Entertainment & Media — item 18 of 20

Streaming audio platforms

Sourced IFPI's Global Music Report separately tracks streaming as its own measured revenue segment — streaming surpassed $22B, 69.6% of recorded-music income, in 2026. IFPI

Streaming audio platforms sits within Entertainment & Media, shapes culture, and captures a share of global attention and advertising spend disproportionate to its material footprint — a category whose own scale remains unverified (a commonly cited PwC global entertainment & media outlook figure could not be re-verified against the primary source). Streaming audio platforms is one of 7 of the category's 20 items directly backed by institutional trackers — IFPI, AECOM/TEA, WIPO, IPA, Reuters Institute, UK Gambling Commission — rather than an editorial judgment call.

In this category

Streaming audio platforms is 1 of 20 items in Entertainment & Media. See the full ranked list, or browse all 20 Human Endeavors categories.