France’s recorded music revenue grew by low single-digits in the first half of 2025.
The period was marked by some surprises, including a sharp drop in streaming video revenues and faster growth in physical music formats than in digital.
Total recorded music turnover rose by 3.4% year-over-year to EUR €432 million (USD $490m) in the six months to the end of June, according to data from industry group SNEP (the National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing).
That’s a slower pace than the 5.9% YoY growth recorded in the same period a year earlier.
The digital market, including paid and ad-supported audio streaming and video streaming, saw growth of 3.1% YoY to €346 million ($393 million), with paid subscription streaming up 3.9% YoY to €271 million ($307 million). Meanwhile, ad-supported audio streaming rose 2% to €38.8 million ($40.0 million).
However, the video streaming segment saw a 6.8% YoY drop in revenues, to €31.7 million ($36.0 million), which SNEP attributed to the decline of traditional music videos as consumers migrate to short-form content.
The music video segment is “marked by the transformation of uses with the decline of traditional [music videos] in favor of short formats or ’visualizers,’ mainly broadcast on social networks,” SNEP said in its report released on Tuesday (September 9).
Also notable in SNEP’s report is the fact that physical music sales saw a faster pace of growth than digital, with total physical sales rising 4.4% YoY to €86 million ($97.6 million), with vinyl leading the way, up 9.4% to €45.7 million ($51.8 million). That was partly offset by a 1.5% drop in CD sales, to €37.2 million ($42.2 million).
SNEP sees this as an upside, calling it “a very positive signal for the diversity of music consumption methods.”
The French music market’s resilience “is based on the diversity of listening practices and the complementarity between physical sales and digital uses,” SNEP Managing Director Alexandre Lasch said.
Nonetheless, SNEP noted that France’s music streaming revenues, which account for 63% of all recorded music turnover, continue to lag behind other developed markets.
“When it comes to streaming, the challenge is no longer just to recruit new subscribers, but to expand usage,” Lasch said.
“We need to both retain younger generations, who favor short, fragmented formats, and attract an older audience that is still underrepresented on platforms. By diversifying experiences and strengthening the perceived value of subscriptions, we can consolidate streaming’s place in everyone’s daily lives.”
(SNEP isn’t the only one that sees a need to expand the audio streaming experience; Spotify’s expansion into podcasts and audiobooks, and its planned “super-premium” subscription tier, are sure signs that the world’s largest audio streamer also sees a need to diversify the streaming audience.)
“When it comes to streaming, the challenge is no longer just to recruit new subscribers, but to expand usage.”
Alexandre Lasch, SNEP
SNEP’s latest report also confirms that France, like many European countries, continues to see a shift in music consumption towards local acts.
The report found that three-quarters of the albums that made it into the top 200 in the first half of the year were produced in France. Of the top 20 most-streamed songs, 16 were French, and among the top 100 radio airplay tracks, 53 were French.
The SNEP report also noted that the European Union’s AI Act is currently being implemented, and the trade group plans to monitor tech companies for copyright compliance and transparency in the sources used for training AI. The group also called for the establishment of a licensing market for AI and music rightsholders.
“In our sights: the construction of a voluntary, ethical, and competitive licensing market, the only virtuous model capable of driving growth in both innovation and human creation,” SNEP said.Music Business Worldwide