{"id":108104,"date":"2026-07-03T14:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=108104"},"modified":"2026-07-03T14:01:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:01:21","slug":"music-streaming-language-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/music-streaming-language-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Music streaming is becoming more global than ever: Why language barriers matter less"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Streaming audiences are becoming more diverse, with Latin music, K-pop and international artists gaining ground worldwide. Here’s what the latest data means for independent artists.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years, success in the global music industry often meant breaking into English-speaking markets. Today, that’s changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New research<\/a> from Luminate shows that listeners in the United States are discovering more music in different languages than ever before. While English-language music still dominates streaming, its share continues to shrink as Latin music, K-pop and artists from around the world reach wider audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s another sign that streaming has fundamentally changed how music travels. Fans are increasingly choosing songs based on recommendation algorithms, social media and personal taste rather than language alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For artists everywhere, that’s opening up exciting new opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

English language dominance is slowly shrinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Luminate’s latest report, English-language music accounted for 86% of U.S. on-demand audio streams during the first quarter of 2026. That’s still the overwhelming majority, but it’s down from 88.1% during the same period last year, continuing a gradual decline that has been taking place over several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, listeners are increasingly embracing music from around the world. Spanish-language music reached a record 9.5% share of U.S. on-demand streams, while Korean-language music maintained a strong presence thanks to the continued popularity of K-pop. Music performed in every other language combined also saw significant growth, highlighting a broader shift towards international listening habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image credits: Luminate<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As Luminate explains, the U.S. music market is becoming increasingly international rather than centred almost exclusively around domestic artists. The data suggests listeners are simply more open than ever to discovering music regardless of where it comes from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latin music continues to break new ground<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Much of this growth has been driven by Latin music. Luminate\u2019s figures show that Spanish-language music now represents nearly one in every ten on-demand streams in the United States, with more than half of American listeners saying they now listen to Latin music at least casually. That’s a remarkable shift considering Latin music was once viewed as a niche genre in the U.S..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artists like Bad Bunny continue to demonstrate just how global music has become. His recent Super Bowl Halftime Show<\/a> helped push Latin music to record weekly streaming numbers in the U.S., while reinforcing that songs don’t need English lyrics to become mainstream hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show officially amassed 128 million viewers<\/a><\/blockquote>