Axios Nashville

December 10, 2024
Good morning, today is Tuesday.
- Nate and Adam appreciate you more than you'll never know.
🌧️ Today's weather: Rainy, mainly in the morning, and a high of 59.
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Today's newsletter is 808 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Taylor Swift's record-breaking era
Taylor Swift has done it again: Her epic Eras Tour is now officially the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Why it matters: The Nashville-based artist has become a wrecking ball, shattering records around the world. But this one hits different.
- The Eras Tour brought Swift's fame to even higher heights and set a new standard for touring that will reverberate through the music industry for years to come.
Driving the news: Pollstar confirmed the unprecedented success of the Eras Tour yesterday, the day after Swift played the last show in Vancouver.
- "We are witnessing history," Pollstar editor-in-chief Andy Gensler said in a statement.
By the numbers: Swift's tour brought in an estimated $2.2 billion, according to Pollstar, which tracks global concert data. That is almost double the previous record-holder, Coldplay's Music of the Spheres tour.
- Swift sold more than 10 million tickets, and Pollstar's estimated average attendance of an Eras Tour show was 67,487, another record-setting figure.
The big picture: The Eras Tour was a retrospective designed to encapsulate the full sweep of Swift's 18-year career.
- She faithfully performed the early country hits that made her the toast of Music Row alongside the pop bops that brought her worldwide fame.
The intrigue: The nostalgic event ended up bringing Swift to a new peak of success, drawing in new fans and propelling her to billionaire status.
- Each stop became an economic phenomenon that boosted cities' fortunes, as generations of fans followed the tour across the world, spending big on travel, lodging and food along the way.
Flashback: Swift moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams of country stardom, and Music City has been home base ever since. Her journey to Nashville shows the humble roots of one of the most powerful artists in music history.
- Swift convinced her mom to visit Nashville during spring break when she was 11. She went door-to-door on Music Row, handing out copies of her demos to record labels.
- The family ultimately moved here when she was 13. Many of the music businesses spawned by her career are based in Nashville.
Zoom in: During the three "hometown" tour dates at Nissan Stadium in May 2023, Nashville set a new record for hotel demand. Those three days brought in an estimated $2.2 million in hotel taxes alone, according to the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp.
- Lyft reported a 24% jump in rides around Nashville during Swift's tour dates. Restaurants and other places Swift has visited saw a particular boost.
- Rides to The Bluebird Cafe, where Swift got her big break while performing as a teenager, surged 355%.
2. Nashville library now lets you check out vinyl records
Music nerds can now check out vinyl records at Nashville Public Library branches, under a new program announced yesterday.
Why it matters: Nashville is a vinyl-obsessed city with fantastic record shops, record labels that do special vinyl releases and even the massive production facility United Record Pressing.
How it works: You can browse the vinyl collections in person at the Green Hills and Madison branches, or search online and request a record be delivered to your nearby branch.
Zoom out: The addition of vinyl is another example of the Nashville Public Library expanding beyond books.
Go deeper: The lending library allows residents to check out original artwork by local artists to display in their home.
3. How much a worker needs to make to be in Tennessee's top 1%

A Tennessee worker needs to earn $687,620 annually to be part of the state's top 1% of earners.
By the numbers: By comparison, an earner in Washington D.C. needs to make $1.22 million to be in the top 1% there.
- West Virginia has the lowest threshold in the nation, where an earner needs to make $425,816 to be in the top 1%. The national figure is $797,760, according to IRS data from the tax year 2021 adjusted to October, 2024 dollars.
- There were 30,306 filers who achieved 1% status in Tennessee in 2021.
The bottom line: News reporters are not in the top 1%.
4. The Setlist: Nashville Zoo wants to keep expanding
🐯 The Nashville Zoo plans to keep expanding, with new exhibits coming up that will feature orangutans and endangered leopards. (Tennessean, subscription)
🎚️ L-Acoustics, a French audio and technology company, plans to open its new headquarters in the Nashville Yards project downtown. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)
💧 Metro Water recently sent notices to some property owners about the discovery of lead in pipes. The department found relatively few cases of lead after a broad review. (Nashville Banner)
5. Bury Nate at the Butter Milk Ranch
👋 Nate here: Based on the wait time, word is definitely out about the 12South breakfast and brunch spot the Butter Milk Ranch.
I could wax poetic about my fantastic meal here, but the photos above really tell the story.
- The Butter Milk Ranch has a fantastic bakery with several creative twists on its staple croissants. My 10-year-old, who can be picky, ate his chicken biscuit so fast I didn't get to try a bite.
Our picks:
Nate is proud of son Maddux for recent accomplishments in swimming and music, especially since Nate is talentless at both
Adam is taste-testing several different crackers with everything bagel seasoning.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Ashley.
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