New Data Reveals 50% of The UK’s Most Successful Artists Are From London

We’re proud to be British, not least because we have some incredible musical talent born and bred here on our tiny little isles. But this got us wondering, where exactly are our leading musicians and artists hailing from? Our latest research reveals that a staggering 5 out of the top 10 most successful UK artists call the British capital home. But while Ed Sheeran claims the crown with a jaw-dropping 50.2 billion total streams, London's own Coldplay steals the show with the most daily streams, averaging a whopping 18.7 million, 3 million more than Sheeran.

London's pop icons Dua Lipa and Sam Smith dominate their genres, with Lipa outscoring fellow Londoner Adele by 10 million streams. Rock royalty Queen remains a force, while Adele's emotive ballads secure her 4th spot among London artists.

Our study analyses the total and daily streams of the top UK artists to determine which are most successful, revealing which parts of the UK produce the most talent - with the Big Smoke reigning supreme, with 50% of the top 10 UK artists hailing from there. 

Big Smoke-born band, Coldplay, gets a staggering 18.7 million daily streams, 3 million more than Ed Sheeran who ranks top for total streams, and 44% more than the top 10 average. Analysing total streams for London artists, Dua Lipa is in third spot at 29.1 billion, ranking higher than Adele at 19.4 billion and Ellie Goulding at 11.9 billion - the only other female artists included in the top 10.

London’s rock royalty Queen ranks 6th place at 21 billion, surprisingly behind soulful Sam Smith with 22.4 billion total streams. Rounding out the London contingent is powerhouse vocalist Adele, whose emotive pop ballads have garnered nearly 20 billion streams, but it still wasn’t enough to outrank fellow pop icon Dua Lipa. 

Hailing from West Yorkshire market town, Halifax, global superstar Ed Sheeran ranks first place with a staggering 50.2 billion streams on the platform, 57% more than the average streams of all top 10 artists listed, but despite this, Ed was beaten by Coldplay on the total number of daily streams.

Examining other successful musical hotspots, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Scotland have also produced top talent with Harry Styles, Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris all hailing from these parts of the UK.

“London's musical influence points to its unique ecosystem for nurturing musical talent. The city’s diverse and vibrant cultural scene, world-class recording studios, and a long history of fostering musical communities have been attracting artists from all across the UK and beyond, giving them collaboration opportunities, as well as access to industry players for artists to break through internationally”. - Peter Fealey, Founder of A2D2

London Hits High Note: UK Music Capital Crowns 50% Of Most Successful Artists

Sources

• The Data was collected on Wednesday 24th January 2024
• https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/artists-with-the-most-top-10-singles-in-the-uk__25400/ 
• https://www.nme.com/photos/the-biggest-selling-uk-acts-of-all-time-1437412 
• https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/6eUKZXaKkcviH0Ku9w2n3V_songs.html