Use of music streaming continues to grow at double-digit rates
Music streaming services continue to record significant growth. The number of downloads has more than doubled within six years.
In 2024, over 236 billion streams were measured in Germany, eleven percent more than in 2023. 108 billion streams were registered in 2019. Current songs are particularly popular with music fans. Productions from the 2020s increased their streaming share from 52% to 56% within a year. German-language acts such as Ayliva, Luciano and Nina Chuba are particularly popular. They account for eight of the ten most-streamed songs of the decade.
Music from the 2010s accounts for 26 percent of all streams, while the 2000s remain unchanged at eight percent. The decades before that together account for ten percent. By releasing new music, artists such as Linkin Park and Taylor Swift also increased interest in their older tracks. In addition, classics such as Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)" or "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey experienced a second spring.
One of the streaming genres with the highest growth rates is German-language pop. This grew by 15 percent compared to the previous year. Country (up 58%) and folk (up 26%) saw even stronger growth, driven by acts such as Beyoncé, Dasha, Shaboozey and Hozier. The children's radio plays and children's music segment was also up significantly, increasing by 19 percent.
The special analysis by GfK Entertainment in cooperation with the German Music Industry Association (BVMI) was based on paid and ad-based streams lasting 31 seconds or longer for the period from January to December 2024.
