Photo Credit: Olivia Dean (Instagram)
The UK recorded music industry grew for the 11th consecutive year at a respectable 4.9% in 2025, according to the latest data from BPI.
Breakthrough artists like Olivia Dean, Lola Young, and Skye Newman led a British music renaissance in the UK, leading the region’s recorded music market growth in its 11th consecutive year.
The BPI has revealed that overall recorded music consumption across sales and streams increased by 4.9% annually over the past year, reaching a new high of 210.3 million albums (or streamed equivalents) consumed. However, despite the solid performance, it marks a slowdown compared to the double-digit streaming growth shown in recent years.
According to BPI’s analysis of Official Charts Company data, the annual audio streaming market surpassed 200 billion streams for the first time, with 210.3 billion streams accumulated across the year. Streaming rose 5.5% year-on-year, making up a record 89.3% of consumption compared with 2024’s 88.8%.
Sales of vinyl increased for the 18th consecutive year, maintaining recorded music on physical formats in growth for the second year in a row (up 1.4% overall).
Notably, the “wobble” in vinyl sales reported in the first half of the year has recently been blamed by the OCC on a significant under-reporting of sales during the period, leading to the somewhat surprising numbers based on quarterly updates. Prior to the correction, up to Q3, year-to-date physical sales were down 4% year-on-year, but were up in Q4 alone by 4.7%—thanks in no small part to a Taylor Swift-based boost.
Olivia Dean became the first woman in UK chart history to achieve her first #1 single and album in the same week. Lola Young landed the year’s second biggest single (“Messy,” just behind Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”). Meanwhile, Chrystal, Skye Newman, and Sienna Spiro achieved domestic chart success, while Liverpool rapper EsDeeKid scored a Top 10 first. UK rock group Sleep Token achieved their first #1 album in both the UK and US, while Olivia Dean achieved her first Top 5 hit on the US Hot 100 chart.
“2025 saw UK talent break through domestically and globally, an impressive feat given more acts than ever are vying for audience attention,” said Dr. Jo Twist, OBE, BPI CEO. “From Olivia Dean and Lola Young to Sleep Token and Sam Fender, new British talent are now chart-topping sensations at home and are making their presence felt in key markets around the world, while the likes of Ed Sheeran continue to reinforce their icon status. This is testament to the diverse, exceptional talent that exists throughout the UK, and to the vital role labels play in supporting artists to long-term success.”
“This impact should be a powerful reminder that British music is a global headline act, and one of the crown jewels of the UK’s creative industries. Ensuring its success should be high on the government’s agenda in 2026. We need the commitment of policymakers, the continued protection of the UK’s gold standard copyright framework, and a business environment which supports direct licensing between music and tech companies in order for labels to continue to discover, nurture, and promote the global stars of tomorrow.”
2025 Mercury Prize winner Sam Fender’s People Watching debuted at #1 with the year’s fastest sales for a UK act, becoming the 10th top artist album overall of the year. For vinyl and CD rankings, it achieved the second spot overall, just behind juggernaut Taylor Swift.
Oasis’ blockbuster reunion tour, attended by 1.4 million fans in the UK and Ireland, also triggered a huge rise in physical sales and streams, including over a million album sales in 2025 alone. Finally, Coldplay reinforced their headline status by breaking the Wembley Stadium record with 10 sold-out shows in September, selling nearly one million tickets as part of their global Music of the Spheres Tour and surpassing their previous records.
