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Music Streaming Subscriptions Statistics: Global, US and India

A data-led overview of paid music streaming accounts, subscription revenue and payment behavior across global, US and Indian measures.

November 12, 2026 6 min read highnoonaudio.com Editorial Team

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Music streaming subscriptions statistics: Global paid accounts and subscription revenue

Music streaming subscriptions statistics describe several related measures, but they do not all count the same thing. Global account totals, revenue growth and revenue share are reported separately; US figures distinguish premium from non-premium paid subscriptions; and an India survey records past payment and conditional willingness to pay. Reading each number with its population, period and definition intact makes the comparisons more useful.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts globally in 2025. Its prior annual release put users of subscription accounts at 752 million in 2024, following 10.6% growth. These are reported in different release vintages, each tied to the year specified; the 2024 account figure is a historical observation, while 837 million refers to 2025. Source: IFPI, Global Music Report 2026; Source: IFPI, 2025 release

Global measureReported periodFigure
Users of paid streaming subscription accounts2024752 million; 10.6% growth
Users of paid streaming subscription accounts2025837 million
Paid subscription streaming revenue growth20249.5%
Paid subscription streaming revenue growth20258.8%
Subscription streaming share of recorded music revenue2024 report-vintage chart52.2%
Paid subscription streaming share of recorded music revenue202552.4%

The revenue figures add context to the account counts but measure different things. IFPI reported global paid subscription streaming revenue growth of 9.5% in 2024 and 8.8% in 2025. The later release said the format represented 52.4% of global recorded music revenue in 2025. In the 2025 release’s chart for 2024, subscription streaming accounted for 52.2% of global recorded music revenue. The chart’s wording and report vintage matter: the 2024 share and the 2025 share are separate observations, not one continuous estimate. Source: IFPI, 2025 release; Source: IFPI, Global Music Report 2026

The account count is a measure of users of paid subscription accounts; the revenue share is a measure of recorded music revenue attributed to the format. Neither should be read as a count of individual plans, households, or all people who use streaming. These global observations also do not reveal how accounts or revenue are distributed across countries or service tiers.

Music streaming subscriptions statistics: US annual premium account units

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reports US wholesale figures, with revenue values in millions of dollars, net after returns. Its premium paid-subscription row separates “Units” from “Value.” The unit values below are account units expressed in millions; the revenue subrow is treated separately in the section on annual revenue. Source: RIAA, Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report 2025

US premium paid-subscription unitsMillion units
2024100.0
2025106.5
Change from 2024 to 2025+6.5%

RIAA reported 100.0 million US premium paid-subscription units in 2024 and 106.5 million in 2025, with a reported year-over-year increase of 6.5%. This is a specific premium category in the report’s wholesale table. It should not be conflated with a broader count of every paid plan or with subscription revenue: the table treats units and dollar value as different subrows. Source: RIAA, Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report 2025

The figures provide an annual comparison for 2 consecutive years. They do not, by themselves, show how many subscribers were new, how many accounts cancelled, or how many people share or use an account. Those interpretations are not part of the reported unit measure.

Music streaming subscriptions statistics: US first-half premium account units

RIAA’s mid-year report gives a separate comparison for the first halves of 2024 and 2025. It lists 99.0 million US premium paid-subscription units in the first half of 2024 and 105.3 million in the first half of 2025. The table reports a 6.4% increase between those periods. Source: RIAA, Mid-Year Revenue Report 2025

US premium paid-subscription unitsMillion units
First half of 202499.0
First half of 2025105.3
Change between first halves+6.4%

These are first-half observations, not full-year totals. They sit alongside the annual series but answer a narrower question about the same part of each year. The reported 6.4% is the table’s change for the comparison; it should not be interpreted as a full-year growth rate. Source: RIAA, Mid-Year Revenue Report 2025

Music streaming subscriptions statistics: US annual paid-subscription revenue

RIAA’s annual table reports wholesale dollar value, in millions and net after returns. Premium and non-premium subscriptions appear as distinct categories. The premium series rose from $5,506.5 million in 2024 to $5,881.1 million in 2025; RIAA reports a 6.8% increase. Source: RIAA, Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report 2025

US paid-subscription wholesale revenue, net after returns2024 ($ millions)2025 ($ millions)Reported change
Premium5,506.55,881.1+6.8%
Non-premium518.7495.2-4.5%

The non-premium series moved in the opposite direction over the same annual period: RIAA reported $518.7 million in 2024 and $495.2 million in 2025, a decline of 4.5%. Keeping the two categories visible helps avoid treating “paid subscriptions” as a single undifferentiated revenue series. These dollar values are wholesale revenue as described by RIAA, not retail prices paid directly by subscribers. Source: RIAA, Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report 2025

Music streaming subscriptions statistics: US first-half paid-subscription revenue

RIAA’s mid-year report records premium paid-subscription wholesale revenue of $2,717.5 million in the first half of 2024 and $2,887.5 million in the first half of 2025. The reported increase between the first halves is 6.3%. The measure is in millions of dollars, net after returns. Source: RIAA, Mid-Year Revenue Report 2025

For non-premium subscriptions, the same report lists $263.7 million in the first half of 2024 and $262.7 million in the first half of 2025. RIAA reports a 0.4% decline. As with the annual table, premium and non-premium are separate categories, and wholesale values should not be mistaken for consumer spending or subscription prices. Source: RIAA, Mid-Year Revenue Report 2025

The first-half comparisons provide a matched period for 2024 and 2025. They are not a substitute for full-year totals, and the source reports the changes directly. No annualization is needed to describe the observed values. Source: RIAA, Mid-Year Revenue Report 2025

music streaming subscriptions: Indian paid music subscriptions and payment behavior

EY–IMI estimated that India had 14 million paid music subscriptions as of December 2025. This is an estimate of subscriptions at a stated point in time. It is distinct from survey responses about whether people have ever paid or might pay under particular conditions. Source: EY–IMI, India paid music subscriptions report release

In a survey conducted in March–April 2026, 38% of surveyed Indian smartphone users said they had ever paid for a music streaming service, including where bundled. The survey covered 15,373 smartphone users. “Ever paid” is a retrospective self-report and includes bundled services; it does not measure current paid-subscriber penetration. Source: EY–IMI, India paid music subscriptions report release

The same survey found that 61% of respondents were willing to pay for streaming music if free alternatives disappeared and pricing were reasonable. That result describes willingness under the stated hypothetical conditions, rather than actual payment or a forecast of subscription take-up. Read with the 38% ever-paid finding, it distinguishes reported past behavior from a stated response to a possible future choice. Source: EY–IMI, India paid music subscriptions report release

Sources

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