Splice x MIDiA Sounds of 2025

Foreword

Splice is an engine powering producers across the world. With one of the largest, most sonically-diverse catalogues of sounds and samples, it provides the music that makes the music for some of the most popular artists on the planet. Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso”, produced by Julian Bunetta, is a key recent example, with a sound pack by influential producer Oliver featuring prominently.

However, stories of Splice fuelling superstar hits – of which there are many – are only one part of the equation. MIDiA Research has dug into the data behind Splice’s downloads and searches across genres in 2024 to develop a picture of how the sounds favoured by producers across the world are changing – and what that means for the year in music to come. 

This includes the rise of pluggnb – a fusion of the trap subgenre plugg with ‘90s R&B – as the fastest-growing genre by downloads in 2024, the reclamation of Brazilian phonk by producers in São Paulo, and the global breakthrough of house-meets-hip-hop hybrid Jersey club from the streets of Newark to Berlin’s Berghain. What these sounds have in common is that they demonstrate the power of clearly-defined scenes with shared values, aesthetics, and a sense of belonging that goes far beyond sound. While they may start off as underground niches, these genres are defining the future of pop, hip hop, and dance music.

The sounds trending on Splice in 2024 will shape the music released in 2025. Splice is especially helpful for understanding the next generation of sounds, as it is home to the next generation of creators. Compared to other music tools, Splice over-indexes among creators aged 16-24, according to MIDiA Research’s 2024 Music Creator Survey. That is why this year in review is less about looking back on what happened and more about providing a window into the trends that will drive popular music and global culture for the year (and years) ahead. So, grab your espresso as we jump into the sounds, cities, and superstars that will define 2025.