Several rising stars took British music to the world in 2025 — leading to a growing feeling that the U.K. music industry was back to its best. Now, new numbers released by the BPI (British Phonographic Institution) are backing up that sentiment.
BPI reports that in 2025, total revenue in the U.K.’s recorded music market surpassed £1.5 billion ($2.01 billion) in revenue for the first time, with the final number (£1.507 billion) representing a 5% boost on the previous year. The £1 billion barrier was first broken in 2024.
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In its report, the industry body, which represents the U.K. market’s recording companies and label business, highlights a new generation of stars, including Grammy winners Olivia Dean and Lola Young, alongside Sienna Spiro, EsDeeKid, Skye Newman and more, for contributing to the rise. High-profile moments for Charli xcx, Dave, Ed Sheeran and Oasis were also a major contributing factor to the record numbers.
The streaming market accounted for £1.07 billion ($1.44 billion) of that number, with revenue up 4.6%. While that growth number is lower than previous years (5.7% in 2024 and 8.4% in 2023), BPI notes that streaming accounted for more than two-thirds of all recorded music revenue at 67.7%.
Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” was the biggest song on streaming in 2025, amassing 261.8 million streams and notching a 13-week run at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart. Five more tracks, including Young’s “Messy,” surpassed 150 million streams, while 18 crossed 100 million streams, including songs by Dean and British artist Chrystal.
Elsewhere, physical music revenue hit £278 million, a 12.8% rise on the previous year and the third consecutive year of growth; BPI notes that number surpassed £250 million ($335 million) for the first time since 2017. The vinyl market rose 19.9% year-on-year with a total of £174.4 million, its highest level in more than three decades.
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl played a huge role in the vinyl market, shifting 147,000 units in 2025, the most by any new album in a calendar year this century. The remaining top vinyl sellers include albums by Dean (The Art of Loving), Sabrina Carpenter (Man’s Best Friend), Sam Fender (People Watching), and two Oasis classics (1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory).
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said in a statement, “Beyond the positive headlines, what is especially satisfying about this 11th consecutive annual rise in UK recorded music revenue is that it has been in part driven by a resurgence in British music with a new generation of artists breaking through. Its impact is being felt not just at home but globally, highlighted by the recent Grammy wins of Olivia Dean, Lola Young and others, as well as on streaming services and music charts around the world.
“This success is a testament to our brilliant record labels and shows what can be achieved in the right business environment. Underpinning this success is the UK’s gold-standard copyright framework, and it remains essential that this is safeguarded by our policymakers as a burgeoning market to license music to AI firms takes root.”
YolanDa Brown OBE DL, the BPI’s Chair, added, “As anyone who saw this year’s BRIT Awards in Manchester can testify, British music is in incredibly strong health and much of it is being led by outstanding new talent drawn from across the UK. Given the intense global competition, I know how increasingly hard it is for our music to compete when fans have endless choices, so this success shows what can be achieved when artists of all backgrounds are paired with world-class record labels backing their careers. Provided our labels can continue this support unhindered, there is a very bright future for British music.”
