Global Music Report 2026 used multiple artists as case studies, including British singer Olivia Dean.
The report found total streaming revenues surpassed "$22 billion (€19.1 billion) and accounted for 69.6% of global recorded music income."
The report also found that there is a total of 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts around the world, with paid supscriptions reported to have grown by 8.8% and accounted for 52.4% of total revenues.
Drew Hill, Managing Director at Proper Music Distribution in the UK, said that the figures are a reminder that physical music continues to "defy expectations."
He said they "provide something streaming struggles to replicate: a tangible connection with fans. In almost every major territory, vinyl grew in both units and value last year - now nearly two decades into its revival."
The report found that the UK is the third largest music market behind the US and Japan. Latin America was found to be the fastest growing region, up by 17.1% in 2025.
The report suggests that AI presents an "opportunity for driving innovation and finding new opportunities for artists," and that the music industry faces an "increasing threat from streaming fraud," suggesting that it is in need of a "strong, industry-wide response."
"Great music from incredible artists, aided by record company partnerships and investment, is driving global growth - with more people than ever before paying to engage with it on paid streaming services worldwide," said Victoria Oakley, Chief Executive of the IFPI.
"Importantly, this growth means even greater financial returns for artists and reinvestment into an increasingly broad range of music communities worldwide. The entire music community must take action to tackle the threats facing our industry. Streaming fraud is theft, plain and simple. The organisations with the data, scale, and leverage to prevent this fraudulent activity, including streaming services, content aggregators, and distributors, must take decisive action," she continued.
