The 'Recession pop' era, characterized by upbeat hits from artists like Kesha, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga from the late 2000s, has seen a 6.4% increase in streams in 2025, driven by nostalgia and escapism.

A detailed industry report will be presented in a webinar scheduled for July 16, 2025, offering deeper insights into current trends and metrics.

However, overall growth in on-demand audio streams is slowing, with U.S. growth dropping from 8% in 2024 to 4.6% in 2025, and global growth decreasing from 15.1% to 10.3%, indicating a deceleration in industry expansion.

Understanding specific audience behaviors and platform preferences remains crucial for industry growth, as success varies across subgenres based on different discovery and listening habits.

Hard Rock is experiencing a resurgence with recent No. 1 albums, attracting mainly male Millennials who discover music through video games and vinyl, blending digital and analog fandom.

Despite this slowdown, Christian music is thriving, largely among a younger, predominantly female audience, even as overall streams of new music decline.

Meanwhile, R&B has re-entered the top five U.S. subgenres in on-demand audio growth after over three years, driven by a highly engaged Gen Z female audience active on Twitch and receptive to genre-crossing collaborations.