The growth rate of online music streaming has been eclipsed by the growth rate of vinyl sales in the UK for the first time, according to industry data. The year-on-year growth rate of streaming-equivalent albums – the metric used to determine chart performance – was 4.9% in Q3 2025, down from 11.4% growth the year before, according to Music Week.
Conversely, vinyl sales were up 7.4% so far in 2025, compared to 5.9% YTD growth in online streaming. Streaming still accounts for a far greater share of the market, but even small shifts back towards physical media can have major implications for record labels, with one vinyl album sale equivalent to 150,000 streaming-equivalent albums in the UK Official Charts.
As the market has grown mature, streamers including Spotify have shifted away from their previous model of holding prices low to attract listeners. The costs of a Spotify individual and family plan rose by £1 and £2 respectively in October. Still, most consumers seem prepared to accept the move; the proportion of Brits saying they had increased spend on entertainment subscriptions rose by 2%pts in November (the7stars QT).
