Bandsintown Drops 2025 High Notes: Fans, Festivals, and Genres That Ruled the Year in Live Music

Sombr Soared as The Year's Fastest Growing Artist While Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift
Gained the Most New Followers

Trap, Shoegaze, and Rock Set the Tone for 2025's Music Scene

From NYC to São Paulo, the World's Biggest Cities Turned Up the Volume

Review the Full Report HERE

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bandsintown today released its 2025 High Notes, a comprehensive look at the artists, venues, festivals, and trends that shaped live music this year. From record-setting fan engagement to breakout genres and landmark independent venues, the report highlights the moments, artists, and experiences that made 2025's live music landscape unforgettable.

Fans can check their email for a personalized 2025 High Notes recap, while artists can sign in to Bandsintown for Artists to view and share their own tailored report.

The full 2025 High Notes recap can be found HERE, but check out some of the highlights below:

TRAP, SHOEGAZE and ROCK ARE GENRE DOMINATORS:

• Trap exploded, surging 65% year-over-year to become 2025's fastest rising genre, driven by the rise of fusion subgenres like phonk, and latin trap, that brought new energy to the sound.
• Shoegaze jumped 37%, reflecting a growing interest in alt and atmospheric sounds.
• Rock reclaimed the #1 spot in fan engagement, with Metal and Alternative coming in at #2 and #3 respectively.

FANS TRAVELING FOR LIVE MUSIC IS WAY UP:

• Live music fueled a travel boom, with 32.6% more fans jetsetting internationally for concerts than in 2024.
• Average in-state travel distances climbed 13%, as fans put in more miles to follow their favorite artists.

THE CITIES MAKING MUSIC MATTER:

• NYC ruled live music in 2025, topping the charts as the fastest growing music fan city globally and a top city for fan engagement and ticket demand, with Barclays Center, Terminal 5, and Madison Square Garden holding top venue spots.
• Washington D.C. emerged as the #2 fastest-growing global music city, with surges in RSVPs, venue follows, and overall engagement on Bandsintown.
• Globally, Madrid, London, and São Paulo were among the fastest growing fan cities, proving live music's reach is stronger than ever.
• Top U.S. cities for ticket demand also included Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Dallas, Philadelphia, Austin, and Denver.
• From massive arenas and amphitheaters like Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles) and Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO) to intimate rooms in Cologne and Rotterdam, live music thrived worldwide, fueled by fans across genres.

THIS YEAR'S UNSTOPPABLE LIVE ACTS:

• 2025 saw a surge from rising talent, with sombr claiming the #1 spot among fastest growing artists, followed by Lola Young (#2), JENNIE (#3), Doechii (#4), Ella Langley (#5), Alex Warren (#6), Olivia Dean (#7), Tyla (#8), BigXthaPlug (#9), and Forrest Frank (#10).
• Billie Eilish topped the list of artists with the most new followers in 2025, with Taylor Swift in second place. They were joined by The Weeknd (#3), Eminem (#4), Kendrick Lamar (#5), Lana Del Rey (#6), Coldplay (#7), Drake (#8), Bruno Mars (#9), and Rihanna (#10).
• The top "Road Warrior" touring spot went to Robert Glasper with 149 shows.
• System of a Down (São Paulo) and Zayn (Mexico City) were the top two shows globally for ticket demand in 2025
• Top global shows with highest ticket demand included System of a Down (São Paulo), Zayn (Mexico City), Oasis (Manchester, UK), Metallica (Nashville), and Sleep Token (Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles).

FESTIVALS SAW UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND:
Festivals were a highlight of 2025, with fans flocking to legacy events and new experiences alike.

• Chicago's Lollapalooza claimed the top spot for most festival views and ticket demand, while abroad Mumbai's Bollywood Music Project and Reading Festival in the UK gained the most new followers. Back in the states, experiences like Austin City Limits, Bourbon & Beyond, Wonderfront, Shaky Knees, and Louder Than Life brought communities together and kept the party going.

WHERE MUSC FINDS A HOME:

• Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO) led in ticket demand, RSVPs, and new followers, proving its continued dominance as a destination venue.
• Standout independent U.S. venues included The Rave/Eagles Club (Milwaukee), First Avenue (Minneapolis), Le Poisson Rouge (New York), The Virgil (Los Angeles), Empire Control Room & Garage (Austin), and McMenamins Crystal Ballroom (Portland).
• Bandsintown generated 1 billion event recommendations, 38 million ticket clicks, and 2 million RSVPs for independent venues in 2025.

2025 proved the unstoppable force of live music, spanning genres, cities, and stages around the globe. Bandsintown High Notes shows fans went further, festivals ignited huge demand, and venues of every size powered the music ecosystem.

About Bandsintown:
Bandsintown, the world's leading live events discovery platform, connects 100 million registered fans with concerts from over 700,000 artists and 65,000 venues publishing 2.3 million events annually. Bandsintown also powers concert listings for leading search and streaming partners, including YouTube, Spotify, Google, Apple Music, Apple Maps, Shazam, and Bing. Through Bandsintown PRO, Bandsintown offers marketing solutions to connect festivals, venues and promoters to the most engaged and passionate fans. 

SOURCE Bandsintown