The United Kingdom's recorded music market grew for the 11th straight year in 2025, driven by streaming and vinyl sales amid strong performances from local artists. Consumption reached 210.3 million album equivalents, with streams accounting for 89.3% of the total. Artists like Olivia Dean and Sam Fender played key roles in this success.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) released its 2025 report, highlighting an 11th consecutive year of growth for the U.K. recorded music market. This expansion was propelled by domestic and global successes of British artists, including Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Sam Fender, and Central Cee. Major tours by Oasis, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran further boosted sales of their back catalogs.
Music consumption rose 4.9% year-over-year to 210.3 million albums or streamed equivalents, with streams totaling 210.3 billion and increasing 5.5% to comprise 89.3% of all consumption. Vinyl LP sales marked their 18th straight year of growth, up 13.3% to 7.6 million units. Overall physical formats, including CDs and cassettes, saw a 1.4% rise, the second year of increase after nearly two decades of decline.
In the Official Charts Company's year-end lists, Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl topped the albums chart and led vinyl sales with over 147,000 units—the highest for any release since 1994. British acts dominated the top 10, featuring Ed Sheeran, Oasis, Sam Fender, and Olivia Dean. On the singles chart, Alex Warren's "Ordinary" was the biggest song, ruling for 13 weeks, followed by Lola Young's "Messy" at No. 2 and Olivia Dean's "Man I Need" at No. 9.
Twenty-seven U.K. artist albums reached No. 1, with multiple toppers from Yungblud (Idols and One More Time with Aerosmith), Ed Sheeran (– +-=÷x (Tour Collection) and Play), and Elton John (Diamonds and Who Believes in Angels? with Brandi Carlile). Playboi Carti's Music was the sole No. 1 without physical sales.
British talent also shone in 2026 Grammy nominations, with Olivia Dean and Lola Young in best new artist, alongside Wet Leg, FKA twigs, FLO, Fred again.., PinkPantheress, Skepta, Sleep Token, and Yungblud in genre categories.
BPI CEO Dr. Jo Twist commented, "2025 saw UK talent break through domestically and globally... This is testament to the diverse, exceptional talent that exists throughout the UK, and to the vital role labels play in supporting artists to long-term success." She emphasized the need for policy support to sustain this growth.
