Streaming boosts global music revenues once again in 2025, report shows
A man watches the sunset while wearing a headphone and listening to music, in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
LONDON, March 18 : Boosted by paid streaming services, global recorded music revenues grew 6.4 per cent to $31.7 billion in 2025, their 11th straight year of growth, the IFPI organisation representing the recording industry worldwide said on Wednesday, while also urging action on streaming fraud.
Accounting for around 70 per cent of global recorded music income, total streaming revenues surpassed $22 billion.
Paid subscription streaming rose 8.8 per cent and accounted for 52.4 per cent of total revenues, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said in its annual Global Music Report, adding there are now 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts.
Fan demand helped physical formats return to growth, with revenues up 8 per cent. Vinyl, which rose for a 19th straight year, was up 13.7 per cent.
“Great music from incredible artists, aided by record company partnerships and investment, is driving global growth – with more people than ever before paying to engage with it on paid streaming services worldwide," IFPI chief executive Victoria Oakley said in a statement.
She said record company partnerships with generative AI developers showed how "technology can be harnessed to support and enhance creativity, not replace it".
"We are asking policymakers to support this work by upholding the copyright laws that are the bedrock for this progress," she added.
Oakley also called on the industry to take action against streaming fraud, calling it "theft, plain and simple".
"The organisations with the data, scale and leverage to prevent this fraudulent activity, including streaming services, content aggregators and distributors, must take decisive action,” she said.
Recorded music revenues rose in all regions, the fastest in Latin America, up 17.1 per cent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa, both at 15.2 per cent. The United States and Canada, the world’s largest recorded music region, saw revenues rise by 3.5 per cent.
The report did not say what share of the revenues record labels passed on to the artists.
Taylor Swift was 2025's best-selling global artist, the IFPI said last month, the sixth time she has won the title, following the success of her latest record, "The Life of a Showgirl", which the body said was the biggest-selling global album of 2025.
