Female artists drove UK music sales in 2025

Female artists led UK music sales in 2025, with Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl the year's top seller. The British Phonographic Industry said combined sales rose nearly 5% to 201 million and streaming made up about 89% of the market.

Taylor Swift and a wave of women artists were central to the UK music market in 2025. The year's sales data drew attention because a mix of new British talent and returning acts reached large audiences. The British Phonographic Industry released the figures that underlie these trends. Legacy acts also played a role, with one high-profile reunion boosting catalogue sales. What the BPI reported: - Combined album sales and streams rose nearly 5% to 201 million in 2025. - Taylor Swift's 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, was the year's biggest seller with 642,000 chart sales since its October release. - Oasis's reunion tour coincided with more than one million albums sold in 2025; their greatest hits compilation ranked among the top sellers. - Streaming accounted for about 89% of the overall market, with 210.3 billion songs streamed; the Official Charts Company uses 1,000 streams as the equivalent of one album sale. - Physical formats showed varied growth: vinyl sales rose 13% to 7.6 million, compact discs totaled 9.7 million, and cassette sales increased to 164,491 units. - Female artists claimed two-thirds of the year's number-one singles, and UK newcomers achieved notable international attention and award nominations. Summary: The 2025 data show female performers and select legacy acts were major drivers of UK music consumption, while streaming continued to dominate overall activity. The report also highlights stronger vinyl interest and some crossover success for new British artists abroad. Undetermined at this time.