Italian music streaming services are experiencing remarkable growth, with paid subscriptions surging 12.7% year-over-year in the first half of 2025. This impressive expansion has pushed streaming subscription revenues to €113.3 million ($128.5 million) during the same period, cementing streaming’s position as the dominant force in Italy’s recorded music landscape.
The overall Italian recorded music market has benefited greatly from this subscription boom, with total trade turnover reaching €208.1 million ($236.1 million) in H1 2025, representing a 9.7% increase compared to the previous year. This growth rate has accelerated from 8.5% seen in 2024. Streaming now accounts for 67% of total recorded music revenues, having generated approximately 95 billion streams in 2024 alone—a staggering 31% increase from 2023 figures.
Streaming dominates Italy’s music market with 67% of revenues and 95 billion streams, fueling impressive industry growth.
On-demand streaming continues to dominate the market, representing 81.92% of total music streaming revenue in 2024. Meanwhile, live streaming has emerged as the fastest-growing segment within Italy’s streaming ecosystem, positioned for continued expansion through 2030. Musicians looking to capitalize on this trend should consider sync deals as a highly profitable revenue stream in the digital landscape. This growth trajectory has helped Italy cement its position as the European Union’s third-largest music market, trailing only Germany and France. This strong performance has contributed to Italy’s seventh consecutive year of market growth, demonstrating remarkable consistency in the sector’s expansion.
Physical music formats have shown surprising resilience alongside digital growth, particularly vinyl, which increased by 6.8% in 2024—marking its sixth consecutive year of growth in the Italian market. However, downloads continued their decline, falling by 12.7% in 2024 as consumer preferences shift decisively toward streaming services.
A key driver behind subscription growth has been the success of domestic artists, whose royalties on Spotify increased by 20% year-over-year in 2024, reaching approximately €150 million ($162 million). Independent artists looking to break into this thriving market should focus on personal branding and consistent music releases to build a loyal fanbase. This impressive performance reflects the growing global appeal of Italian-language music and the strength of the local music scene.
As subscriber-based streaming increased by 17.1% in 2024, industry analysts predict that Italy’s strong growth trajectory will continue through 2025, potentially outpacing several major markets that have recently experienced streaming slowdowns, including the United States and India.
