From purchasing gig tickets to getting your hands on limited edition goods, how much does it cost to be a superfan?
Ninety per cent of the world’s population listens to music, whether it’s DJs like Calvin Harris, notorious rappers like Eminem or rock legends like Metallica. But for those dedicating their life to being a hardcore music fan, it can prove to be costly.
To work out exactly how costly, Betway online slots have created the ‘Cost Of Being A Superfan Report’ that calculates the most expensive artists to be a fan of in the UK and France. Taking a seed list of the most streamed artists on Spotify, the report looks at the cost of resale tickets, merchandise prices, album costs, and the price of signed items for sale.
What is the most expensive artist fandom to be part of?
Drake, Ed Sheeran and BTS emerged as the top three most expensive music artists to be loyal followers of across a range of genres. But exactly how much does it cost to be their biggest fan?
Which artists have had the most expensive UK tours?
Drake takes the crown for the most expensive artist to see live, as it would have cost Drake lovers a massive £12,581.97 if they had attended every UK show in the last five years.
It’s no surprise that the Canadian hip-hop icon’s lyrics are ‘Started From the Bottom, Now We’re Here,’ as resale tickets to see the superstar live typically cost at least £405.87.
Ed Sheeran lands himself in second place for having one of the most expensive tours in the UK, as it would have cost £9,067.75 for a superfan to have attended every one of the 115 shows in the last five years.
We’re just ‘Thinking Out Loud’ here but it figures that Ed’s tours are one of the most costly, when the minimum typical resale price of a ticket to see the popstar live amounts to £78.85.
The beloved boyband BTS takes the title of having the third most expensive UK tour. This is because it would have cost a superfan the sum of £4,073.64 to have seen them live at the mere six shows they have performed in the UK in the last five years.
Despite BTS not having toured the UK many times, the massive price tag is unsurprising, with reale tickets to see the band costing a whopping £678.94.
How much does it cost to be an electronic superfan?
Leading the way as the most expensive electronic artist to be a superfan of is Major Lazer, costing followers approximately £631.48 overall, to see live and buy merch from.
Those lovers of Major Lazer that attended all of their six shows in the last five years will have paid out a staggering £488.04. Superfans wanting all things ‘Major Lazer’ can buy their latest album ‘Music Is the Weapon’ for £9.99, or kit themselves out with merchandise for £14.93.
Martin Garrix lands himself in second spot as being one of the priciest electronic music stars to be a superfan of, with tickets costing £585.21.
Resale tickets to see the Dutch DJ live will typically cost fans a minimum of £41.50 and those wanting to bag a signed item from the show will need to part ways with £9.49.
Calvin Harris lands himself in third place for being one of the most expensive artists to be a fan of, with resale tickets typically costing his following £541.20.
Fans wanting to kit themselves out in Calvin Harris merchandise are looking to pay around £30.20, while enthusiasts wanting to listen to their favourite tracks on repeat can purchase the album ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2’ for £11.99.
NB: The genre assigned to each artists is as suggested on chartmasters.org
How much does it cost to be a hip-hop superfan?
Being a hip-hop superfan doesn’t come cheap, with Drake significantly taking the lead as the most expensive artist to be a loyal fan of, costing followers £13,042.17 to be the ultimate devotee.
Drake fanatics wanting to listen to the lyrical genius of tracks like ‘Falling Back’ and ‘Sticky’ from the new album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ can grab the album for £9.99, which works out at £0.71 a track.
Arising as the second-costliest hip hop singer to be a superfan of is Post Malone, with his following spending £1,087.66 on average. To see the ‘The Better Now’ singer live, Post Malone fanatics can be expected to pay £74.70 per resale ticket, with attending every UK show in the last five years costing £971.10.
Eminem ranks as the third-costliest hip-hop rapper to be a fan of with Slim Shady followers paying out a total of £811.19. Eminem’s loyal following can buy his album ‘Music to be Murdered By’ for £4.25, or see the Detroit artist for a cost of £78.02 for a typical resale ticket.
How much does it cost to be a pop superfan?
Singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran tops the table as the most expensive pop icon to be a superfan of, with his loyal following estimated to spend an eye-watering £9,191.92 on all things ‘Ed Sheeran’.
The ‘Shape Of You’ singer’s resale ticket prices go for a minimum of £78.85, and those wanting to enjoy the musical genius of Ed in the comfort of their own home can purchase his most recent album ‘Equals’ for £7.99. Fans looking to purchase anything from tour t-shirts to tote bags can expect to pay around £29.04 for a piece of standard merchandise.
Popular South Korean boyband BTS emerges as the second most expensive pop sensation to be a fan of, costing BTS enthusiasts £4,795.50 over the course of their fandom.
It will cost BTS fans wanting to purchase a piece of merchandise £12.94, whilst those desperate to leave one of their shows with a signed item will be expected to pay £6.99. Devotees of the boyband wanting to play ‘Dynamite’ on repeat can purchase their latest album ‘Proof’ for £22.99.
Sam Smith lands himself in third spot as one of the most expensive pop singers to be a fan of, with the price of being a ‘Sam Smith Superfan’ costing £2,644.53 overall.
Smith’s latest album ‘Love Goes’ can be bought for £6.39, and for those mega fans looking to get kitted out with his merch are looking to pay £30.10 a piece – with an extra £5.99 for items to be signed at shows by Sam himself.
How much does it cost to be an indie and rock superfan?
Metallica leads the way for being the most expensive indie/rock artist to be a superfan of, setting fans back an enormous £2,719.36 overall.
Resale tickets to see the American heavy metal band, known for their songs ‘Enter Sandman’ and ‘Master Of Puppets,’ typically cost around £107.07, meaning superfans that went to all 24 UK shows in the last five years could have spent £2,569.68.
Elton John has ranked as the second priciest rock icon to be a loyal follower of, costing fans £1,895.06 to fully devote themselves to the star.
A resale ticket to see the ‘Rocket Man’ singer could cost fans £77.19, with signed items from the show costing a further £8.29. Elton fanatics wanting to rock merchandise, from jumpers to iconic light-up glasses, will be looking to pay around £28.22.
The third-most costly indie band to be a major fan of is Coldplay, resulting in fans shelling out a steep £1,395.23 over the course of their fandom.
Those looking to enjoy the musical talent of Coldplay on repeat can purchase the album ‘Music of the Spheres’ for £4.80, which works out as £0.40 per track. Fans wanting to experience the magic live in person will be looking at a minimum resale ticket price of £43.99.
How much does it cost to be an R&B superfan?
The powerhouse singer Adele is crowned the priciest R&B singer for fans to follow, costing Adele devotees £4,424.58 to be fully dedicated to the star.
Admirers of Adele wanting to see the soulful singer perform tracks from her new album, like ‘Easy On Me’, are expected to pay an enormous £548.63 per resale ticket. Superfans that attended all seven of Adele’s UK shows in the last five years could have spent £3,840.41 in total.
Bruno Mars ranks as the second most expensive R&B performer for fans to be a loyal follower of, costing them around £2,529.23.
Bruno’s album ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ costs fans £7.99, whilst a ticket to see him perform live typically sell for £124.50 as the minimum per resale ticket.
Finishing off the top three as one of the most costly R&B artists to be a superfan of is Khalid, setting fans back £1,189.02.
Seeing the ‘Better’ singer live will cost fans around £50.63 for a resale ticket, and those wanting to leave the show with some Khalid merchandise will be expected to pay around £29.05.
What is the most expensive artist fandom to be part of in France?
Adele tops the table for being the most costly singer to be a superfan of in France, with being a follower of the ‘Someone Like You’ singer costing €4,525.95.
A resale ticket to see the English singer and songwriter live in France costs a minimum of €641.17, and for those wanting to replay tracks like ‘My Little Love’ and ‘Hold On’ at home can buy the album ‘30’ for €12.60.
The second priciest music artist to be a fan of in France is boyband BTS, setting back fans
€4,011.50 overall. Seeing the band live could cost a minimum of €793.46 a ticket, and superfans that attended all four shows in France over the last five years will have paid out a massive €3,173.84.
Drake emerges in third place for being one of the most expensive singers to be a fan of, costing superfans a total of €3,854.76. The star’s latest album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ costs fans €9.69, with each track costing €0.64.
Methodology: Focusing solely on the UK and France, the team at Betway have calculated the most expensive artist fandoms to be part of. Taking a seed list of the most streamed artists on Spotify, the following factors have been taken into account:
- The cost of resale tickets to previous stadium tours – using SeatGeek
- The average cost of standard merchandise – using artists’ official websites
- The cost of the most recent album divided by the number of songs per track (e.g. cost per track) – using Google search data
- The cost of signed items for sale – using verified prices on eBay
