Spotify Wrapped has spoken, mun — and The Riff Report is apparently gallivanting around the globe like a riff-hungry rock nomad with a passport full of stickers and a suitcase full of distortion pedals.
Our Spotify for Artists stats dropped this week, and five nations rose above the noise to become our biggest listeners of 2025. So grab a cuppa, crank the volume, and let’s raise a toast to the legends keeping our streams screaming.
🇺🇸 01. United States
The Yanks have spoken, and they want riffs thicker than a doomsday fuzz pedal. From New York basements to Californian surf towns, the US has been moshing along with our gig reviews, festival chaos, history dives, and cheeky commentary. Cheers, America — you’re fuelling us harder than a truck-stop coffee on tour.
🇩🇪 02. Germany
Germany: home of precision engineering, colossal metal festivals, and apparently a whole brigade of Riff Report superfans. We see you headbanging in Berlin, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and every beer garden brave enough to host a metal night. Danke schön for keeping things heavy and wunderbar.
🇧🇷 03. Brazil
Brazil came charging into the Top 5 like a Carnival parade with a double-kick drum section. Passionate crowds, legendary metal culture, and listeners who queue our episodes faster than we can say Saudade. Obrigado, Brazil — you bring the fire every single year.
🇬🇧 04. United Kingdom
Ah, home turf! Cymru, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland — you glorious bunch of noise goblins. Whether you’re streaming us on night buses, in pub corners, or at 2AM mid-chippy-run, the support means the world. Diolch, butt. We’ll keep representing the valleys, the venues, and the vibrant UK scene.
🇸🇪 05. Sweden
Sweden sliding into the Top 5 like a melodic death-metal riff slicing through a snowstorm. From Stockholm to Gothenburg, Swedish listeners keep proving that nobody does tasteful brutality quite like they do. Tack så mycket — stay frosty, stay loud.
🎸 A GLOBAL FAMILY OF RIFF LOVERS
Seeing listeners from across the planet tuning in to our ramblings, reviews, and rock-fuelled nonsense is nothing short of wild. Whether you found us through a gig write-up, a festival guide, or a late-night spiral into music history, welcome to the family.
2026 is shaping up to be louder, bolder, and even more unhinged — and we’re buzzing to take you with us for every power chord of the ride.
To our Top Five: we see you. We salute you. And we’re sending a massive digital cwtch to every single one of you.
Keep streaming, keep sharing, and keep the riffs rolling, mun! 🎶🔥
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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