Digital music streaming penetration in the UK 2021, by demographic group

The results of a consumer tracking study on the penetration of music streaming via the internet in the United Kingdom (UK) as of March 2021 inquired into respondents' behavior regarding online content during the last three months. The survey found that music streaming was most common among respondents aged 16 to 24 years. Within the age group of 35 to 44 year-olds and 25-34 year-olds were the second largest groups of music streamers, with frequency of use gradually declining among older participants from the age of 44.

Digital music outselling CDs and vinyl

The music retail industry as a whole has been growing in the UK from 2011 up to 2019, with the exception of a slight drop in both 2014 and 2018. The sales of physical media such as CDs and vinyl however have been on a steady year-on-year decline, reflecting the increasing popularity of digital streaming and downloading services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. According to Statista’s Digital Market Outlook, music streaming is also predicted to take growing precedence over downloading in the years to come, potentially growing its base from 17.2 million users in 2019 to 21.6 million by 2024.

Smartphones in the lead

Between 2013 and 2015, users in Great Britain preferred streaming and downloading music on tablets. This changed from 2016 as smartphones became and remained until 2019 the device of choice when it came to enjoying digital music. The smartphone’s portability and versatility, combined with a host of streaming apps makes it the ideal everyday music player. As of March 2020, the leading music app in the Google Play Store in Great Britain was Spotify which was downloaded nearly 200 million times.