Music streaming has risen to its highest level, passing 500m per week, the BPI has revealed.
505,849,000 audio streams took place during the chart week ending Thursday 16 July, Official Charts Company (OCC) data showed.
11.5bn streams were recorded in the first half of the year - an increase of 80 percent on the same period in 2014. By June, the weekly average had risen to 484m streams.
Ed Sheeran was the most streamed artist during the first half of the year, with more than 170m in total. He came ahead of Sam Smith and Hozier.
Geoff Taylor, BPI and BRIT Awards chief executive, said: ‘It’s remarkable that we now speak of billions of audio streams per month - it demonstrates vividly just how quickly streaming is being embraced by British music fans.
‘As more consumers explore the enhanced experience offered by premium quality subscriptions such as Apple Music and Spotify Premium, it will help our world-leading record labels invest even more into unearthing the next generation of British talent for fans here and around the world.’
The number of audio streams predicted for the UK in 2015 should exceed 25bn if growth continues at its current rate.
PRS for Music has launched Streamfair, a new campaign to raise awareness about the need for legislative reform to ensure music creators are properly remunerated in the streaming market.
505,849,000 audio streams took place during the chart week ending Thursday 16 July, Official Charts Company (OCC) data showed.
11.5bn streams were recorded in the first half of the year - an increase of 80 percent on the same period in 2014. By June, the weekly average had risen to 484m streams.
Ed Sheeran was the most streamed artist during the first half of the year, with more than 170m in total. He came ahead of Sam Smith and Hozier.
Geoff Taylor, BPI and BRIT Awards chief executive, said: ‘It’s remarkable that we now speak of billions of audio streams per month - it demonstrates vividly just how quickly streaming is being embraced by British music fans.
‘As more consumers explore the enhanced experience offered by premium quality subscriptions such as Apple Music and Spotify Premium, it will help our world-leading record labels invest even more into unearthing the next generation of British talent for fans here and around the world.’
The number of audio streams predicted for the UK in 2015 should exceed 25bn if growth continues at its current rate.
PRS for Music has launched Streamfair, a new campaign to raise awareness about the need for legislative reform to ensure music creators are properly remunerated in the streaming market.
