Bands, musicians and songs get covered and played all over the world every day, and some cover artists accumulate even more success than their original muse.
In this research, we’ve analysed the most popular and significant tributes and covers of the world’s favourite artists over the years. Using search data, we’ve determined the most impersonated artists and compared their searches in the last year to the tribute band.
Using Who Sampled data, Slingo has also uncovered the most sampled and covered songs and artists of all time, comparing the original song’s number of streams to the cover versions.
The most searched tribute bands in the world
Brit Floyd is the world’s greatest Pink Floyd show, with 481,100 searches
1. Brit Floyd - Pink Floyd tribute
Annual searches: 481,100
Brit Floyd is a Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 2011 in Liverpool. With 481,100 searches, Brit Floyd is by far the highest-flying tribute band. This year, Brit Floyd returned to the stage with P-U-L-S-E, their biggest and most spectacular production to date, a celebration of the original band’s final tour, complete with a laser light show and theatrics. However, the band still has a long way to go to earn Pink Floyd’s popularity, with 13.7 million annual searches.
2. Cubensis - Grateful Dead tribute
Annual searches: 290,900
Since 1987, Los Angeles-based band Cubensis has been acclaimed for giving new life to the Grateful Dead’s materials. With 290,900 searches in the last year, the rock, country, and jazz-influenced crew sets out to re-create the Grateful Dead experience by emulating the spirit of the San Francisco jam band. Cubensis has played over 4,000 shows covering all areas of Grateful Dead’s eras, with their success indicating that they are far more than your standard tribute band.
3. Rule The World - Take That tribute
Annual searches: 267,200
Rule The World, a Take That tribute band, placed third with 267,200 annual searches. The band has been recognised as the number one Take That tribute act in the world and even appeared alongside the original band. Rule The World has also featured on ITV1’s Daybreak and has received rave reviews from Mr Gary Barlow himself.
The artists with the most tribute acts
Abba is the most impersonated band in the world, with 25 tribute acts across the world
1. Abba - 25 tribute acts
Abba, the renowned Swedish pop supergroup that stormed Stockholm in 1972, has the most tribute acts in the world, with 25 groups honouring their music. With hit songs like “Mamma Mia”, “Lay All Your Love On Me”, and “Dancing Queen”, plus a whole film based on the group, Abba is one of the best-selling music bands of all time. The band celebrates its burst onto the world stage 52 years ago and is still among the most successful in the world.
2. Oasis - 17 tribute acts
In second place is Oasis, an English rock band formed in Manchester, with 17 tribute acts. Originally, the band consisted of Liam Gallagher, Paul Arthurs, Paul McGuigan, and Tony McCaroll. A few months later, Liam asked his older brother Noel Gallagher to join as a fifth member. As of 2024, Oasis has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
3. Dolly Parton - 14 tribute acts
Dolly Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist known for her decades-long career in country music. With a career spanning over fifty years, Parton is a country legend and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Composing over 3,000 songs, including “I Will Always Love You,” a two-time US country chart-topper, and “Jolene,” Dolly Parton is an inspiration to 14 tribute singers across the globe.
The most wanted tribute acts
The Bee Gees are the most wanted band for tribute acts, with 137,500 global searches
1. Bee Gees - 137,500 annual searches
The Bee Gees are the most wanted band, with 137,500 annual global searches for a Bee Gees tribute band in the last twelve months. However, according to Tribute Acts Management, the pop trio only has one tribute act available with the Bootleg Bee Gees highly recommended as an alternative.
2. Abba - 82,800 annual searches
Abba is the second-most wanted tribute act, with 82,800 searches in the last twelve months. Abba also has the most impersonated bands, with 25 acts embodying their success. Some of the highly recommended acts are Abba Revival and Just One Look As Abba.
3. Taylor Swift - 43,300 annual searches
In third place is Taylor Swift, with 43,300 searches for a tribute act to the pop star. Ten Taylor Swift tribute artists are currently available on Tribute Acts Management. Some of the acts include Miss Taylor - Taylor Swift Tribute and Kaylie As Taylor Swift.
The world’s most sampled artists
Music by The Beatles is the most sampled in the world, with 11,980 samples!
1. The Beatles - sampled 11,980 times
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The legendary rock group’s ballads have been sampled almost 12,000 times. The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” (1967) was sampled in David Bowie’s “Young Americans” (1975). Their hit song “Here, There and Everywhere” (1966) was also sampled in Frank Ocean’s “White Ferrari,” which was released five decades later, in 2016!
2. Frank Sinatra - sampled 2,392 times
Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor who is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century. Sinatra is among the world’s best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million record sales worldwide. There have been 2,392 samples of Sinatra’s music to date. Some of these include Sinatra’s “Theme From New York, New York,” which was sampled in “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys (2009). Sinatra’s “My Way” (1969) was also sampled in “My Way” by Aretha Franklin in 2006.
3. Elvis Presley - sampled 2,040 times
American singer and actor Elvis Presley was the third most sampled music artist, with 2,040 samples. Known as the “King of Rock and Roll,” he is regarded as one of the significant cultural icons of the 20th century. Presley’s legendary love song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961) was sampled in Twenty One Pilots song of the same name in 2012 and by Angelina Cruz in 2017.
The world’s most sampled songs
“Amen, Brother’ by The Winstons was sampled 6,446 times, the most sampled song in music history
1. Amen, Brother by The Winstons - sampled 6,446 times
The Winstons were a 60s funk and soul band based in Washington, D.C. They are known for their 1969 recording of an EP featuring a song titled “Amen, Brother”. Halfway into the track, there is a drum solo (performed by G.C. Coleman) which would cause The Winston’s EP to become one of the most widely-sampled records in the history of electronic music. The sample was also used extensively in early hip-hop and became the foundation for drum-and-bass and jungle music. The six-second clip generated several entire subcultures.
2. Think (About It) by Lyn Collins - sampled 3,605 times
“Think (About It)” is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single in 1972. The recording was produced by James Brown’s People Records and features instrumental backing from his band, The J.B.’s. The song is one of the most frequently sampled songs in the history of recorded music, having been used 3,605 times by countless hip-hop and dance music artists. Some of these songs have been used recently, including Sabrina Carpenter featuring Jonas Blue - “Alien” (2018) and Beyoncé - "Church Girl" (2022).
3. Change the Beat (Female Version) by Beside - sampled 2,792 times
“Change the Beat” is a song written by Fab Five Freddy and is one of the most sampled songs in music history. Released in 1982, all subsequent pressings of the single feature two versions of the song, one on Side A and one on Side B. The lead vocals are performed by rapper Beside and rapped entirely in French, making this single one of the first multilingual hip-hop tracks. Beside was credited as ‘Fab 5 Betty’ on the earliest pressings of the vinyl.
The most successful cover songs in the world
Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is the most successful cover song, with estimated earnings of over £4.1 million!
1. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Estimated earnings: £4.1 million
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is a single by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. It was originally written by Robert Hazard, but it was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's first major single as a solo artist. The song originally gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by a Grammy-winning music video. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” accumulated over 1.1 billion streams, more than 115 million more streams than the original, with estimated earnings of over £4.1 million.
2. Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Estimated earnings: £2.8 million
“Tainted Love” is a song composed by Ed Cobb, originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. In 1981, the song attained worldwide recognition after being covered and reworked by British synth-pop duo Soft Cell and has since been covered by numerous groups and artists. The Soft Cell cover song has over 833 million Spotify streams and estimated earnings of over £2.8 million. The original version did not attain as much popularity, with 18.6 million streams and almost £64,000.
3. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Estimated earnings: £2.4 million
“All Along the Watchtower” is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in 1967. The lyrics, which in its original version contain twelve lines, feature a conversation between a joker and a thief. The track is strongly identified with the interpretation Jimi Hendrix recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience for their third studio album, Electric Ladyland (1968). The Hendrix album was released six months after Dylan’s original recording and became a Top 20 single in 1968, as well as receiving a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2001.
The Hendrix version collected 717.7 million Spotify streams, over 679 million more than the original. The cover version also has estimated earnings of £2.4 million, with Dylan’s version earning almost £133,000.
Methodology
A list of tribute acts was taken from Protributebands and Henderson Management. Google Keyword Planner was used to find the number of searches for each tribute band and the original band in the last twelve months. This data is accurate as of 17/07/2024.
Google Keyword Planner was also used to find the number of searches for ‘[band] tribute’ to find the most impersonated bands. We also used Tribute Acts Management to find the artists/bands with the most tribute artists. This data is accurate as of 19/07/2024.
We used Who Sampled to reveal the most sampled tracks, most sampled artists and most covered artists. This data is accurate as of 17/07/2024.
We also compiled a seed list of popular covers using Time Out and Udiscovermusic. Then, Spotify was used to find the number of streams for both the original song and the cover version. The Music Gateway Royalties Calculator was used to estimate the earnings made by each artist based on their stream numbers. This data is correct as of 19/07/2024.
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