Digital music is now measured through several lenses: recorded-music revenue, paid accounts, listening behavior, downloads, streams and artist royalties. The figures below separate global, regional, U.S., UK and survey measures, while identifying estimates and company-reported outcomes.
Key Digital Music Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- US$31.7 billion in global recorded-music revenue was reported for 2025.
- Streaming represented 69.6% of global recorded-music income in 2025.
- 837 million paid streaming subscription users were estimated globally in 2025.
- Paid-subscription streaming represented 52.4% of global recorded-music revenue in 2025.
- People in IFPI’s core 18-country sample listened for 20.7 hours per week in 2023.
- 73% of surveyed people in 26 leading music markets used licensed audio streaming in 2023.
- 71% of surveyed people in 26 leading music markets said music was important to their mental health in 2023.
- 60% of surveyed 16–24-year-olds used subscription audio streaming in the last month in 2023.
- 62% of surveyed 25–34-year-olds used subscription audio streaming in the last month in 2023.
- 52% of surveyed people in the United States used paid music subscriptions in the last month in 2023.
- U.S. premium paid-subscription accounts reached 106.5 million in 2025.
- U.S. total streaming revenue reached US$9.4745 billion in 2025.
- U.S. digital single-download volume was 119.0 million units in 2025.
- UK streaming accounted for 67.7% of recorded-music revenue in 2025.
- UK digital-download revenue fell to GBP22.9 million in 2025.
- Spotify paid more than US$11 billion to the music industry worldwide in 2025.
- More than 13,800 artists generated at least US$100,000 from Spotify alone in 2025.
Contents
- Global digital music scale and format mix
- Regional digital music market trends
- Digital music listening and engagement
- Streaming adoption and listening choices
- U.S. digital music revenue and format shifts
- UK digital music market data
- Streaming payouts and artist outcomes
Global Digital Music Scale and Format Mix
The IFPI Global Music Report 2026 reported US$31.7 billion in global recorded-music revenue in 2025, a 6.4% year-over-year increase and the market’s 11th consecutive year of growth.
Streaming was the dominant income source. Global streaming revenue surpassed US$22 billion, representing 69.6% of recorded-music income, while paid-subscription streaming grew 8.8% and represented 52.4% of revenue.
| Global measure | 2025 result | Definition or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded-music revenue | US$31.7 billion | Global industry revenue |
| Streaming revenue | More than US$22 billion | Global recorded-music market |
| Paid streaming users | 837 million | Global estimate |
| Performance-rights revenue | US$2.9 billion | Global recorded-music market |
The 837 million paid-subscription users figure is an estimate or snapshot, and the report’s figures describe recorded-music industry revenue rather than all consumer spending. Performance-rights revenue reached US$2.9 billion globally in 2025.
Regional Digital Music Market Trends
Regional growth varied considerably in 2025. Latin America recorded the fastest reported growth, while Asia also expanded faster than the global market.
| Geography | 2025 recorded-music result | Additional measure |
|---|---|---|
| USA and Canada | 3.5% growth; 38.7% of global revenue | Combined market |
| United States | 3.3% growth | National market |
| Canada | 5.6% growth | National market |
| Europe | 5.6% growth | Regional market |
| Asia | 10.9% growth | Regional market |
| Latin America | 17.1% growth | Fastest reported regional rate |
The same IFPI report reported 14.1% growth for Brazil and 13.3% for Mexico. Streaming supplied 88.1% of Latin America’s recorded-music revenue and 97.5% of Middle East and North Africa revenue.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s recorded-music revenue reached US$120 million after growing 15.2% in 2025. These are source-reported measurements whose definitions and coverage follow the cited report.
Digital Music Listening and Engagement Data
The IFPI Engaging with Music 2023 report measured self-reported behavior across 26 leading music markets, with listening-time figures based on a core 18-country group.
People in that core sample listened to music for an average of 20.7 hours per week in 2023. Surveyed fans used an average of seven different methods to engage with music, and 64% of respondents said they liked discovering older music.
The survey also found:
- Licensed audio streaming reached 73% of surveyed people in the 26 markets.
- Time spent listening on subscription audio streaming services grew 7% in the 2022–2023 comparison.
- 57% said access to music from anywhere in the world was important to them.
- 71% said music was important to their mental health.
- 29% used unlicensed or illegal ways to listen to or obtain music.
These results are self-reported survey findings. Their populations and wording limit how broadly they can be generalized beyond the cited markets and periods.
Streaming Adoption and Listening Choices
Subscription audio streaming reached 48% of surveyed people in the IFPI core 18-country group in 2023. Age differences were visible in the same survey markets.
| Survey population | Used subscription audio streaming in the last month, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Ages 16–24 | 60% |
| Ages 25–34 | 62% |
| Ages 55–64 | 28% |
| United States | 52% |
Among the five countries shown in the source, New Zealand had the highest paid-subscription engagement at 61%, while Sweden was at 57%. The country figures are survey results, not estimates of every resident’s behavior.
Streaming also reflected deliberate user choice. In the 26-market survey, 63% selected specific songs when choosing music on streaming services, while 59% used their own playlists.
U.S. Digital Music Revenue and Format Shifts
The RIAA Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report 2025 measures U.S. wholesale value net after returns. It reported total recorded-music wholesale revenue of US$11.5353 billion, up 3.1% from 2024.
| U.S. measure | 2025 result | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Premium paid-subscription accounts | 106.5 million | Up 6.5% |
| Premium subscription wholesale revenue | US$5.8811 billion | Up 6.8% |
| Total streaming revenue | US$9.4745 billion | Up 3.1% |
| Total digital revenue | US$9.7472 billion | Up 3.0% |
Download volumes continued to move down: digital single downloads totaled 119.0 million units, down 2.0%, while digital album downloads totaled 15.0 million, down 9.0%.
Physical formats moved differently. Vinyl shipments reached 46.8 million units, up 7.9%, CD shipments were 29.5 million, down 11.6%, and total physical revenue reached US$1.3810 billion, up 5.0%.
UK Digital Music Market Data
The British Phonographic Industry reported UK recorded-music revenue of GBP1.57 billion in 2025, up 5.0% year over year. Streaming contributed GBP1.07 billion, or 67.7% of recorded-music revenue.
| UK measure | 2025 result | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming revenue | GBP1.07 billion | Up 4.6% |
| Paid-subscription streaming | GBP902.2 million | Up 3.1% |
| Ad-supported streaming | GBP163.4 million | Up 13.9% |
| Digital downloads | GBP22.9 million | Down 5.9% |
| Physical music sales | GBP278.0 million | Up 12.8% |
| Vinyl revenue | GBP174.7 million | Up 19.9% |
The UK data therefore shows growth in both streaming and physical music sales, alongside a decline in digital-download revenue. BPI uses its own combined UK market definition, so its currency totals are not directly comparable with RIAA wholesale figures or IFPI global revenue.
Streaming Payouts and Artist Outcomes
Spotify’s 2025 Loud & Clear highlights are company-reported metrics, not an independent census or a measure of artist take-home pay.
Spotify said it paid more than US$11 billion to the music industry in 2025, up more than 10% year over year, bringing cumulative music-industry payouts to nearly US$70 billion by the end of 2025.
The company also reported these artist thresholds and comparisons:
- More than 13,800 artists generated at least US$100,000 from Spotify alone in 2025.
- More than 1,500 artists generated over US$1 million in Spotify royalties in 2025.
- The 100,000th-highest-earning artist generated more than US$7,300 in 2025, compared with about US$350 for the same rank in 2015.
- More than one-third of artists earning at least US$10,000 from Spotify in 2025 were DIY or began their careers DIY.
- Artists saw more than 50% of their Spotify royalties come from outside their home country on average two years after debuting; this is an estimate or snapshot from the company’s report.
- Songs in 16 languages reached Spotify’s Global Top 50 in 2025, more than double the number in 2020.
These payout figures describe Spotify’s reported royalty flows and thresholds. They may not equal total artist income, and they should not be read as universal outcomes for all digital-music creators.