Global Recorded Music Revenues Grow 6.4%
Global recorded music revenues grew 6.4% to US$31.7 billion in 2025, representing the eleventh year of consecutive growth.
The growth was driven by continued engagement with paid streaming services, which saw revenue increase by 8.8% and accounted for 52.4% of global revenues. There are now 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts.
Record companies are actively involved in developing music licensing models for artificial intelligence, with the aim of creating a system where AI and human artistry can coexist and generate revenue opportunities for artists.
The music industry is addressing increasing threats from streaming fraud, where artificially generated plays divert revenue from artists and other industry participants. Record companies are taking action and are calling for proactive measures from all parties in the streaming value chain to prevent, detect, and address fraudulent activity. São Paulo Court Rules Against Streaming Fraud Service in Operation Authêntica Case
Victoria Oakley, CEO, stated: “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.”
Oakley continued: “Importantly, this growth means even greater financial returns for artists and reinvestment into an increasingly broad range of music communities worldwide.”
Oakley also stated: “Music is embracing the future, demonstrated by record company partnerships with generative AI developers who respect the rights of creators. They are partners that explore 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.”
Oakley concluded: “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.”
Every region experienced growth in recorded music revenue in 2025, with four regions posting double-digit gains. Latin America was the fastest-growing region, increasing by 17.1% in 2025.
The largest recorded music region increased revenues by 3.5% in 2025, holding a 38.7% share of global revenues and adding more than US$400 million to the global total. The USA, the largest single market, grew by 3.3%. Canada saw revenue growth of 5.6%.
Europe maintained its position as the second-largest region, growing revenues by 5.6% in 2025 and adding more than US$500 million, accounting for 30.4% of global revenues. The UK (+4.8%), Germany (+1.7%) and France (+3.7%) all generated revenue growth.
Asia saw a strong improvement, with growth of 10.9% in 2025. The region accounted for 45.1% of global physical revenue. Japan (+8.9%) returned to growth, and China overtook Germany to become the fourth-largest market, with growth of 20.1%.
Latin America continued its growth with a 17.1% increase in 2025, marking a 16th consecutive year of growth. Streaming accounted for 88.1% of recorded music revenues in the region.
The Australia & New Zealand region reached US$623 million in revenue, growing by 1.5% in 2025. Australia increased revenues by 1.2%, while New Zealand grew by 3.0%.
The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region saw a 15.2% increase in recorded music revenues in 2025, with streaming accounting for 97.5% of the total.
Sub-Saharan Africa saw revenue growth of 15.2%, reaching US$120 million. South Africa remained the largest market in the region, accounting for 78.1% of the region’s revenues, following growth of 12.9% in 2025. How Music Technology Is Reshaping Nigeria’s Creative Economy
The report draws on data supplied directly by record companies and presents a snapshot of an industry adapting to technological and cultural change.
African Music’s Global Rise: Shazam’s Global Top 200 Highlights a Breakthrough Year
