UK consumers spent a record £2.045 billion on music streaming subscriptions in 2025, according to a report from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). This is a new milestone, as it marks the first time streaming revenue has surpassed the £2 billion mark.
Physical music sales also saw stronger momentum with spending climbing 11.5% each year to £368.1 million. The rise in physical sales was largely driven by vinyl, which recorded an 18.5% increase, alongside a sharp 95% surge in other formats such as cassettes. CD sales however, continued to decline and fell by 1%, while digital downloads dropped 3.5% to £39.9 million, with platforms like Bandcamp directly impacted.
Sharing more on the rapid growth of streaming services ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Streaming services in the UK fund around 60 different programmes supporting music, with a third of them focussing on new and emerging UK talent. Record shops too are playing their part, promoting more than 4,000 instore and outstore performances a year, the majority of them featuring UK artists. 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.” 
Overall, the UK music market has grown by 120% since 2016, which is significantly higher than the wider UK economy which recorded growth of just 12% over the same time period. For the full report, click here
