UK Music Industry Sees 11th Year of Growth in 2025 Driven by Oasis Reunion and Taylor Swift Vinyl Sales
The UK music industry experienced a nearly 5% increase in album-equivalent sales in 2025, reaching 210.3 million units sold or streamed, marking the 11th consecutive year of growth according to the BPI. This growth was led primarily by female artists and the Oasis reunion tour.
Taylor Swift's album The Life of a Showgirl was the biggest seller of the year with 642,000 copies sold since its release in October. The album also dominated vinyl sales, moving 147,000 units—the most by any artist since the Official Charts Company began tracking vinyl sales. This marked Swift's fourth consecutive year topping annual vinyl sales following releases such as Midnights and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
The Oasis reunion significantly boosted album sales, with their compilation Time Flies … 1994-2009 finishing the year at number four on the album charts after reaching number one following the tour. Their iconic album (What's The Story) Morning Glory (1995) was also a top seller at number seven. The group sold approximately 1.4 million tickets during the reunion tour, driving interest and revenue.
Physical formats led the market growth, with vinyl sales rising 13.3% to 7.6 million units despite a 7.6% decline in CD sales to 9.7 million; overall physical album sales were up 1.4% to 17.6 million units. The 'other' physical category experienced a near 80% increase to around 330,000 units. Cassettes saw remarkable growth as well, rising 53.8% to 164,491 units sold, with the Better Man soundtrack being the best-selling tape.
New female talent emerged strongly, with Olivia Dean becoming the first UK artist to top both the debut single and album charts in the same week. Lola Young's single Messy was the year's second-biggest single. Both artists charted internationally, including in the US, highlighting the global impact of UK female acts like Skye Newman, Sienna Spiro, Raye, PinkPantheress, and Wet Leg.
Fans streamed 210.3 billion songs in 2025 with Alex Warren's track Ordinary being the most-played. Notably, many top tracks from 2024 continued to resonate strongly.
UK remains a major global music exporter. Ed Sheeran topped India's Spotify charts with his album Sapphire. Dr Jo Twist, BPI Chief Executive, emphasized the ongoing competition in the market and called on the government to protect the music industry by upholding copyright laws and enabling direct licensing between labels and tech firms, especially in light of challenges presented by AI.
The year's boom in the industry was attributed to Oasis nostalgia and the demand for Taylor Swift vinyl, set against a wider revival of physical formats including vinyl, cassettes, and CDs.
