Music streaming reached unprecedented levels in 2025, signaling both explosive growth and major changes in how audiences discover new music. According to data reported by the Associated Press and compiled by industry analytics firm Luminate, global streams hit a record 5.1 trillion last year, up nearly 10% from 2024. In the U.S. alone, on-demand audio streams climbed to 1.4 trillion, reflecting steady but more modest growth as listening habits continue to favor familiar catalog tracks over brand-new releases.
Genre Growth: Christian, Rock, and Latin Lead the Way
While older music still dominates overall listening, several genres posted notable gains in 2025. Christian and gospel music surged, growing more than 18% year over year, led by artists like Forrest Frank, Brandon Lake, and Elevation Worship. Rock also saw a strong resurgence, with Luminate’s Jaime Marconette noting that “rock is the largest growth genre this year, meaning it grew its share of the streaming pie the most.” Even though much of rock streaming leans toward older tracks, the genre still delivered the second-highest number of new current streams in the U.S.
Latin music continued its upward climb as well, driven largely by Bad Bunny. Marconette called the genre “one of the highest growth-genres in the U.S.,” adding that Bad Bunny’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos generated nearly 3 billion U.S. on-demand streams in 2025 alone. Meanwhile, superstar releases from artists like Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen still managed to break through the catalog-heavy landscape, surpassing five million album-equivalent units in a single year.
AI Artists Enter the Streaming Mainstream
One of the most striking developments in 2025 was the rise of artificial intelligence-generated artists. Acts like Xania Monet and the AI rock band The Velvet Sundown became legitimate streaming contenders, with Monet even debuting on Billboard charts. In the country space, AI projects such as Breaking Rust, Cain Walker, and Aventhis gained traction, with Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk” hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s country digital song sales chart in November. These AI tracks often draw stylistic elements from real artists, including Grammy-nominated singer Blanco Brown, raising ongoing debates about consent, copyright, and creative ownership.
What This Means for the Industry
The 2025 streaming data paints a picture of an industry in transition. Catalog music remains dominant, but genre shifts and major artist releases still have the power to shape listening trends. At the same time, AI-generated music is no longer a novelty — it’s becoming a measurable force in the marketplace. Together, these trends suggest that the future of music will be shaped not just by new songs, but by new technologies redefining who, or what, gets to create them.
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