Live events discovery platform Bandsintown has released its 2025 High Notes, a comprehensive look at the artists, venues, festivals and trends that shaped live music this year. The report is based on data from the 8 billion events, 100 million fans and 700,000 artists on its platform.
Genre dominators:
Trap was 2025’s fastest rising genre, surging 65% year over year, driven by the rise of fusion subgenres such as phonk and latin trap.
Shoegaze jumped 37%.
Rock reclaimed the No. 1 spot in fan engagement, with metal and alternative at Numbers 2 and 3 respectively.
Live draws:
sombr was the fastest growing artist, followed by Lola Young, JENNIE, Doechii, Ella Langley, Alex Warren, Olivia Dean, Tyla, BigXthaPlug and Forrest Frank.
Billie Eilish earned the most new followers, followed by Taylor Swift. The Weeknd (No. 3), Eminem (No. 4) and Kendrick Lamar (No. 5) round out the Top 5.
System of a Down (São Paulo) and Zayn (Mexico City) were the top two shows globally for ticket demand in 2025.
Travel boom:
32.6% more fans traveled internationally for concerts than in 2024.
Music city:
New York City topped the charts as the fastest growing music fan city globally. It was also a top city for fan engagement and ticket demand.
Globally, Madrid, London and São Paulo were among the fastest growing fan cities.
Top US cities for ticket demand were New York, Dallas and Los Angeles.
Destination venues:
Red Rocks Amphitheatre was the top destination venue, leading in ticket demand, RSVPs and new followers.
Standout independent US 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).
The full report:
