Photo by cottonbro studio
UK audiences spent more than £2 billion on music streaming subscriptions in 2025, according to new figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), marking a major milestone for the country’s music economy. Listener spending on streaming services reached £2.045 billion, the first time the sector has crossed the £2bn threshold.
While streaming continued its upward trajectory, growth slowed compared to the previous year, rising 3.2% in 2025, down from 7.8% in 2024. Even so, the figures confirm streaming’s dominant role in how UK audiences consume music, accounting for the vast majority of total recorded music revenue.
At the same time, physical music formats enjoyed a notable resurgence. UK consumers spent £368.1 million on physical music in 2025, an 11.5% increase on 2024’s £330.1 million. Downloads via platforms such as Bandcamp declined by 3.5%, totalling £39.9 million, suggesting a continued shift away from ownership-based digital formats.
The physical growth was driven primarily by a sharp rise in vinyl sales, which increased by 18.5%, alongside a striking 95% surge in other physical formats such as cassette tapes. CD sales, however, continued their gradual decline, dropping by 1% year-on-year.
Taken together, the data shows that UK music sales have grown by 120% since 2016, far outpacing the wider UK economy, which expanded by just 12% over the same period.
“Streaming services and retailers are committed to supporting new UK music, and the emergence of a new wave of UK artists is vindicating their approach,” said Kim Bayley, CEO of the Entertainment Retailers Association. “While conditions may be tough in the wider economy, streaming services and retailers are winning a greater share of consumer spending and proving their central role in the UK’s creative economy.”
