Music in the EU Report finds Irish streaming revenue above EU average

IFPI have launched the Music in the EU Report for 2025. The highlights: €6 billion in recorded music revenue in the EU last year, a growth of 5.1%. And in Ireland, streaming revenue grew by 7.3%, a figure above the EU average.

"The Irish music scene is probably the healthiest it's ever been", said Priscilla Kotey, the Managing Director of Warner Music Ireland. "We’re absolutely teeming with talent and producing artists that are achieving global success at a much higher ratio than some of our EU counterparts".

Amble, who are signed with Warner Music, were highlighted in the report as an authentically Irish band enjoying huge commercial success internationally.

Kotey credited Ireland's recent climb in the music industry to the expansion of Ireland Music Week, the opening of BIMM Music Institute in Dublin, and the opportunities of social media.

"Irish people have become way prouder of Irish music than ever before", she said, citing the increased proportion of Irish artists at Electric Picnic.

The EU's 2025 share accounts for over a fifth (21.5%) of worldwide recorded music revenue, with 9 of the top 20 markets for recorded music in the world located here.

Several concerns were also outlined in the report, such as maintaining growth, preventing and prosecuting streaming fraud, and the efficacy of the EU AI Act.

"There is much to celebrate in this report", said Willie Kavanagh, Chairman of IRMA. "In Ireland, we see a surge in artists achieving global success on the back of supportive local infrastructure.

“Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the EU provides an opportunity", he continued, "to show real leadership in promoting the creative economy, by shoring up copyright protections, encouraging responsible AI use, and protecting music from piracy”.

To put the numbers in context, the US are the leader in revenue with €10.2 billion. Japan takes third place at €2.5 billion. In terms of growth, the EU also takes second place, behind the US and narrowly ahead of China.

The largest portion of this revenue comes from subscription streaming, one aspect in which the EU lags behind the UK and US.

27% of EU residents pay for a subscription to a streaming service, compared to 47% in the UK and 54% in the US. Ireland is among the nations with less than 20% streaming subscriber penetration.

Ad-supported streaming, purchases of physical music such as vinyl, and performance rights also contribute to recorded music revenue.

Over half of the tracks on each country's year-end top 10 were domestic performers. In Ireland this number was particularly high.