'Recession pop' and new Christian music surge in the US as streaming growth slows

Key Points

• Streaming volumes reached record highs—2.5 trillion global and 696.6 billion US on-demand audio streams in H1 2025—but growth slowed to 10.3% globally and 4.6% in the US, down from 15.1% and 8% in 2024.
• In US genre rankings, rock, Latin, country and Christian/gospel led the highest growth, despite R&B/hip-hop remaining the top overall streaming category.
• New Christian/gospel releases defied broader declines, driven by a young, streaming-forward fanbase that is 60% female and 30% millennial, with artists like Forrest Frank, Brandon Lake and Elevation Worship.
• “Recession pop” hits from 2007–2012 saw a 6.4% surge in US streams as listeners gravitate toward nostalgic, carefree tracks by Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Rihanna for escapism.

NEW YORK (AP) — Halfway through 2025, a few music trends have become clear, according to Luminate's 2025 Midyear Report, which was released Wednesday:

— In the U.S. and globally, more music is being streamed than ever before...

— But growth has slowed.

— And in the U.S. specifically, there's been a resurgence in Christian music and “recession pop.”

In its midyear report, Luminate, an industry data and analytics company, provides insight into changing behaviors across music listenership.

A decrease in growth, an increase in volume

Music streams continued to grow globally and stateside in the first half of 2025. Global on-demand audio streams reached 2.5 trillion in the first half of 2025 — up from 2.29 trillion in the same period last year.

And in the U.S., on-demand audio streams grew to 696.6 billion in 2025, compared to 665.8 billion in 2024.

But even though more music is being streamed than ever before, compared to past years, the rate of growth is slowing down. In 2024, U.S. and global on-demand audio streams grew 8% and 15.1%, respectively. In 2025, those numbers have dropped to 4.6% and 10.3%.

In the US, Christian music and recession pop are making a comeback

In the U.S., streaming accounts for 92% of all music consumption. On-demand streams were up in 2025 as physical and digital album sales dropped.

R&B/hip-hop remains the most popular genre in terms of on-demand audio streaming volume, followed by rock, pop, country and Latin. The same was true in 2024. What's interesting are the highest-growth genres: Rock leads stateside, followed by Latin, country, and Christian/gospel music.

Though streams of new music — music released in the last 18 months — are slightly down from the same time last year, new Christian/gospel music has defied that trend, said Jaime Marconette, Luminate’s vice president of music insights and industry relations. It is led by acts like Forrest Frank, Brandon Lake and Elevation Worship.

He attributed the genre's growth to “younger, streaming-forward fanbase,” which is 60% female and 30% millennial.

“Recession pop” — the term for upbeat hits like Kesha’s “Tik Tok,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” and other carefree pop music that emerged in 2007-2012 around the time of the Great Recession — has also seen a jump this year. Luminate found that U.S. on-demand audio streams of pop music from that era have increased 6.4% in 2025. Songs from Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Rihanna lead the shift.

“We’re actually seeing pop music from those years outpace the growth of the industry at-large,” adds Marconette. "When looking at performance of all genres from that period, listeners are gravitating toward pop in particular, highlighting a sense of nostalgia and potentially bigger themes of escapism.”