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Topics: News, Music, Taylor Swift
Velentina Boulter
Topics: News, Music, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has generously given 'life-changing' $100,000 bonuses to all of the drivers who helped her team out for the US Eras tour.
Mike Scherkenbach, who runs the transportation company that worked on the Eras tour, spoke to Rolling Stone about how much these bonuses mean to his drivers.
“She’s giving a sum of money that is life-changing for these people," he said.
Swift has reportedly given out a total of over more than $50 million in bonuses to tour staff, including catering, lighting, audio, and video staff.
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Usually, Scherkenbach says drivers can expect around $5,000 to $10,000 in bonuses, so Swift’s bonus is a whole 10 times more than they were expecting.
And Scherkenbach said that the $100,000 for each driver will make a huge difference in their lives.
“A lot of these drivers are not homeowners, and a lump sum like this gives you the ability to put a down payment on a home," he said.
He added: “That’s what makes me happy. That generosity is a game changer for these people.”
This isn’t the first time Scherkenbach and his team at Showmotion have worked on one of Swift’s tours, their team was also involved in the Reputation tour too.
He mentioned that Swift even listed the drivers in the credits of her Reputation tour documentary on Netflix.
“To put the drivers’ names in the movie credits? That shows the character of a person," he said.
Scherkenbach also told USA Today that each driver was given a handwritten letter from the singer alongside the generous bonuses.
“The funny part is, they just glanced at the letter quickly and didn’t look at the amount,” said Scherkenbach.
“And then another driver said ‘Oh, this has to be a joke'. Which then made the other ones reopen their letters.”
With over 38 performances and an average crowd of 54,000, Forbes estimates the Eras tour has already grossed almost $110 million after production costs.
And that’s just up till June!
It’s predicted that Swift could make up to $1.4 billion from the Eras world tour by the time it ends next year in August.
Swift’s net worth is also estimated to be around $740 million, however with the success of her Eras Tour, who knows how high that figure could climb?
Although even with all that money, it seems generosity is one thing Swift still holds dear.