Is Rock Back? Let’s Look at the Data

Luminate’s 2025 midyear report has arrived, and it has some surprising data: Rock is back.

According to the report, rock came in second in the top U.S. core genre, ranked by on-demand audio streaming. It sits with 123.3 billion, behind hip-hop and R&B at 171.1 billion. But that’s not all: Rock experienced the highest growth compared to the same timeframe as 2024, with Latin, country, and Christian/gospel following. The Sinners soundtrack — and the adjacent activity of featured artists — caused a spike in the blues.

Meanwhile, Becoming Led Zeppelin landed at No. 1 in the Top Music Documentaries So Far in 2025, with 329.8 million minutes watched. The documentary caused a bump in Led Zeppelin‘s global on-demand audio streams, experiencing a peak at 40.4 million during the week of Feb. 27. Since then, streams have averaged 39 million per week through July 3.

The authorized film, directed by Bernard MacMahon, focuses on the band’s early years. While not a biopic, it’s similar to films like A Complete Unknown, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Elvis in that it’s introducing the band — and rock as a genre — to younger generations.

Elsewhere in the Luminate report, Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem leads the U.S. Top 10 Albums with 2.562 million total album-equivalent consumption, with SZA’s SOS and Kendrick Lamar’s GNX behind it. The latter topped the list of the Top U.S. Vinyl Albums, with Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet in No. 2.

Classic rock albums appeared on the vinyl chart as well as the Top 10 Cassette Albums: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours came in with 83,000 in vinyl, while Nirvana’s Bleach hit 4,000 in cassettes. As Neil Young once said, rock & roll can never die.

From Rolling Stone US.