UK Music Streaming Data Reveals Britain’s City-by-City Favorites

New Spotify and YouTube streaming data for 2025 has uncovered fascinating insights into Britain’s music tastes — and while global megastars dominate, regional loyalty and hometown pride are reshaping the charts.

Across the UK, three names tower above the rest: Taylor Swift, Drake, and Eminem. But dig deeper into the data, and a complex map of local music identity emerges.

Taylor Swift: Britain’s Spotify Queen

On Spotify, Taylor Swift was the most-played artist nationwide in 2025. She topped the charts in cities including Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, Sheffield, and Southampton.

However, her dominance wasn’t absolute. In London, Drake edged her out for the top spot. And in Newcastle, hometown hero Sam Fender interrupted what had otherwise been a Taylor Swift-Drake duopoly across most UK cities.

Liverpool proved especially devoted to female pop stars, with Taylor Swift leading a top 10 that also included Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande. Meanwhile, in Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, Swift remained number one — even amid Oasis reunion fever.

Drake’s Capital Command

Drake’s popularity remained remarkably consistent across Britain. He ranked either first or second on Spotify in nearly every major city. London listeners in particular propelled him to the top spot, making the capital his strongest base in the UK.

Manchester also placed Drake at number one, ahead of Swift. Birmingham showed strong support too, where Drake led Spotify streams and even saw rival Kendrick Lamar break into the city’s top five — a rarity outside London.

Nottingham joined London and Manchester in preferring Drake over Swift, highlighting subtle regional differences in taste between England’s major urban hubs.

Eminem’s YouTube Reign

While Spotify belonged largely to Taylor Swift and Drake, YouTube told a different story. Eminem dominated the video platform in 2025, topping the YouTube charts in nearly every featured UK city.

From Birmingham and Cardiff to Glasgow and Southampton, Eminem consistently ranked number one. Only a handful of cities — including Nottingham — prevented him from sweeping the board.

His cross-generational appeal and strong catalog streaming appear to fuel his YouTube supremacy, particularly in cities where hip-hop consumption skews heavily toward video content.

Scotland’s Oasis Obsession

Beyond the global heavyweights, regional loyalties stood out. Scotland emerged as the epicenter of Oasis mania, with Edinburgh and Glasgow ranking the band higher than even Manchester, their hometown.

Meanwhile, Newcastle demonstrated fierce local pride by elevating Sam Fender to second place on Spotify — the only artist besides Swift to beat Drake in any city.

Sheffield backed its own Arctic Monkeys, while Liverpool boosted local rapper Mazza L20 into its YouTube top 10.

A North-South Divide

The data suggests a subtle north-south divide. Oasis and guitar-driven acts performed stronger in northern cities and Scotland, while southern cities leaned more heavily toward global pop and R&B superstars.

Overall, the UK’s 2025 streaming landscape reflects both globalization and local identity. Taylor Swift may wear Spotify’s crown, Drake may command the capital, and Eminem may rule YouTube — but Britain’s music tastes remain proudly regional at heart.