Entertainment · Music · 4 hrs ago
Older songs dominate music streaming as listeners turn to nostalgia
Listeners in the UK and US are streaming older songs more than recent releases.
Data from music analytics company Luminate shows that about 60% of music played in the first half of 2026 had been released at least five years earlier.
In the UK, 18 of the year's 20 bestselling songs were released at least a year ago, including Zara Larsson's 2015 hit “Lush Life.”
The trend reflects how streaming gives people easy access to decades of music, while a small number of current hits can stay popular for months.
New artists can struggle to turn one viral song into a lasting career, as platforms such as TikTok may create attention around a single track rather than an artist's wider work.
Apple Music says it is using curation to promote emerging musicians, while Sofar Sounds puts on small gigs for grassroots artists.
The music industry is looking for ways to help new performers build lasting audiences.
Streaming data shows that older music is played far more than current releases in the UK and US.
In the first half of 2026, about 60% of music played was released at least five years earlier.
In the UK, 18 of the year’s 20 bestselling songs had been released at least 12 months earlier.
In the US, about 60% of streams in R&B and Hip-Hop were catalogue hits.
The article says listeners’ growing interest in nostalgia is challenging artists trying to build audiences with new music.
- Who
- Music listeners in the UK and US. Artists releasing new music are also affected.
- What
- Older songs account for a large share of music streaming.
- When
- In the first half of 2026; the article was published on 24 October 2026.
- Where
- The UK and the US.
- Why
- The article links the trend to listeners’ growing interest in nostalgia and classic songs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Luminate first began tracking music streaming.
About 60% of music played was released five or more years earlier.
Zara Larsson’s Lush Life, originally released in 2015, was the year’s eighth biggest hit in the UK.
- Luminate
- Independent entertainment data and analytics company
- Music submitted daily
- More than 100,000 songs
- Older music share
- About 60% of music played in the first half of 2026 was released five or more years earlier
- UK bestselling songs
- 18 of the top 20 had been released 12 months earlier or more
- US R&B and Hip-Hop
- About 60% of streams were old-school catalogue hits
What people are saying
It's easier [today] for folks to be passive fans
You know, we do the Super Bowl halftime show, we need to make sure that we still have performers in 10, 20, 30 years