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Global Music Industry Hits Record 5.1 Trillion Streams in 2025
The global music industry reached an unprecedented milestone in 2025, with streaming numbers soaring to 5.1 trillion worldwide, according to data released by analytics firm Luminate in their Year-End Report. This represents a 9.6% increase from the previous record set in 2024.
In the United States alone, on-demand audio streams hit 1.4 trillion, climbing 4.6% from the previous year. However, the data reveals a significant trend: listeners are increasingly turning to older catalog material, with less than half (43%) of U.S. streams coming from music released in the past five years.
Notable exceptions to this catalog-heavy consumption came from industry powerhouses Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen. Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” and Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” each surpassed 5 million album equivalent units in 2025 – a remarkable achievement that combines physical sales and streaming metrics.
While major pop releases continued to perform well, several genres showed particularly robust growth. Christian and gospel music led the pack with an 18.5% increase in on-demand audio streaming volume compared to 2024. This upward trajectory was first identified in Luminate’s mid-year report and continued through year-end, driven by artists like Forrest Frank, Brandon Lake, and Elevation Worship.
Rock music showed surprising resilience, growing 6.4% year-over-year. “Rock is the largest growth genre this year, meaning it grew its share of the streaming pie the most,” explained Jaime Marconette, Luminate’s vice president of music insights and industry relations. “Though rock streaming in general leans catalog, the genre posted the second highest total of new current streams this year.”
Latin music continued its years-long growth pattern with a 5.2% increase, largely propelled by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. His 5.3 billion on-demand audio streams accounted for an astonishing 4.38% of all Latin streams in the U.S. market. Marconette noted that Bad Bunny’s album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” alone generated 2.97 billion U.S. on-demand audio streams in 2025.
One of the most significant developments in the music landscape was the emergence of AI-generated artists achieving mainstream success. Xania Monet became the first AI act to debut on a Billboard radio chart, reaching No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs and No. 20 on Hot R&B Songs. In the country music sector, AI-generated artists like Breaking Rust made waves when their song “Walk My Walk” topped Billboard’s country digital song sales chart in November.
These AI artists attracted substantial audiences, with Monet accumulating 125 million global on-demand audio streams. Breaking Rust followed with 72.8 million, while other AI artists like Cain Walker (48.1 million), Enlly Blue (34.8 million), and Juno Skye (15.5 million) also found significant followings. The trend represents a seismic shift in how music is created and consumed, raising questions about the industry’s future.
The global streaming charts were dominated by collaborations and cross-genre partnerships. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” claimed the top spot with 2.858 billion on-demand audio streams. HUNTR/X’s “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” followed with 2.430 billion, while Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” rounded out the top three with 2.403 billion streams.
Other chart-topping tracks included Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” (2.236 billion), Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” (2.133 billion), and Bad Bunny’s “DtMF” (1.701 billion). Seven of the top ten global tracks were released in 2024, showing that while catalog music dominates overall, hit singles can still break through in massive numbers.
In the U.S. market, R&B and hip-hop maintained their dominance for the third consecutive year, accounting for more than one in four streams nationwide. The genre amassed 349.9 billion on-demand audio streams, up from 341.63 billion in 2024. Rock followed with 260.5 billion streams, while pop (167.2 billion), country (122.5 billion), and Latin (120.9 billion) completed the top five most-streamed genres.
As the industry continues to evolve, these trends highlight the complex dynamics of modern music consumption – balancing catalog exploration with new releases, traditional artists with AI-generated content, and established genres with emerging sounds.
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8 Comments
The continued dominance of Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen is not surprising, but it’s still remarkable to see them both surpass 5 million album equivalent units. That level of sustained popularity is really impressive.
Wow, that’s incredible growth in music streaming! I’m really curious to see how the shift toward older catalog material plays out. Do you think that’s a temporary trend or a more fundamental change in listener preferences?
That’s a great question. The rise in catalog streaming could indicate a desire for more timeless, familiar music. But I wonder if newer artists will find ways to break through and connect with listeners as well.
It’s interesting that rock and Latin music are also seeing strong growth alongside Christian/gospel. I wonder if there are any common threads or drivers behind the popularity of those genres right now.
Good point. The diversity of genres seeing increases suggests there may be broader cultural or technological factors at play, beyond just individual artist appeal.
5 trillion global music streams is a mind-boggling figure. It really underscores just how dominant streaming has become as the primary way people consume music these days. I’m curious to see if this level of growth can be sustained long-term.
Christian and gospel music seeing an 18.5% increase in streaming is really impressive. I wonder what’s driving that growth – is it a reflection of changing cultural dynamics or just a broadening appeal of the genre?
That’s a fascinating trend. I’d be curious to see if the growth in Christian/gospel music is coming more from younger or older listeners. Shifts in generational preferences could be a big factor.