Rolling Stones, Garth Brooks Top Concert Ticket Sales

2015 (So Far) North American Concert Tour, Courtesy of Pollstar

Fueled by touring forces like the Rolling Stones and Garth Brooks, the North American concert industry hit a high note in the first half of 2015, selling a record 18.8 million tickets, up nearly 23% from the same period last year and breaking the previous high of 18.6 million tickets sold in 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The mid-year tally, released Friday in a report by the trade publication Pollstar, underscores the role of live music as the lifeblood of the music industry, with ticket prices spiking and bands hitting the road in droves to maximize their earnings.

The Top 100 concert tours in North America have raked in a combined gross of $1.4 billion in ticket sales this year, up $402 million from last year. That gross surpassed the previous mid-year high, set in 2013, by 15%.

The cost of tickets is higher than ever, averaging $76.20 this year, a jump of more than $8 from last year.

In general, country stars resisted the urge to jack up their prices. Garth Brooks, who returned to the stage to much fanfare, charged an average of $66 for his tickets, but still managed to score the No. 2 most lucrative North American tour, with a gross of $79.9 million in ticket sales. Seats at Rolling Stones concerts, by contrast, cost $178 on average. That helped the Stones rake in a gross of $80.7 million on their Zip Code tour and earned them the No. 1 spot so far this year.