Streaming loses prominence, the fan economy soars and AI redefines the rules of creation in an increasingly fragmented market
He IMS Electronic Music Business Report 2025/26 has just been published, offering a new x-ray of the current state of the electronics industry globally. Prepared by MIDIA Research and presented at the International Music Summit in Ibiza, the report includes the main figures, trends and transformations in the sector. Next, we review the most relevant data that is setting the course of electronic music in 2025.
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The global music industry closed 2025 with positive figures on all fronts, but the real change is not in how much it grows, but in how it generates money. Recorded music reached $36 billion (+9%), while income derived from fandom – such as merchandising and direct sales – increased by 21%, consolidating itself as the most dynamic segment of the business.
Streaming continues to be the main driver, with 919 million subscribers globally (+10% year-on-year), adding 85 million new users in a single year. However, for the first time, its growth fell below the market as a whole. The push now comes, in large part, from the Global South markets, which are redefining the map of music consumption and displacing the traditional axis of the industry.
In this context, electronic music maintains a solid and consistent evolution. In 2025, it added 558 million new fans (+8%), with a particularly committed audience: followers of the genre listen an average of 10.4 hours per week and spend $24 per month on music, well above the global average of $17.
But the most disruptive change is occurring in creation. Artificial intelligence tools applied to music have experienced 651% growth since 2023, reaching $333 million in revenue and 63 million monthly active users. Music production is now more accessible than ever, although also more saturated.
At a sound level, the market combines stability and transformation. Tech house continues to lead, while genres such as afro house – with an 82% growth in searches – and melodic techno gain prominence. At the same time, fragmentation is evident: 34% of sales on platforms like Beatport already come from genres outside the top 10, reflecting an increasingly diversified ecosystem.
In economic terms, the electronics industry reached a value of 15.1 billion dollars in 2025 (+7%). The direct ticket exceeded 30,000 million, driven in part by the increase in prices, while key destinations such as Ibiza generated 160 million euros in ticketing alone. Growth is real, but so is complexity: more niches, more competition, and a culture that evolves at the same speed as the world around it.
Request here the full report.
