Over the past decade, the US music streaming industry has evolved from a market dominated by digital downloads and physical formats into a leading sector. As app-consumption has surged since 2020, the industry has continued to grow, with revenue increasing at an annualized rate of 5.1% to reach $18.9 billion, including 2.2% growth during 2025. Major platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music have driven this transformation, providing consumers with unparalleled convenience and expansive music catalogs in response to shifting listening habits. Alongside revolutionizing music consumption, providers have navigated a landscape marked by regulatory and economic challenges, prompting agile strategic adaptation. A defining trend has been the emphasis on exclusive content as a competitive differentiator. Platforms are increasingly investing in proprietary offerings, including exclusive podcast series, first-release tracks and high-profile artist partnerships, to build user loyalty and sustain profit. Meanwhile, the emergence of platforms such as TikTok and Twitch has changed how audiences find music. Social music streaming now dominates consumption, with artists now making music specifically designed for these platforms. As these trends have unfolded however, the industry has faced challenges negotiating payout rates with artists, who have complained about unfair practices. This has worked to further limit margin growth over the past five years. Meanwhile, technological innovation remains central, with advanced AI and machine learning tools facilitating highly personalized listening experiences. Enhanced recommendation algorithms deliver curated playlists tailored to individual user profiles, increasing satisfaction and session duration, while promoting new artist discovery. Ongoing algorithm refinement has also supported platform differentiation and sustains user loyalty in a competitive market. Over the next five years, platforms will need to adapt to evolving content demands and intensifying platform rivalry as the market becomes saturated. Steep licensing fees and intricate legal negotiations with major record labels will also continue to pressure operating costs. The proliferation of AI-generated music will introduce unresolved copyright and originality disputes. From 2025 to 2030, annualized industry growth is forecast to moderate to a CAGR of 1.8%, with revenues projected to reach $20.6 billion by 2030.

In 2024, music streaming revenues in the U.S. accounted for ** percent of total music revenue, showing incredible growth from the ** percent share streaming made up of music revenues a decade ago. However, music streaming growth slowed down significantly in 2020, with the latest market share remaining relatively steady since then.

Key Music Streaming App StatisticsTop Music Streaming AppsMusic Streaming RevenueMusic Revenue by FormatMusic Streaming MarketshareMusic Streaming Subscribers by AppMusic Streaming Users by AppMusic...

Introduction

The Global Music Streaming Market is experiencing significant growth and changes, driven by evolving consumer dynamics. This market was valued at USD 36.7 Billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to approximately USD 125.70 Billion by 2032, with a CAGR of 15.10% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. The expansion is due to the increasing adoption of digital platforms and smart devices, as well as strategic innovations by key market players.

Several factors are driving the growth of this market. Advancements in mobile technology and internet accessibility have increased the reach of music streaming services, making them more accessible to a broader audience. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into these platforms has significantly improved user experience by offering personalized playlists and recommendations, boosting user engagement and retention rates.

The market's dynamic nature is highlighted by the surge in live streaming and on-demand services. Live streaming has seen remarkable growth, becoming a potent promotional tool for artists, enabling them to showcase their talents, cultivate dedicated fan bases, and reach new audiences effectively. On-demand streaming continues to dominate, providing users with personalized and convenient music experiences, generating the largest share of sales.

The music streaming industry has seen significant investment and acquisition activity, reflecting the sector's rapid evolution and the strategic maneuvers of leading companies to strengthen their positions and diversify their services. In the first half of 2023, music-related mergers, acquisitions (M&A), and catalog investment activity exceeded $7 billion, nearly matching the total investment activity for the entire year of 2020. This considerable sum underscores the aggressive pace of investment in the sector.

Sony, a major player in the music industry, has been particularly active, spending $1.4 billion on music acquisitions in just six months. The company's investments include the acquisition of AWAL, which adds nearly half a million recordings and almost 1,000 artists to Sony's portfolio, significantly scaling its artist services division. This move, along with Sony's investment in the beat marketplace BeatStars, demonstrates the company's commitment to expanding its global music roster and supporting the independent music community. Sony's aggressive A&R investment has grown its roster size by 40% in the past three years, highlighting its dedication to building a diverse and robust catalog.

These developments occur against a backdrop of broader trends in the media and entertainment sector, where companies are increasingly using M&A to extend their capabilities and build next-generation platforms. The focus is shifting towards interactivity, with significant interest in video games and virtual reality as mediums for music and entertainment. The consolidation within the streaming sector is expected to continue, driven by the end of strikes affecting the US entertainment industry and a clearer view of production costs and processes. Improved data analytics and insights into consumer preferences are expected to further drive consolidation and strategic partnerships in the coming years.

Over the last two observations, the revenue is forecast to significantly increase in all segments. Concerning the two selected segments, the segment Music Streaming has the largest revenue with ***** billion U.S. dollars. Contrastingly, Music Downloads is ranked last, with ****** million U.S. dollars. Their difference, compared to Music Streaming, lies at *** billion U.S. dollars. Find further statistics on other topics such as a comparison of the revenue in the world and a comparison of the revenue in France.The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

In 2024, streaming revenues reached **** billion U.S. dollars worldwide, the highest ever recorded and nearly ***** times the figure given for 2015, when music streaming revenue amounted to *** billion. Streaming revenues now account for over ** percent of total global recorded music revenue. The music industry is changing Over the last two decades, the music industry has been heavily impacted by the development of technology and the internet. Physical sales were the main source of revenue in the music industry before digital formats were invented. Even in 2000, U.S. album shipments still amounted to around *** million U.S. dollars before dropping each year until the figure stood at just ** million in 2023. This development is also mirrored in music industry revenue trends. Streaming has dramatically increased its share of U.S. music industry revenue, making up ** percent in 2023, up by almost ** percent from the figure recorded in 2017. Meanwhile, the share of music revenue generated by physical sales has decreased in equal measures, and in 2022 accounted for just ** percent of the total. Streaming platforms With over 700 million paying music subscribers worldwide, streaming platforms have become an essential part of the music industry’s landscape. Swedish streaming giant Spotify has dominated the market for years and commands roughly one third of music streaming subscribers globally. On the other hand, Apple Music, making up **** percent of the market, and Amazon with **** percent, have struggled to keep up with Spotify’s growing audience. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Spotify’s revenue from its premium subscribers hit *** billion euros and the climbing number of ad-supported users brought in an additional *** million euros. By comparison, just seven years earlier in the corresponding quarter of 2016, Spotify’s premium subscriber revenue was *** million euros and its ad-supported revenue just at nearly *** million euros.

Global Music Streaming Apps Market is segmented by Application (Music_Entertainment_Social Media_Marketing_Education), Type (Subscription-Based Streaming_Ad-Supported Streaming_Music Discovery Apps_Offline Streaming Apps_High-Fidelity Music Streaming), and Geography (North America_ LATAM_ West Europe_Central & Eastern Europe_ Northern Europe_ Southern Europe_ East Asia_ Southeast Asia_ South Asia_ Central Asia_ Oceania_ MEA)

In the financial year 2023, Spotify accounted for ** percent of all music streams in the Indian audio streaming market. The global audio over-the-top platform had more than ******* its share of music streams since fiscal year 2020. Spotify is among the leading streaming platforms in the South Asian market and the only player to have more than *** million subscribers as of 2022.

Global Music Streaming Analytics Market is segmented by Application (Music Streaming_Record Labels_Artist Management_Marketing_Advertising), Type (Listener Analytics_Artist Analytics_Playlist Analytics_Revenue Analytics_Engagement Analytics), and Geography (North America_ LATAM_ West Europe_Central & Eastern Europe_ Northern Europe_ Southern Europe_ East Asia_ Southeast Asia_ South Asia_ Central Asia_ Oceania_ MEA)

According to an online survey conducted in October 2020 among users of subscription music streaming services, the most used service was Amazon Prime Music with *** respondents. Amazon Prime Music was followed by Spotify and Apple Music.

Increasing adoption of streaming services

Music streaming services have become increasingly adopted by Japanese consumers in recent years, as the entry of several foreign companies into the Japanese market in the mid-***** has spurred on the competition between service providers. Apple Music, Google Play Music, and Amazon Prime Music were all released in 2015. During the same year, LINE Corporation, the operator of Japan’s most widely used instant messenger, started to offer LINE Music, and AWA Co. Ltd., an internet company that is part of the media business of CyberAgent, Inc., released its AWA streaming service. Spotify then followed in 2016 and YouTube Music in 2018. As a result of these developments, the subscription-based streaming sales revenue of online music has shown strong growth rates in recent years.

Music spending of Japanese consumers

Survey data show that subscription-based music streaming services have become one of the most commonly used methods of listening to music among Japanese consumers. At the same time, many people use YouTube and other freely available sources in order to listen to songs. While the Japanese music market is one of the largest in the world, the willingness to spend money on music is not distributed equally throughout the population. As one survey shows, the share of people who spend money on music is considerably higher among people in their *** than among older age cohorts. A breakdown of average consumer expenditures on music shows that CDs and other physical goods constitute the largest categories when it comes to individual expenditures. One reason for this can be found in marketing strategies that are related to Japan’s idol culture, which tend to sell CDs with included tickets that allow people to vote in contests or to interact with their favorite artists at events.

Over the past five years, streaming services in Germany have been able to capitalise on their particularly attractive price-performance ratio and, supported by technological progress, have recorded rapid revenue growth. The average annual increase in revenue during this period was 11%. In 2020, the industry received a renewed boost to growth from the measures taken to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Many consumers were looking for entertainment in the area of video and music in the face of limited leisure opportunities, but at the same time showed a low willingness to pay due to the recession. Against this backdrop, streaming access became more attractive. Although this trend has slowed since 2022 with the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions, the importance of sports streaming is increasing now that sporting events are permitted again. As a result, industry revenue in 2024 is also likely to increase significantly compared to the previous year, probably by 6.1% to €3.7 billion.The digitalisation of German households is the driving factor behind the sector's development. More and more people have fast internet connections and streaming-capable devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. This makes it more attractive to open and use a streaming account. The increase in the level of digitalisation, which is likely to continue in the current year, is therefore boosting sales growth. The amount of free time available is also having a significant impact on the industry's development, as consumers can consume more films, series and music with more free time. It can be assumed that industry players will continue to develop the market over the next five years. According to IBISWorld forecasts, the industry will grow by an average of 8.2% per year during this period and achieve total sales of 5.5 billion euros in 2029. The favourable situation in the industry is also likely to entice more companies to enter the market, even if the high barriers to entry will limit the influx.

In 2024, revenue from digital album downloads amounted to 166.7 million U.S. dollars, less than half the figure recorded in 2018. Meanwhile, subscription and streaming revenues have been increasing annually and reached 14.88 billion that same year, making up the vast majority of revenues for the entire music industry. Digital music – additional informationThe increase in digital music revenue, more specifically subscription and streaming services, may be down to the accessibility and availability of digital music. For legal downloads, consumers can pick between services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. Of course, there are countless numbers of illegal sites which distribute digital music also. In 2019, approximately 34 percent of global internet users aged 16 to 24 admitted to accessing music through music ripping, the most popular method being copyright infringement.Digital music sales have made a huge impact on the listings of best-selling lists with digital sales either being combined with physical sales or set apart. The list of the top-selling digital songs in the United States in 2020 features artists such as The Weeknd, Tones and I, and Megan Thee Stallion. The title for the top selling digital song goes to ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd. The song sold over 372 thousand units in the United States from January to July 2020. Nevertheless, the share of the digital music market does not always directly correspond to the value of the digital market. The value of digital music singles downloads in 2024 amounted to 162.4 million U.S. dollars, which marked a drop in value from 678.5 million in 2017. The value of digital album sales also saw a decrease from 668.5 million in 2017 to 166.7 million in 2024.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, ***percent of music streaming subscribers worldwide had a subscription with Spotify, more than ****** the share who were subscribed to the second-ranked Tencent Music. Other services in the list included Apple Music, Amazon, and YouTube. Beyond Spotify – other streaming services Spotify may be the biggest music streaming service in the world, but despite its arguably immense popularity and impressive number of subscribers, it hasn’t achieved global domination just yet. French service Deezer has more than tripled its worldwide subscriber base in the last few years, and although its subscriber numbers don’t come close to Spotify’s, Deezer’s growth goes to show that Spotify hasn’t quite won the hearts of every music streaming fans out there. Another popular streaming service used worldwide is Apple Music, which is in constant competition with Spotify in the United States in particular. Regardless of subscriber numbers though, in the U.S. Spotify is still considered more preferable than Apple Music. Apple is often reluctant to publish their customer numbers, though sources in early 2019 suggested that the service had overtaken Spotify in the U.S. in terms of paid subscribers. That said, Spotify still held the biggest share of overall users, and trends suggest that this will continue.

The structure of music publishing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Music consumption has largely transitioned to streaming platforms, which now form the bulk of revenue for music publishers – data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) indicates that 69% of global music industry revenue stemmed from streaming services in 2024. This shift has given the music industry a fresh lease on life, as it previously struggled to get listeners to spend on music. As a result, music publishing revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 2.9% over the five years through 2025 to €14.2 billion. This includes a forecast rise of 2.2% in 2025. Streaming has also significantly boosted the monetary exploitation of classic albums, which have added new revenue streams for publishers with little added costs, boosting profitability. However, this has come at the cost of big influxes of sales with new releases, which have reduced revenue volatility. Despite the digitalisation trend, physical music sales have seen a resurgence, primarily driven by growing sales of vinyl records. According to IFPI data, physical music sales amounted to US$4.8 billion (€4.4 billion) globally in 2024, up from US$3.6 billion (€3.2 billion) in 2020. Although streaming is more convenient than vinyl, some listeners enjoy the sound quality of vinyl and create personal collections. Over the five years through 2030, music publishing revenue is projected to rise at a compound annual rate of 6.3% to €19.3 billion. The industry is poised for several changes in the future. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have revolutionised music promotion, enabling independent music discovery and easier self-publishing. Though this enables more artists to bypass labels, publishers have also leveraged these sites for promotional activity. Studios are expected to use digital platforms for new media creation, such as immersive digital concerts, that could change the way people consume music.

In 2020, music streaming reached its highest ever revenue in the Netherlands, growing by roughly ** percent when compared to 2019. The use of services like Spotify and YouTube Music made more revenue than physical sales (including both cd’s as well as vinyl) and digital downloads. The source mentions that music streaming had a market share of ** percent in total revenue of the music industry in the Netherlands in 2020.

What are the most popular music streaming services of the Netherlands?

Exact user numbers for music streaming services are difficult to find in the Netherlands, as companies usually do not share this information in such detail. In the first quarter of 2018, though, Spotify was forecast to reach *** million users (of which *** million paid users), whereas Apple Music and Deezer had around *** million and ******* users respectively. The Netherlands is considered a typical “Spotify-country” by industry experts, as can be seen, for example, from the high install base of the app in 2017 and 2018 as well as the increasing reach between 2014 and 2018.

The rise of podcasts

The numbers shown in this ranking only look at music streaming but do not take podcasts into account. This topic is relatively new in the Netherlands and not yet researched in-depth as compared to other countries. The type of smartphone used, however, seems to be an important driver for which podcast platforms Dutch consumers use the most. Apple Podcasts, for example, comes preinstalled on iOS devices, whereas Spotify and dedicated podcast apps like Overcast were mostly used by Android users (as Google’s operating system does not have native podcast support).

The structure of music publishing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Music consumption has largely transitioned to streaming platforms, which now form the bulk of revenue for music publishers – data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) indicates that 69% of global music industry revenue stemmed from streaming services in 2024. This shift has given the music industry a fresh lease on life, as it previously struggled to get listeners to spend on music. As a result, music publishing revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 2.9% over the five years through 2025 to €14.2 billion. This includes a forecast rise of 2.2% in 2025. Streaming has also significantly boosted the monetary exploitation of classic albums, which have added new revenue streams for publishers with little added costs, boosting profitability. However, this has come at the cost of big influxes of sales with new releases, which have reduced revenue volatility. Despite the digitalisation trend, physical music sales have seen a resurgence, primarily driven by growing sales of vinyl records. According to IFPI data, physical music sales amounted to US$4.8 billion (€4.4 billion) globally in 2024, up from US$3.6 billion (€3.2 billion) in 2020. Although streaming is more convenient than vinyl, some listeners enjoy the sound quality of vinyl and create personal collections. Over the five years through 2030, music publishing revenue is projected to rise at a compound annual rate of 6.3% to €19.3 billion. The industry is poised for several changes in the future. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have revolutionised music promotion, enabling independent music discovery and easier self-publishing. Though this enables more artists to bypass labels, publishers have also leveraged these sites for promotional activity. Studios are expected to use digital platforms for new media creation, such as immersive digital concerts, that could change the way people consume music.

The structure of music publishing has changed dramatically over the past decade. Music consumption has largely transitioned to streaming platforms, which now form the bulk of revenue for music publishers – data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) indicates that 69% of global music industry revenue stemmed from streaming services in 2024. This shift has given the music industry a fresh lease on life, as it previously struggled to get listeners to spend on music. As a result, music publishing revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 2.9% over the five years through 2025 to €14.2 billion. This includes a forecast rise of 2.2% in 2025. Streaming has also significantly boosted the monetary exploitation of classic albums, which have added new revenue streams for publishers with little added costs, boosting profitability. However, this has come at the cost of big influxes of sales with new releases, which have reduced revenue volatility. Despite the digitalisation trend, physical music sales have seen a resurgence, primarily driven by growing sales of vinyl records. According to IFPI data, physical music sales amounted to US$4.8 billion (€4.4 billion) globally in 2024, up from US$3.6 billion (€3.2 billion) in 2020. Although streaming is more convenient than vinyl, some listeners enjoy the sound quality of vinyl and create personal collections. Over the five years through 2030, music publishing revenue is projected to rise at a compound annual rate of 6.3% to €19.3 billion. The industry is poised for several changes in the future. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have revolutionised music promotion, enabling independent music discovery and easier self-publishing. Though this enables more artists to bypass labels, publishers have also leveraged these sites for promotional activity. Studios are expected to use digital platforms for new media creation, such as immersive digital concerts, that could change the way people consume music.

An increasing share of internet users were accessing music streaming services in Germany, with ** percent doing so in 2020. In 2013, this share had amounted to only **** percent.

Just a streamer

Music streaming services usually offer a choice between free music streaming, which may include more ads being played and access to less of the available music catalogue, and paid streaming. In terms of age group distribution among users, those aged 20-29 and 30-39 used paid streaming the most, while free consumption was most popular in the 10-19 age group. Based on another survey, ** percent of respondents used only free-of-charge music streaming with ads instead of making digital audio purchases. Some of the most popular music genres among German listeners were rock and pop.

Apps and revenue

Music streaming services are often accessed via an app on a mobile device. The most downloaded music and audio apps in the Google Play Store were Amazon Music and Spotify. The market is a lucrative one, with Digital music sales revenue has grown noticeably in Germany, at around *** billion euros generated in 2021.

The Middle East Media and Entertainment Market is Segmented by Type (Digital Music, Video Games, and More), Platform (Online/Digital, Traditional/Linear, and Hybrid), Revenue Model (Subscription-Based, Advertising-Supported, and More), End-User Age Group (Generation Z, Millennials, and More), Device (Smartphones, Smart TVs and Connected TV Devices, and More), and Country. The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Music Video Production Market size was valued at USD 11.20 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 20.39 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2026 to 2032. Global Music Video Production Market OverviewIn developing countries, with the spread of internet connectivity, video streaming has increased. The new music video station offers a free, 24-hour live stream of popular music videos and other music content, including exclusive video premieres, curated music video blocks, live shows, fan events, chart countdowns and guest appearances. Online video is growing more popular by the day. Video advertising is promotional content that plays before, during or after streaming content.