Audio streaming has surged 79.5% year-on-year, becoming the largest component of the AES (album equivalent sales) market for the first time ever, official Q2 figures reveal.
The huge rise in streaming over the past 12 months helped overall music consumption grow 5% year-on-year.
Official Charts Company data shows that streams passed 11 million for the quarter, indicating that streams are likely to hit one billion per week by the end of the year.
Audio streaming accounted for 39.1% of consumption for the quarter, ahead of physical album sales on 35.5%.
Meanwhile, the download market continues to suffer, with digital album sales down 30.5%.
Beyonce’s Lemonade was the biggest selling album of Q2, followed by Drake's Views in second place and Radiohead's A moon Shaped Pool in third.
For further in-depth Music Week analysis of Q2 figures, click here.
