The Polish music market has continued to grow dynamically and, by 2026, follows the main global trends in the recorded music sector, especially the dominance of streaming, the growth of digital distribution and the increasing role of online platforms in promotion and audience development. According to ZPAV, the Polish recorded music market reached nearly PLN 971 million in 2025, growing by 14.2% year on year and moving Poland to 16th place in the global IFPI ranking.
The characteristics of the music market in Poland are similar to those of other countries in the world. The following trends can be observed in both Poland and the rest of the world:
- Continued growth in the value of the recorded music market, driven mainly by streaming and digital consumption;
- An increase of the share of independent record labels in the phonographic market;
- Dominant importance of streaming platforms, social media and online distribution in music promotion, audience development and monetisation;
- An increase in the concert market share in artists revenues.
The continued importance of live performance, festivals and concerts in artists’ income, although rising production costs and audience segmentation remain important challenges.
The Polish music market distinguishes itself from the world market in the following ways:
- A still visible role of physical formats, especially vinyl and collector editions, although streaming is now the main driver of market growth;
- Great importance of radio and reaching its listeners, which does not change despite the growing importance of streaming platforms and the Internet;
- The continued specific role of local popular genres, including disco polo, although the strongest commercial growth is linked to streaming-oriented genres, especially hip hop, pop and urban music;
- Polish artists are definitely more popular than foreign ones. This difference is especially pronounced in the case of hip hop.
Institutional support for the music market in Poland
- Institutional support provided to musicians of a diverse nature and manifested in the activities of public entities (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, public institutes), market entities (media) and nongovernmental entities (associations, foundations, copyright management associations);
- There are two main paths of providing support – direct (programmes, scholarships, competitions, awards) and indirect (promotion, popularization);
- Among public institutions, the main supporting entities are: the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, institutions supervised by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage that deal with music, such as the Institute of Music and Dance, National Institute of Music and Dance, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as well as municipal and provincial governments.
- In 2026, the Ministry continued to support the music sector through programmes such as “Muzyka”, “Muzyczny ślad” and “Zamówienia kompozytorskie”. The “Muzyka 2026” programme supported 194 projects with more than PLN 31.1 million, while “Muzyczny ślad” supported non-commercial music recordings, sheet music publications and music-related scholarly and popular publications.
- Supporting entities from the non-governmental sector are mainly associations and foundations, e.g. the Meakultura Foundation, the Association of Polish Musicians, the Polish Music Foundation, the Association of Independent Polish Phonography, and trade and collective management unions (eg ZAIKS, ZPAV, STOART, SAWP). There are also cooperation networks that most often associate with other smaller entities from the nongovernmental sector, such as the Music Export Poland Foundation, the Alliance of Independent Music Producers, and the Polish Music Council.
Recent debates in the music sector increasingly concern fair remuneration from streaming, copyright reform, artificial intelligence, export potential, international mobility and the social security of artists and performers.
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