The news: Music streaming revenues hit $63 billion in 2025, up 18.2% YoY, as Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music each posted double-digit revenue gains, per Business of Apps. The industry is on track for $100 billion by 2030. 

The key driver: Users are paying more for broader bundles that include podcasts, audiobooks, video, fitness, and AI-driven features.

Subscriptions reached 856 million last year, up 86 million from 2024, per Business of Apps. However, music app installs fell for a third straight year and remain 150 million below their 2019 peak, pointing to a maturing market where in-app monetization matters more than fresh downloads.

Zooming in: Music streaming apps need to continuously diversify to drive user engagement beyond standard music, lyrics, concert merch, and artist tie-ins.

• Apple Music is showcasing high-end audio as a feature with lossless and Dolby Atmos spatial audio at no extra charge, effectively bundling “audiophile” features into the standard subscription
• YouTube Music is flexing its creator ecosystem where fans can move between official tracks, music videos, live sessions, and artist content in the same environment.
• Spotify has been pushing audiobooks into the main app, using metered listening and premium bundles to upsell beyond music-only subscriptions.

However, subscription price increases could dampen user enthusiasm—42% of paying streamers worldwide think they spend too much on subscriptions, per Simon-Kucher. 

Implications for brands: Music streaming is becoming a higher-priced media ecosystem, not a simple subscription app category. Its next challenge is balancing subscription prices and richer bundles against slower user growth, subscription fatigue, and the need to keep engagement expanding beyond music alone.

CMOs should treat music apps as premium attention channels, with feature sponsorships or brand partnerships built around paid listeners, creators, and influencers; and ad placements across podcasts, audiobooks, video, and AI-assisted discovery features.

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