Music streaming services continue to show a significant growth in the number of streams in Germany. According to a special report published by GfK and the German Music Industry Association (BVMI) on Thursday, over 236 billion streams were measured in 2024, an 11 percent increase from the previous year. In 2023, there were 213 billion streams, representing a year-on-year growth of 12 percent.
In total, the streams have more than doubled in six years. For comparison, in 2019, there were 108 billion streams in Germany, registered for the period of January to December. Both ad-financed and paid “premium streams” of at least 31 seconds in duration were counted.
New songs are particularly popular among music fans who stream: Productions from the 2020s increased their streaming share by 4 percentage points within a year, from 52 to 56 percent. Especially well-received were German-speaking acts like Ayliva, Luciano, or Nina Chuba, who make up eight of the top 10 most streamed artists of the decade.
Music from the 2010s accounts for 26 percent of all started streams, while the 2000s remain at 8 percent. The decades prior, when combined, reach 10 percent.
Another result of the evaluation is that artists like Linkin Park or Taylor Swift, upon releasing new music, also increased interest in their older tracks. Additionally, classics like Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)” or “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey experienced a second spring.
Among the streaming genres with the highest growth rates is the “German-speaking pop” segment, which grew by 15 percent compared to the previous year. Country (plus 58 percent) and Folk (plus 26 percent) also saw significant growth, driven by acts like Beyoncé, Dasha, Shaboozey, and Hozier. The segment of children’s audio plays and children’s music, which improved by 19 percent, was also in the plus.