It's no wonder that Olivia Rodrigo made serious money from "Driver's License." The song, from her debut album "Sour," shares a moving story of missing an ex and having a hard time moving on from them. It's full of emotion and relatable lyrics. It was a massive hit among teenagers and adults alike who can't help but love angsty music.
Rodrigo is also the best kind of pop star. She's kind, humble, and appreciative of her success, which makes it easy to follow her music career and root for her.
"Sour" made Rodrigo a star after she began her career starring as Nini Salazar-Roberts on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Her former relationship with co-star Joshua Bassett was the talk of the town, especially since she is said to have written several songs about him. She also treated fans to her movie Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u, which is available to stream on Disney+ and shares more of her artistic process writing her album. Olivia Rodrigo's "SOUR" tour was a big success, but how much did it add to her net worth?
How Much Did Olivia Rodrigo Make From Her "SOUR" Tour?
While the money that Olivia Rodrigo made from her "SOUR" tour isn't known, it's possible to guess that she did extremely well. Cosmopolitan reported in February 2023 that Olivia Rodrigo's net worth changed from $5 million in 2022 to $8 million in 2023, which suggests that she did really well with her tour.
The biggest names in music definitely earn a ton of money from concerts. The Guardian reported in 2017 that U2 has been making a lot from touring for several years. U2's 2015 tour saw them doing eight performances for tickets that cost between $30 and $275. Their 2001 tour saw them making an impressive $6.4 million from only four concerts in Chicago. Tickets to those concerts cost between $45 and $130.
According to NPR, fans were so excited to buy Olivia Rodrigo's "SOUR" tour tickets in 2021 that there were "technical difficulties" using Ticketmaster. It was tough to find tickets and that resulted in fans reselling them, sometimes even for as much as $9,000.
It can be shocking to hear stories like this. But this is what happened when fans were eager for Taylor Swift's Eras tour and the tickets sold out pretty much immediately.
Lad Bible reported that since Olivia Rodrigo performed in 48 European and American cities, and her tickets cost at least $150, it's easy to assume that she made a huge profit.
It's also worth noting that Rodrigo's tour sold out really quickly. It's easy to assume that she made several million dollars from her "SOUR" tour.
On December 10th, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo posted on Instagram that the tour was "sold out." She wrote in the caption, "been waiting so long to perform these songs live. this is my very first tour and i’m so nervous but so excited to sing and dance the night away with you all!!! if you weren’t able to get tickets this time around there will be more tours in the future and I can’t wait to see you then!!! thank u to all my incredible fans."
As soon as these tour dates were announced, people noticed that Rodrigo was playing in smaller concert halls, not massive arenas. In a December 2021 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Rodrigo said she was happy with the places that she picked. She said, “I don’t think I should skip any steps."
How Does Olivia Rodrigo Feel About Her "SOUR" Tour?
Olivia Rodrigo's "SOUR" tour was definitely a fun and unique experience for fans. She not only sang her own angsty and emotional songs but sang some covers of famous tunes as well. According to Uproxx, Avril Lavinge and Rodrigo sang Lavinge's beloved song "Complicated" together. And Rodrigo and Alanis Morissette sang "You Oughta Know" when Rodrigo performed at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Rodrigo was definitely excited to perform her songs live. It seems like the tour was really important to her, and since it was the first tour that she ever embarked on, it must have been an emotional experience.
Rodrigo talked about the "SOUR" tour in an interview with Variety and said, "It's gonna be so fun to be on the road" and mentioned that she put out her album "in isolation" during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that she was looking forward to "get out and about and see the music in real life and how it affects people in real time."
The singer said she was getting ready with "vocal exercises" and shared a funny story. She told Variety, "Yesterday I ran on the treadmill and sang my songs... I did such a bad job running on the treadmill. It was so hard."
How Much Money Did Olivia Rodrigo Make From Her "Sour" Album?
Given the success of Olivia Rodrigo's "SOUR" tour, it makes sense that her "Sour" album made her a lot of money as well. The album was released on May 21st, 2021. Fans were excited to get the chance to hear more great songs from the star and soak in her artistic vision for her debut album. And it was a huge hit.
The New York Times reported that the singer's album had been streamed 301 million times when it came out and sold 295,000 copies.
According to Billboard, "Sour" was in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart for more weeks than other debut albums. It took the number one spot on June 5th, 2021 and was there for five weeks, which is impressive.
While the amount that Rodrigo was paid from the sales of her "Sour" album isn't known, this must be how she has made most of her net worth.
Rodrigo was definitely amazed by how well her "Sour" album did. On May 21st, 2022, she posted a grateful message on her Instagram account. She wrote in the caption, "my first album SOUR came out a year ago today. it is impossible for me to sum up in words how much this album means to me and how grateful I am to have gotten the privilege to make it and watch it exist in the world."
Rodrigo continued, "thank u @dan_nigro for making it with me and believing in me more than anyone. and thank u to everyone who has embraced my 17 year old lamentations and forever changed my life in the process."