Macklemore’s Streams Surge Following Exit From Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour

The recent upheaval surrounding Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour has translated into a noticeable streaming boost for several artists involved, particularly Macklemore, whose catalog nearly doubled in U.S. on demand streams following his removal from the trek.

Macklemore was dropped from the remaining U.S. dates after making pro Palestinian remarks, including saying “Free Palestine,” during his Sept. 4 opening set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Sheeran later said the decision to remove the rapper was made by the tour promoter rather than by him personally. The situation subsequently led several other supporting artists to withdraw from upcoming dates.

Among the clearest signs of increased listener interest was Macklemore’s 2024 protest track “Hind’s Hall.” According to early Luminate data reported by Billboard, the song generated a little more than 5,000 official on demand U.S. streams on Sunday, Sept. 13, before jumping approximately 693% to 43,000 streams Monday as news of his departure spread.

By Tuesday, Sept. 15, “Hind’s Hall” had climbed again to nearly 87,000 U.S. streams, roughly double Monday’s total and its strongest single day in more than two years. Its previous comparable high was approximately 88,000 streams on June 5, 2024, shortly after the track’s original release.

The song’s sequel, “Hind’s Hall 2,” featuring Anees, MC Abdul and Amer Zahr, experienced a similar increase. The collaboration moved from fewer than 2,000 streams Sunday to more than 22,000 by Tuesday, an elevenfold rise over the span of two days.

But the renewed attention stretched well beyond those two releases. Macklemore’s combined catalog, including his solo work and recordings with longtime collaborator Ryan Lewis, rose from just over 1 million U.S. streams Sunday to nearly 2 million Tuesday, representing an increase of about 97%.

One of the pair’s biggest hits also returned to Spotify’s U.S. rankings. The Ray Dalton assisted “Can’t Hold Us” reentered Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart at No. 166 on Tuesday before rising to No. 95 Wednesday.

Macklemore’s solo catalog experienced the sharper percentage increase. His solo recordings accounted for roughly 282,000 streams Sunday, before climbing 172% to about 767,000 Tuesday. His work with Ryan Lewis also increased significantly, rising approximately 68% during the same period.

Aaron Rowe and Beoga See Major Streaming Spikes

The streaming boost was not limited to Macklemore.

Irish singer songwriter Aaron Rowe, who announced his departure from the Loop Tour on Tuesday, recorded the biggest U.S. streaming day of his career following the news. Rowe was among several performers who withdrew after Macklemore’s removal, alongside Finneas, Lukas Graham and Irish folk group Beoga.

Rowe’s catalog generated nearly 80,000 official on demand U.S. streams Tuesday, according to early Luminate figures. That represented an extraordinary 2,665% increase from fewer than 3,000 streams Monday. It was also approximately 460% higher than his previous best U.S. streaming day, when he collected around 14,000 streams on Aug. 7.

Beoga, who had also been performing as part of Sheeran’s touring band, experienced its own sharp increase after announcing its departure. The group’s U.S. streams jumped from slightly more than 2,000 Monday to nearly 27,000 Tuesday, an increase of approximately 1,092% and its strongest U.S. streaming day since March 17.

Ed Sheeran’s Streaming Numbers Stay Largely Stable

Despite the intense attention surrounding the Loop Tour, the controversy did not appear to immediately produce a comparable change in Ed Sheeran’s own U.S. streaming numbers.

Early Luminate figures showed Sheeran generating slightly more than 3.7 million official on demand U.S. streams Tuesday, almost unchanged from the just under 3.7 million streams recorded Monday. The preliminary figures did not yet include data from a small number of digital service providers, but the available numbers suggested little movement in either direction during the first days of the news cycle.

The Loop Tour is scheduled to continue, with Sheeran saying publicly that Macklemore’s removal was not his decision and that he had attempted to mediate between the parties involved. Meanwhile, Macklemore, Rowe and Beoga have all seen substantial short term increases in listener activity as attention surrounding the tour has spread far beyond the concerts themselves.

For now, the early streaming data illustrates how quickly a major entertainment news story can reshape listening behavior. While Sheeran’s enormous catalog has remained comparatively steady, the artists at the center of the Loop Tour’s recent lineup changes have experienced some of their most significant streaming gains of the year.