The global music industry pulled in $31.7 billion in 2025, fueled mostly by streaming, the IFPI reported Wednesday. This marks 11 years of consecutive growth, with revenues up 6.4%.
Key highlights:
- Streaming dominates: nearly 70% of revenue, with 837 million paid subscribers worldwide.
- Physical formats are rising too, especially vinyl, which grew 13.7%, mainly in Asia. In contrast, streaming accounts for 97.5% of revenue in North Africa and the Middle East.
AI concerns:
- The IFPI warned that AI-generated music and fake streams threaten artists’ earnings. Platforms like Suno and Udio argue fair use allows AI tracks without consent, but the IFPI urges strong copyright protections.
- Partnerships are emerging to address this: Suno signed with Warner Music Group to compensate artists for AI-generated content.
Top-selling artists in 2025 were: Taylor Swift, Stray Kids, and Drake.
In short: the music industry is growing steadily, driven by streaming, but faces new challenges from AI content, highlighting the need to protect musicians’ rights.
