A new chart release covering 2025 confirms an ongoing shift for rock music. Worryingly, for fans who like their music loud, full of raw energy, emotion, and plenty of guitar licks and riffs, it’s a huge move away from the genre. Sadly, it comes as no great surprise that there are just two rock artists listed among the top-selling acts of last year.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI for short, has just revealed the biggest-selling global artists of 2025. Their latest chart takes into account all the artists’ worldwide sales, streaming, downloads, and physical sales from around the world. That’s a massive amount of data, formats, and locations to truly give a global view.Â
Naturally, that will reflect all the latest trends in music and reflect what is being heard around the world. Taylor Swift dominates the chart again. She leads from the top for the fourth consecutive year, the sixth time she has held the top global spot.
Swift is ahead of Stray Kids in second place, Drake in third, The Weeknd in fourth, and at number five it’s Bad Bunny. And that's before he got a huge boost from his astonishing Super Bowl show.Â
Rock music takes a fall in the IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025 top 20
I’ll list the entire IFPI top 20 at the end of this article, but it’s fair to say the top five are very reflective of what follows below them. There is a broad mix primarily of pop, RnB, rap, and some hip hop in there. With the chart reflecting global listening, we also see the likes of K-pop and Japanese artists included. But notably, we see the hit that rock music takes with its very limited mentions in the top 20.
Firstly, let’s put aside a couple of country musicians, like Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen, who some may feel have a slight rock influence. That leaves just two rock music-based artists in the top 20.
Those aside, it is still a bit of a stretch, as the two included are Linkin Park and Mrs. GREEN APPLE.
That's perhaps more metal and alternative rock than mainstream as far as Linkin Park is concerned. As for Mrs. GREEN APPLE, their J-rock style picks up funk, pop, and some electric sounds, leaving the Japanese band as more of a crossover sound than straight rock. They are huge in their homeland, but still quite a niche name elsewhere, in case anyone doesn't recognize the name.
The biggest-selling albums ever are still led by a hefty classic rock contingent, but these charts show how that sound is fading away. It’s reflected in the lack of rock albums with any staying power in current album charts. I also wrote recently about the Super Bowl halftime show, reflecting this very change in listening preferences. It was as far back as 2010 when the last classic rock artist led that show.Â
Is it a problem? Not really, these charts and trends reflect what’s happening now in music. The artists in the IFPI global top 20 below are of huge stature and reach, with many millions of fans. It’s all a bit sad for rock fans, but we’re just going to have to live with it, as I don't see rock catching up anytime soon.
Top 20 IFPI Global Artist Chart 2025:
1 - Taylor Swift
2 - Stray Kids
3 - Drake
4 - The Weeknd
5 - Bad Bunny
6 - Kendrick Lamar
7 - Morgan Wallen
8 - Sabrina Carpenter
9 - Billie Eilish
10 - Lady Gaga
11 - Ariana Grande
12 - Tyler, The Creator
13 - Mrs. GREEN APPLE
14 - SEVENTEEN
15 - Eminem
16 - Linkin Park
17 - Zach Bryan
18 - Ed Sheeran
19 - SZA
20 - Justin Bieber