What does it really take to sell out Madison Square Garden? We asked the experts

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Set us as preferred Madison Square Garden.Decades before the July 3 wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce catapulted the venue into a new category of global prominence, the Manhattan arena loomed large as a symbol of success.

For the select list of comedians who have sold out the place, filling the arena is considered a pinnacle of achievement.It’s a triumph so encompassing that it inspired the central plot of the final season of “Hacks,” as Jean Smart’s veteran stand-up Deborah Vance demonstrates she’ll do just about anything to sell out the Garden — including putting herself in a glass cube above the Las Vegas Strip and almost perishing up there.

“She needs a legacy-defining win, something that’s going to be the inarguable lead to her obituary,” says Paul W.Downs during a Zoom call with his “Hacks” co-creators Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky.“With Deborah, she likes to go big and Madison Square Garden is big,” adds Statsky.

“It’s a testament to what an iconic place it is because we were like, ‘There’s one option here and it’s MSG.’” So what does it really take to sell out MSG? Back in the day, a comedian could go on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and become nationally known.Now, YouTube subscribers and TikTok followers are part of the equation, along with specials on Netflix, HBO and Hulu.

The road to MSG is a long one, with few shortcuts.It usually begins with years of playing club dates, then theaters and larger arenas, creating demand.

But the payoff is substantial: With 15,000 to 20,000 seats depending on the configuration, a single night can gross up to $3 million in ticket sales.Then, a streaming platform might fork over $5 million to $20 million for exclusive taped performance rights.

Plus, there’s the unquantifiable: “Venues often come and go,” says A...