of Michael Jackson’s during his Thriller era.

Alper said Swift’s 3 1/2-hour show of more than 40 of her own songs, spanning her entire career, is a performance worthy of the ticket price.

“She knows exactly what people are looking for,” Alper said.