It came as little surprise that Taylor Swift dominated the UK music market in 2025. Her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was the year’s biggest seller, recording more than 642,000 chart sales since its release in October. The album’s success helped drive a strong year for the UK music industry overall, with total album sales — including streaming — rising by nearly 5% to 201 million units.
Women Led a Record-Breaking Year
Female artists were the driving force behind the market’s growth. Breakout British stars Olivia Dean and Lola Young emerged as major commercial and critical successes. Dean made UK chart history by becoming the first woman to score her debut number one album and single in the same week, with The Art of Loving and the track Man I Need. She also achieved four simultaneous top 10 singles during the year.
Young, meanwhile, landed the second-biggest single of 2025 with Messy, and capped off the year with a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Across the singles chart, women accounted for roughly two-thirds of all number one hits in 2025, underlining their dominance.
Oasis Fuel a Britpop Revival
While new female talent flourished, legacy acts also enjoyed renewed success. Oasis staged a major comeback, fuelled by their blockbuster reunion tour.
The band sold 1.4 million tickets during the year and shifted more than one million albums. Their greatest hits compilation Time Flies finished as the fourth biggest album of 2025, while (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? ranked seventh. The resurgence highlighted the enduring commercial power of Britpop nostalgia.
Streaming Dominates, But Vinyl Keeps Rising
According to figures released by the British Phonographic Industry, streaming now accounts for 89% of the UK music market. Fans streamed more than 210 billion songs during the year.
Despite streaming’s dominance, physical formats continued to grow. Vinyl sales rose for the 18th consecutive year, jumping 13% to 7.6 million units. Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl led vinyl sales, while her limited-edition Lover (Live From Paris) became the first album in eight years to top the chart on pure sales alone.
CD sales continued to decline but still reached 9.7 million units, while cassette sales — though niche — surged by more than 50%.
UK Talent Finds Global Success
The BPI highlighted the international reach of British artists in 2025. Dean and Young both broke into the US Billboard charts, while acts such as Raye, Wet Leg and Florence + The Machine expanded their global footprint.
BPI chief executive Dr Jo Twist said the UK remains the world’s second-largest exporter of music, but warned that the streaming era has intensified competition. As 2025 draws to a close, the message is clear: women — with a timely assist from Oasis — defined a standout year for UK music.
