Which artists are Swansea’s pick of the pops? New research reveals not only who the city’s favourite music artists are – but also how much they earn from local fans!
Researchers at Replay Poker analysed the size of each artist’s fan base according to Spotify’s audience insights and estimated how much an artist earns per year from based on the average number of times that a fan would stream an artist per month.
Most popular artists in Swansea on Spotify fan base
Ed Sheeran ranked as Swansea’s top artist with an estimated 6,190 fans in Swansea (269 per 10k people).
Taylor Swift ranked as the 2nd most popular artist in Swansea with 3,470 fans and Eminem ranked as Swansea’s 3rd most popular musician with 3,430 fans.
Both Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift headlines BBC’s Biggest Weekend in 2018 playing to packed crowds in Singleton Park, so its little wonder that their popularity amongst Swansea fans is still strong.
| Rank | Artist | Fans (total) | Fans per 10,000 people in Swansea |
| 1 | Ed Sheeran | 6,190 | 269 |
| 2 | Taylor Swift | 3,470 | 151 |
| 3 | Eminem | 3,430 | 149 |
| 4 | Drake | 3,370 | 146 |
| 5 | Adele | 3,340 | 145 |
| 6 | Rihanna | 3,210 | 139 |
| 7 | Harry Styles | 2,820 | 123 |
| 8 | Olivia Rodrigo | 2,810 | 122 |
| 9 | Queen | 2,550 | 111 |
| 10 | Bruno Mars | 2,540 | 110 |
How much are these artists earning from their fanbase in Swansea?
The average European Spotify user listens to 99 minutes of music per day. If we assume a fan of each artist listens to an act for just 99 minutes per month, then the likes of Ed Sheeran can generate £8,832 per year in equivalent Spotify earnings in Swansea where he has an estimated reach of 6k fans.
Taylor Swift, the 2nd most listened to artist in Swansea, makes an estimated £4,951 from her Swansea fanbase and Eminem, Swansea’s 3rd most popular musician makes around £4,894 from his Swansea fans.
| Artist | Estimated Yearly Earnings (£) |
| Ed Sheeran | 8,832 |
| Taylor Swift | 4,951 |
| Eminem | 4,894 |
| Drake | 4,808 |
| Adele | 4,766 |
| Rihanna | 4,580 |
| Harry Styles | 4,024 |
| Olivia Rodrigo | 4,009 |
| Queen | 3,638 |
| Bruno Mars | 3,624 |
Ed Sheeran himself isn’t scheduled to head to Swansea anytime soon. Fans of his music however will be pleased to know that the Grand theatre is hosting Shape of You – the music of Ed Sheeran on Thursday 23 October 2023.
Both Ed Sheeran and 7th most popular Swansea artist Harry Styles are playing Cardiff’s principality Stadium soon though, so Swansea fans may need to take a short train ride to watch their favourite pop stars in person.
(Lead image: Harald Krichel / Cosmopolitan UK / Sebastian Vital / Creative Commons 2.0)
