IFPI's "Global Music Report 2026": Recorded Music Grows 6.4% Worldwide as Japan Rises 8.9% and Holds the No.2 Spot

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has released its "Global Music Report 2026." In 2025, the global recorded-music market grew 6.4% year on year, reaching $31.7 billion and topping $30 billion for the first time. Japan grew 8.9% and held its position as the world's second-largest market.

According to the report, streaming led the growth, with streaming revenue at roughly $22 billion — about 70% of the total market. Paid subscription users surpassed 800 million globally, and subscription revenue rose steadily. The recorded-music market posted its 11th consecutive year of growth.

By region, growth in the U.S. market has moderated while markets outside the U.S. increasingly drive the overall increase. Subscription uptake is widening across regions including emerging markets, and a notable feature of this edition is how the growth drivers of the world market have multipolarized.

Japan's market is distinctive even internationally for the continued scale of physical (CD and similar) sales alongside expanding streaming, retaining its standing as one of the world's largest package markets. A unique structure in which digital and physical coexist underpins a stable market size.

From an industry standpoint, the room for further subscription growth and the rise of emerging markets are the next focal points. At the same time, as markets mature, challenges such as growth in per-user revenue and more precise rights processing are gaining importance — raising the question of how to secure the 'quality' of growth.

ZEN editorial view: The multipolarization of the world market means expanding opportunities for Japanese artists and creators to reach overseas listeners. Designing distribution territories and developing rights management based on market data are practical considerations for independents' overseas expansion as well.

Sources: IFPI "Global Music Report 2026," Music Ally Japan, Billboard JAPAN, and others.