5 Minutes
How 2025 reshaped the music landscape — and why film fans should care
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) closed out 2025 with a headline-making chart story: Taylor Swift dominated album sales while K-pop artists — and cross-media tie-ins — conquered the singles landscape. This year’s IFPI annual report reads like a snapshot of global pop culture, where streaming numbers, TV and film soundtracks, and transnational fandoms collide.
Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was named IFPI’s top-selling album of 2025. Swift’s continued commercial heft is hardly surprising, but the scale — in an era driven by streaming, deluxe editions and multimedia promotion — underscores how superstar albums still anchor the industry.
Singles: K-pop, soundtrack crossovers and a first for multilingual hits
The single race told a different story. Rosé of Blackpink teamed up with Bruno Mars on APT, a record that surpassed two billion streams and became the first song containing significant non-English sections to top IFPI’s global year-end singles list. IFPI’s CEO called it a historic moment for the music business — and for the growing visibility of multilingual pop on mainstream charts.
Second place went to Golden by Huntr/X, an animated-group track introduced in Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters. Its success is a reminder: streaming platforms and serialized storytelling now function as major launch pads for singles, turning soundtrack and in-show tracks into chart-topping hits.
Notably, eight of the top ten songs were released before 2025, and for the second consecutive year no British artist made the global top ten — a striking sign of how global streaming flattens regional dominance.
Top 20 singles of 2025 (IFPI annual list)
- Rosé & Bruno Mars — APT
- Huntr/X — Golden
- Alex Warren — Ordinary
- Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — Die With A Smile
- Benson Boone — Beautiful Things
- Billie Eilish — Birds of a Feather
- Teddy Swims — Lose Control
- Kendrick Lamar & SZA — Luther
- Gracie Abrams — That’s So True
- Kendrick Lamar — Not Like Us
- Lola Young — Messy
- Bad Bunny — DtMF
- Saja Boys — Soda Pop
- Sabrina Carpenter — Espresso
- Chapel Run — Pink Pony Club
- Samber — Back to Friends
- The Weeknd — Timeless
- Shaboozy — A Bar Song (Tipsy)
- Taylor Swift — The Fate of Ophelia
- Ravin Lenny — Love Me Not
Why this matters for cinema and streaming TV
The presence of an animated soundtrack star in the top two illustrates a trend film and TV producers have felt for years: songs introduced within a visual narrative can become global hits almost overnight. From Guardians of the Galaxy to recent Netflix series, soundtrack curation is now a strategic creative choice, not just background noise. Directors and showrunners who treat music as an active storytelling element can spark viral streaming behavior and chart success.
There’s also a cultural angle: multilingual or partially non-English hits like APT challenge legacy gatekeeping in mainstream charts and open doors for more inclusive soundtrack choices in international productions.
Expert perspective
"We’re seeing a convergence where television and cinematic storytelling amplify musical hits in ways traditional radio never could," says cinema historian Marko Jensen. "When a song is embedded in a popular show or designed as a narrative moment, it gains both emotional weight and repeat streaming — essential currency in today’s charts."
Context and a touch of critique
While the results celebrate diversity and creative cross-pollination, they also highlight the dominance of streaming algorithms and platform-driven promotion. Critics argue that this centralization can prioritize a few mega-campaigns over gradual, organic artist development. Still, the 2025 charts show an encouraging widening of the palette that music supervisors, filmmakers, and series creators can draw from.
For cinephiles and soundtrack lovers, the takeaway is clear: whether it’s a Swift ballad, a K-pop anthem, or a piece born inside a Netflix fantasy, the right song in the right visual moment can travel farther than ever. Keep an eye on soundtrack credits — they’re fast becoming the cultural breadcrumbs for next year’s chart-toppers.
Comments
Reza
Is IFPI really showing what ppl listen to or just spotlighting the biggest promo budgets? curious if smaller artists even stand a chance
atomwave
wow, Rosé x Bruno Mars hitting #1 with multilingual parts, didnt see that coming. TV tie ins = rocket fuel for songs, screenplay folk take note. feels like playlists decide fate now, if that keeps up...
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