Streaming accounted for almost 70% of global music income last year, a report has found, while it also saw a 14% rise in revenue raised from vinyl sales.
Overall, recorded music revenues grew 6.4% around the world and reached $31.7 billion (€27.5 billion) in 2025 - the 11th year of consecutive growth - according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents the recording industry worldwide.
Its Global Music Report 2026 used a number of artist case studies, including one of the British singer Olivia Dean, heralding her "global award-winning success".
The report found total streaming revenues surpassed $22 billion (€19.1 billion) and accounted for 69.6% of global recorded music income.
Paid subscription streaming grew by 8.8% and accounted for 52.4% of total revenues, and there are now 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts around the world.
However, earnings from physical formats also grew by 8%, with a 13.7% rise in vinyl, its 19th consecutive year of growth.
Drew Hill, Managing Director at Proper Music Distribution in the UK, said the figures were a "reminder that physical music continues to defy expectations".
He said they "provide something streaming struggles to replicate: a tangible connection with fans".
"In almost every major territory, vinyl grew in both units and value last year - now nearly two decades into its revival," he added.
The report said that AI presented an opportunity for driving innovation and finding new opportunities for artists.
It warned the music industry was facing an increasing threat from streaming fraud and needed a strong, industry-wide response.
The UK is the third largest music market, behind the US and Japan, and is followed by China and Germany in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
Latin America was the fastest-growing region, up by 17.1% in 2025.
Victoria Oakley, Chief Executive of the IFPI, said: "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.
"Importantly, this growth means even greater financial returns for artists and reinvestment into an increasingly broad range of music communities worldwide.
"The entire music community must take action to tackle the threats facing our industry.
"Streaming fraud is 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."
Source: Press Association
