Americans Are Listening to Less Music in English Than Ever

It’s official: The U.S. is listening to less music in English than ever before. A new midyear report from Luminate found that English-language songs fell to a new low of 87.1 percent of streams in the U.S., from last year’s 88 percent. But what’s just one percentage point, right? 

Well, considering the fact that the country is streaming more music than ever before (a whopping total of 732.7 billion streams in 2026), it’s certainly not insignificant. As English-language streams dropped, Spanish-language streams rose to a historic peak of 9.4 percent, accounting for nearly 1 in 10 streams in the U.S., or approximately 68 billion streams. “Casual U.S. listenership of Latin music has hit an all-time high, with 54 percent — or more than one in two music listeners — now reporting that they engage with the genre,” Jaime Marconette, Luminate’s vice president of music insights and industry relations, told the Associated Press. “Latin music’s cultural footprint is rapidly widening far beyond its traditional core base into the broader American mainstream.”

Bad Bunny is largely to thank for that. This year, the Puerto Rico superstar’s historic Super Bowl performance, which sent conservatives into a frenzy over its Spanish-language focus, drove a record-breaking 2.74 billion on-demand audio streams in the U.S. in a single week. Luminate (which shares a parent company with Rolling Stone, Penske Media Corp) also credits música Mexicana from acts like Tito Double P, Peso Pluma, Junior H, and Gael Valenzuela with driving this trend. 

Another big factor is K-pop. Korean music accounted for 1.1 percent of on-demand streams, driven by global icons like BTS, though their songs incorporate English lyrics as well. That hugely successful group also helped drive other major changes in the nation’s music consumption habits, like an increase in CD sales.

Below are details about that — and more key takeaways from Luminate’s report.

Gen Z and Millennials Love Buying CDs (Even if They Don’t Own a CD Player)

It turns out Gen Z and millennials have more in common than they may realize. The two generations helped CDs sales surge to 16 percent in the first half of 2026, marking a 6.7 percent increase, with 16.3 million units sold in the U.S. That’s more than vinyl grew: The older format only saw a 2.4 percent growth. But that doesn’t mean that Gen Z and millennials are actually listening to their purchases. Luminate found that half of Gen Z and millennial CD buyers do not own a CD player. 

The increased popularity of CDs stems from various factors that extend beyond listening habits. On one hand, it’s an easier, and cheaper, format to collect when compared to vinyl. K-pop’s continued dominance also helped drive CD sales, with the genre accounting for nearly 10 percent of the surge. Six Korean acts, including BTS, Enhypen, Ateez, Cortis, Stray Kids, and Tomorrow x Together, appeared in the top 10 best-selling CDs in the U.S. Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl in Love, and Katseye’s SIS (Soft Is Strong) rounded out the list. 

Finally, Luminate pointed to Gen Z’s nostalgia-driven listening habits as another factor, with 60 percent saying they mostly listen to music from the 1990s or earlier, up from 18 percent in 2021.

R&B and Hip-Hop Remain the Most Popular Streaming Sounds in the U.S. — For Now

According to the report, R&B and hip-hop (considered as one genre) accounted for nearly one in four on-demand audio streams, holding their place as the most popular streaming sound in the U.S. This is a notable feat, especially as these genres continue to struggle on the Billboard charts. Last fall, the Top 40 was devoid of any rap songs for the first time since 1990, spurring several headlines about its decline, but the historic moment was in part due to a rule change that knocked Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s hit “Luther” off the Hot 100. The genres don’t have a strong hold on the Billboard albums chart, either, as Latin music and country continue to diversify the chart; Luminate’s analysis saw R&B and hip-hop drop to 30 percent of chart consumption this year, down from 41 percent in 2023 at the same time. 

While these sounds may not be as strong on the charts, they are still in everyone’s hearts. “R&B/Hip-Hop remains a massive commercial force, but its historic dominance is leveling off as the streaming landscape diversifies,” Marconette told the Associated Press.

Country Music Continues to Rise

In the U.S., country music is the fourth-largest streaming genre for the first half of 2026 with 63.8 billion on-demand audio streams, behind R&B/hip-hop, rock, and pop. The notable streaming numbers match country music’s takeover on the charts. Ella Langley continues to dominate the top of the Hot 100 with her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas,” which spent 13 consecutive weeks atop the chart. But country albums are also helping to drive streams. In the first half of 2026, country albums made up 20 percent of theBillboard 200 share, and Morgan Wallen’s 2025 LP I’m the Problem was among the top albums of the year so far. 

AI Is Becoming a Notable Presence in Music

AI is everywhere — including music. Luminate found that 54 percent of musicians in the U.S. hold positive feelings, and even acceptance, toward generative AI tools when it comes to music. That figure is much higher than non-musicians, only 35 percent of whom hold the same views towards AI. But it seems that fewer musicians are actually incorporating AI into their own music, or at least willing to admit to it, with only 18 percent of musicians reporting that they’ve used it to edit or remix existing music.

It also seems audiences aren’t exactly hating AI music, if they can even tell that’s what it is. AI-generated tracks from AI artists racked up millions of streams, with Breaking Rust’s “Livin’ on Borrowed Time” pulling 19 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S., while “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)” by Chill77, Unjaps, and Mikeeys earned up 210 million global streams. Marconette wants to temper expectations about these breakout AI-generated songs, though. “At this stage, generative tools are actively transforming creative and production workflows, but individual AI-generated tracks have yet to make a profound, long-term impact on consumption behavior,” he told the AP.