According to a December 2025 report on how much fans spend on their idols, Taylor Swift followers are the biggest spenders among all fandoms. The research by Arka, an eco-friendly custom packaging company, examined 30 major fan communities to see which ones spend the most on concerts and merch.

• Swifties paid an estimated $260M for tickets, merchandise, and collectibles in 2025, outspending every other fandom.
• Ed Sheeran’s signature guitars sold for $1,250 each, making them the most expensive collectibles purchased by fans this year.
• 15 million people looked up Coldplay merchandise this year, spending more than $27 million just on branded clothing.

The study looked at the 30 biggest fandoms for entertainment industries, including music, TV franchises, and gaming worlds. It tracked online look-ups for concert tickets, merch like hoodies and T-shirts, and collectibles like vinyl records and LEGO sets. The study then calculated the fandom spending by estimating how many queries resulted in actual purchases and the typical price people paid for each item.

Here’s a look at the top 10 high-spending fandoms in 2025:

Fandom	Searches for Merches	Ticket Price (USD)	Apparel Avg (USD)	Premium Collectible (USD)	Total Estimated Expenditure
Taylor Swift	13.77M	199.00	60.00	400.00	$260.8M
Coldplay	15.01M	173.00	61.50	30.00	$188.0M
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)	14.54M	–	50.00	900.00	$152.7M
Kendrick Lamar	8.94M	206.47	65.00	100.00	$137.1M
Bad Bunny	7.73M	170.00	80.00	295.00	$120.2M
Harry Potter (Wizarding World)	19.22M	–	48.50	375.00	$100.0M
The Weeknd	5.00M	139.00	50.00	1,000.00	$99.2M
Star Wars	22.10M	–	45.00	300.00	$96.2M
Billie Eilish	4.50M	179.00	70.00	250.00	$69.0M
Ed Sheeran	2.95M	150.00	60.00	1,250.00	$68.7M

You can access the complete research findings here.

1. Taylor Swift

• Searches for merchandise: 13.8 million per year
• Ticket price: $199 average
• Merch average: $60
• Premium collectible approx price: $400 (signed vinyl)
• Total estimated spending: $260.8 million

Taylor Swift fans spent more than any other fandom in 2025. Swifties paid around $199 for a live concert ticket, which came to $165 million across all her shows. They also spent more than $41M on hoodies, T-shirts, and other fan clothing. When it comes to exclusive merch, the singer has been selling signed vinyls for her albums, with collectors dropping another $55 million on them in a single year.

2. Coldplay

Coldplay fans spent around $188 million this year, coming in second. More than 15 million people looked up the band’s accessories, picking up clothing and basic merch for a total of $28 million in 2025 alone. Coldplay’s also been touring the world this year, selling out shows at $173 per ticket, which means fans paid another $156M to catch their concerts. The band’s been putting out deluxe vinyls as well, which could’ve brought them another $4.5 million.

3. Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel fans are also on the list, spending around $153 million on franchise merch. The biggest spenders are collectors going after premium figures like Sideshow and Hot Toys that can cost $900 each. On those collectibles alone, fans spent $131 million this year. The rest comes from everyday gear like T-shirts and hoodies, adding another $22 million.

4. Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar’s fans spent $137 million, placing them fourth among all fandoms. His ticket prices were the highest among all artists at $206, pushing the rapper’s concert revenue past $110 million. Fans picked up a lot of his clothing line too, which came to $17.4 million in total. Vinyl bundles and collectible packages, priced around $100, also made the artist nearly $9 million more.

5. Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny’s fans spent approximately $120 million this year, putting him at number five. His followers paid an average of $80 for branded apparel, the highest price among all artists’ merch. In 2025, Bad Bunny also began offering limited designer items for $295 each, and they go quickly, too. Plus, the Latin star has been filling venues all year, and his tickets could go up as much as $170.

The CEO of Arka commented on the study:

“Artists used to make most of their money from album sales and concerts. But that’s changed lately. The global music merchandise market hit $3.5 billion last year, and it’s growing fast. Now you see artists launching clothing lines or marketing all kinds of products. And social media lets them sell directly to fans without needing stores or middlemen. Fans from all over the world also buy those items up instantly.”