It’s a golden age for live music, with artists hitting the road more often and for longer stretches.
Getting sweaty with a bunch of like-minded fans provides the tangible experience lacking in an age where algorithms dominate listening habits. Which got us thinking. Who are the hardest touring artists?
The answers surprised us. We crunched some numbers based on the 1,000 most popular artists on Songkick this November and December. From that data, we’ve cobbled together a bunch of Top 10s from across the electronic and dance genres – to reveal the hardest-gigging artists of 2018.
Top 10 Hardest Touring Dance artists of 2018
| Artist ▲▼ | # of Gigs ▲▼ | Miles Travelled (2018) ▲▼ | Miles Travelled (Career) ▲▼ |
| Tiësto | 119 | 243566 | 2356428 |
| The Chainsmokers | 108 | 104171 | 862520 |
| Diplo | 92 | 124136 | 1494731 |
| Above & Beyond | 89 | 116965 | 1473571 |
| DJ Snake | 76 | 176981 | 743740 |
| Kygo | 76 | 73587 | 367563 |
| Benny Benassi | 75 | 60481 | 1157741 |
| Steve Aoki | 73 | 57809 | 2354300 |
| Alesso | 54 | 85014 | 890219 |
| Afrojack | 53 | 51488 | 1202021 |
Top 10 Hardest Touring Electronic artists of 2018
| Artist ▲▼ | # of Gigs ▲▼ | Miles Travelled (2018) ▲▼ | Miles Travelled (Career) ▲▼ |
| R3hab | 118 | 287550 | 1064255 |
| Marshmello | 104 | 85041 | 509862 |
| Chromeo | 94 | 50684 | 651600 |
| Dillon Francis | 90 | 50085 | 908301 |
| ODESZA | 81 | 75497 | 472250 |
| Galantis | 79 | 117011 | 512685 |
| Bonobo | 78 | 123333 | 1031583 |
| Hardwell | 73 | 93765 | 1236271 |
| Kaskade | 72 | 57042 | 1390164 |
| ZHU | 63 | 85801 | 216631 |
From euphoric trance through to twitchy techno to chill electronic, these artists pack out venues all over the world. 2018’s top 10 hardest touring EDM artists includes plenty of household names like Tiësto and Benny Benassi as well as DJ Snake and Diplo. What is surprising is that R3hab tops the list across both tables, in terms of miles travelled!
Whether you love them, loathe them, have never heard of them, or are just plain indifferent towards their existence, you’ve got to respect the work ethic.
