Culture

Is Ed Sheeran's fanbase really turning on him?

The Macklemore fallout has cost him followers, support acts and resale value. The numbers point to a real backlash, but not a mass exodus, at least not yet.

By [Your Name] 6 min read
Illustration of two stadium spotlights over an empty stage, one bright and one fading

For most of his career, Ed Sheeran has been one of pop's least controversial stars. That changed this month, when a decision about an opening act on his U.S. Loop Tour turned into one of the biggest music-industry controversies of the year.

The question now circulating online is simple: are his fans actually leaving, or is this a loud minority that most concertgoers will never notice? The honest answer, based on what can be measured so far, is somewhere in between.

How it unfolded

  1. September 5During a Loop Tour stop in New Jersey, opening act Macklemore voiced support for Palestinians and called for a free Palestine from the stage, according to CBC News.
  2. September 14The tour's U.S. promoter, Messina Touring Group, said venues on upcoming dates had told it they would not host shows with Macklemore on the bill, and that he would not perform on the remaining dates (Billboard).
  3. Days that followedSheeran said the call was the promoter's, not his. Macklemore publicly claimed Sheeran had told him that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, had objected to his appearance there. Other support acts, including Finneas and Lukas Graham, left the tour (Forbes).
  4. September 19Opening his Philadelphia show, Sheeran apologized to the crowd and described the situation in Gaza as catastrophic (ABC News).
  5. September 25 and 26Sheeran is scheduled to play Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with a protest planned outside the Saturday show (Newsweek).
"I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry." Ed Sheeran, speaking to fans in Philadelphia, as reported by ABC News

The case that fans are turning

The clearest signal is in the resale market. Ticket-tracking data cited by the Irish Star showed Philadelphia resale prices falling by roughly a quarter in the days after Macklemore's removal, and local brokers in Boston said demand for the Gillette shows had "fallen way off." Newsweek reported that the cheapest resale seats for both Foxborough dates dropped about 15 percent over a three-day stretch this week.

Reported drops in resale ticket prices Philadelphia resale prices fell 24 to 29 percent. Gillette Stadium Friday fell 14 percent and Saturday 15 percent over three days. Philadelphia Gillette, Friday Gillette, Saturday −24 to −29% −14% −15% 0% −15% −30%
Reported declines in resale prices. Philadelphia figures reflect the days after Macklemore's removal (Ticketdata, via Irish Star); Gillette figures cover a three-day window this week (Newsweek). Measurement periods differ.

There is also direct evidence of individual fans walking away. CBC News spoke with a Philadelphia ticket holder who bought her seats a year in advance, then chose not to attend and called Sheeran's handling of the situation a "betrayal." And on Instagram, Sheeran's follower count dropped by close to half a million in the days after the news broke, according to Social Blade data cited by Reality Tea.

The case that most fans haven't noticed

Half a million lost followers sounds dramatic until it is set against the size of his audience. Sheeran went from about 47.6 million followers to roughly 47.2 million. That is less than one percent, and some of those accounts were likely casual or inactive.

Share of Instagram followers lost A grid of 100 squares representing 47.6 million followers. Less than one square, about 0.8 percent, represents the roughly 400,000 followers lost. Under 1% of his roughly 47.6 million Instagram followers left after the controversy. Each square is about 476,000 followers. The red square is roughly the number lost.
Follower figures reported from Social Blade data. Counts are approximate and change daily.

The resale data needs context too. Some Loop Tour dates were reportedly not selling out before the controversy began, so part of the price slide was already underway. Falling resale prices also cut both ways: Forbes reported that resale tickets sold for the Philadelphia show rose about two and a half times as prices dropped, suggesting plenty of people were still happy to go once seats got cheaper.

Then there is the nature of Sheeran's audience. He is a mainstream, multigenerational artist whose songs play at weddings and in grocery stores. A large share of the people who stream "Perfect" or "Shape of You" do not follow tour lineups or music-industry politics, and many of them may not have heard about this at all.

What's actually been damaged

Sheeran has not lost his fanbase. What he has lost is goodwill among a politically engaged, highly online segment of it, along with some of the easygoing, everyone-likes-him image that set him apart. He is also taking criticism from more than one direction: some fans believe he should have stood by Macklemore, while others are frustrated that he apologized at all.

The weekend's Gillette Stadium shows will offer the next visible test, given the venue's role in the story and the planned protest. The more meaningful test comes later. If his streaming numbers and future releases hold steady, this will be remembered as a rough news cycle. If they slip, it will be the moment the public's view of Ed Sheeran changed.

Sources

Illustrations and charts are original graphics created for this article. Claims made by individuals are attributed to them and have not been independently verified. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.