Streaming now accounts for 87.7% of music consumption in UK, BPI reports
Use of digital platforms has doubled since 2018
Streaming now accounts for 87.7% of all music consumption in the UK. The figures, published as part of the BPI's official end of year report, show there were 179.6 billion streams nationwide last year, double the number from 2018.
Vinyl sales also showed strong year-on-year growth, up 11.8% compared with the previous 12 months. In total, 6.1 million individual units were purchased, more than any time since 1990 and slightly higher than was estimated thanks to a spike over the Christmas period. Meanwhile, cassettes surpassed 100,000 copies for the fourth consecutive year, and the long-term decline of CDs hit its slowest pace in almost a decade.
UK artists showed their strongest ever performance in the Official Singles Chart, which began in 1952. Women dominated in terms of individual releases, with 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus the biggest hit of 2024, seven of the top 10 tracks and more than half of the top 20 coming from female artists including Dua Lipa, Ellie Golding, PinkPantheress and Raye.
"Whilst work continues towards achieving full representation for women across the music industry, 2023 has been a brilliant year for women in the Official Charts. There is a more diverse range of recording artists than ever achieving great success with the backing of their labels," said Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI Chief Executive. "Women spent more weeks at No.1 on the Official Singles Chart than in any previous year, while seven of the ten biggest tracks were by women. This should be celebrated, but without complacency, and our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm.”
While the BPI figures prove ongoing rising demand for music across Britain, the specifics will likely do little to alleviate concerns over the recording industry's economic fragility. The overwhelming dominance of streaming platforms is widely seen as a major obstacle to earnings thanks to low royalty payouts.
Last year alone, Spotify confirmed plans to stop payments for tracks registering fewer than 1,000 plays, and expanded its Discovery Mode, essentially offering more exposure for lower payouts. Meanwhile, a report by PIRATE.COM suggested 75% of artists now make a loss when releasing music, partly due to streaming revenue models, which in 2021 the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport concluded were in urgent need of a "total reset" to better support creators.
