Music Trends 2025: Future Insights from LANDR Samples
With 2024 in the books, it’s clear that it was a year full of changes in music trends and tastes. The year marked a handful of breakthroughs for top artists and some major shifts in attitudes and production styles.
Whether it was Charli XCX bringing the UK’s underground electronic scene into the spotlight, or Beyonce taking modern country music into the stratosphere, we expect many trends to persist well into 2025.
That’s why we looked at how producers used LANDR Samples in 2024.
With our growing count of subscribers, we can see exactly what kinds of samples producers are looking for and what genres are growing in popularity.
It’s also why we’ve compiled the Top 100 Samples from 2024 into a sample pack—that way any producer can grab the hottest sounds and form an idea of what producers are looking for right now.
So if you’re curious what genres, sounds and styles of music production will be popular this year we’ve put together a handful of insights pulled directly from our database.
Let’s dive in!
What LANDR Samples’ user data says in a nutshell
Looking at how music producers are actively using LANDR Samples can tell us a lot about current and upcoming trends in what’s happening right now in music.
Here’s what was hot last year on LANDR Samples.
Who are producers looking to for inspiration?
LANDR Samples’ powerful search tools simplify the process of finding sounds that are similar to an artist you love.
Search for an artist on LANDR Samples and you’ll find tons of samples made in the same style.
It’s a powerful tool for making type beats or finding inspiration from a particular artist.
Here’s the top artists searched for on LANDR Samples this year. Spoiler alert, Kendrick beat Drake here too.
Top artists searched on LANDR Samples:
- Kendrick Lamar
- Travis Scott
- Drake
- Kanye West
- 808 Mafia
Except for 808 Mafia, the top five come as no surprise, but check out this word cloud compiling all of the artists LANDR Samples users searched for over the year.
The top searched artists of the year contain a lot of hip-hop mainstays but some interesting outliers also showed up.
Clearly, a lot of producers like to search for hip-hop artists, but there’s plenty of interest in samples similar to non-hip-hop artists like Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, Daft Punk and others.
One thing is certain, LANDR Samples’ search function is a powerful way to find samples that are close in sound and style to the world’s biggest artists.
Give it a try and see for yourself!
The top-searched genres of 2024
Not surprisingly, producers are looking for the genres at the top of the charts—genres like trap, R&B, house and techno.
Check out this word cloud of genres that were searched for most this year.
Trap producers love using LANDR Samples, but it's interesting to see niche genres of electronic music like Tech House, Ambient, Drum & Bass and Afrobeats also making waves.
Despite the obvious top contenders there were some interesting newcomers like drum and bass, reggaeton, phonk and Afrobeats to LANDR’s most searched genres.
We were curious about what genres grew the most in popularity over the year, so we dove into the numbers, here’s what we found.
This chart shows the top genres in terms of growth over 2024. African electronic music genres led the charge with a massive 700% increase.
African electronic music-inspired samples found a wave of new interest while a handful of newcomers broke out the dance music music category.
But to understand the reasons behind these growth trends and glean a bit of insight into where music is headed in 2025 you need to look at what’s happening right now in the cultural moment.
Here’s why we think these genres grew so much last year and why the top genres are in their rightful position.
1. Afro house, amapiano and afrobeats explosion
When it comes to the most popular new genre of samples downloaded from LANDR Samples, African music reigned supreme.
This year saw an eightfold increase in samples downloaded from genres like afro house, amapiano and afrobeats.
It makes sense when you look at new artists who charted in the Top 40 this year.
Last year South Africa's Tyla broke into the mainstream charts with her track "Water".
Tyla’s Afrobeats-tinged track “Water” made it into Spotify’s top tracks for 2024 and tracks from Nigeria’s Asake and Travis Scott made waves in the top charts over the year.
Nigerian artist Asake collaborated with Travis Scott on the bouncy and fun track "Active".
Sure, the entire composition of Top 40 songs is a mix of genres, but it’s a relatively new development to see Nigerian and South African influences permeating the North American mainstream.
And it’s why producers are taking note, gravitating towards the new sound to stand out.
So if you’re looking to make modern pop music this year, consider diving into Afro house and Afrobeats-inspired samples to fill out your inspiration folder.
2. Reggaeton, meet trap and pop
Trap has been a mainstay in the music scene ever since its rise in the early 2010s.
But many producers have been exploring its limits by combining the production style with other genres. Our data reflects the trend, showing a 400% increase in overall downloads of the genre.
The Weeknd and Anitta collaborating on "Sao Paulo" is a great example of how reggaeton hit the pop charts in 2024.
So, with reggaeton growing to mainstream prominence after smash hits like Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” and Bad Bunny becoming an A-list music talent, it’s no surprise to see trap artists’ sound leaning into a clear reggaeton influence.
It makes sense — both genres have a hard-hitting sound that combines well with pop vocals and modern rap cadences, not to mention the potential for crossover into bigger audiences from global music markets.
Artists like Bad Bunny, Anitta, and Feid have been drivers of this trend with hip-hop and R&B artists like Travis Scott and The Weeknd regularly featuring on their tracks.
Without a doubt, reggaeton-influenced “Latin trap” music will be a mainstay in 2025 with many producers from both genres looking for creative ways to fuse the two.
3. Trap choirs
Aside from the numbers, an anecdotal find on LANDR’s Top 100 Samples of 2024 was the sheer count of choir samples that were branded as melodic inspiration for trap producers.
Out of the 100 samples on the list, at least 15 were recordings (whether real or synthesized) of choirs.
It’s interesting considering that choir samples were used heavily in the early days of hip-hop, with tracks like Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” and Kanye West regularly using choir samples in his music.
Choirs add a mystical, epic and sometimes foreboding aesthetic to a hip-hop track that certainly complements the intense nature of many trap songs.
And of course, synthesizing or recording a choir sample isn’t exactly easy, so it makes sense that trap producers seek out choir samples rather than going through the trouble of hiring and recording a choir in a large studio.
Luckily, royalty-free sample marketplaces have a wide variety of choir samples that any producer can pick up, modify and arrange into their tracks.
4. UK garage and jungle go mainstream
The UK has long been home to a thriving electronic club music scene, but for much of the last decade the genre has remained underground staying well away from the mainstream pop lists.
That changed in 2024 with the smash success of Brat, the new album from Charli XCX.
While much of Brat references underground music from the The UK, Club Classics serves as very clear example.
Much of the production on the record leaned heavily influences from UK garage, hyperpop and even jungle—all of which originated in UK dance and club music scenes.
Beyond Charli XCX, electronic music genres like house, techno, jungle and garage have all grown into mainstream prominence, with plenty of music in the Top 40s drawing clearly from their influence.
The growing popularity of these underground genres translated into a 200-300% surge in downloads from producers looking for garage, downtempo and minimal dance music samples.
So, keep an eye out for obscure sounding samples from underground electronic labels, if you’re looking to make electronic music in 2025.
5. Country is king
Country music has long been one of the biggest music genres in the music industry, but it hasn’t necessarily held the top spot in the top 40 charts until recently.
With Beyonce “going country” and Shaboozy re-purposing hip-hop lyrics in his twangy, cowboy-friendly track “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, modern country is now solidly part of the mainstream music trend.
Post Malone also really leaned into that modern country sound in 2024.
Hip-hop and country music have always flirted with each other, but this year was the first time the cross over really struck a chord.
The country trend of course crossed over inside music production circles with country-themed samples on LANDR Samples growing at a 150% pace year over year.
So, expect to see more crossover between country, hip-hop and R&B over the next year.
6. Indie is cool again
Indie lost a bit of its sheen in years past but in 2024 it bounced back into the spotlight, specifically with a resurgence in indie electronica and indie rock.
The Dare re-ignited a wave of interest in late 2000s indie electronic dance music with his record What’s Wrong with New York?.
The Dare's new album evoked the sound and aesthetic pioneered by LCD Soundsystem and others from the early aughts.
While young newcomers to the indie rock circuit like MJ Lenderman and Mk.gee made waves with their expressive, sensitive shoegaze-indie rock sounds.
The music trend translated among LANDR Samples’ users as well with a 250% spike in indie rock adjacent sample downloads.
No doubt, we’ll hear more and more shoegaze and indie rock in the coming year as the younger generation discovers and draws inspiration from the wealth of great indie rock music from decades past.
Make your music in 2025
As we wave goodbye to a transformative 2024 and gear up for another exciting year in music, it’s clear from LANDR Samples’ Top 100 that we’re standing at the crossroads of innovation and tradition in the music world.
Whether it’s the pulsing beats of Afro house, the soulful harmonies of choir-infused trap, or the genre-bending twists of reggaeton meeting pop, each trend is a mosaic of global influences reshaping the soundscape of today.
The story these samples tell is one of bold experimentation and cultural fusion. Artists and producers are not just following trends, they are creating them using tools like LANDR to weave diverse musical threads into fresh sonic tapestries.
With the rise of genres like UK garage and jungle in mainstream music, and the resurgence of indie rock, we’re reminded that what’s old can be new again, revitalized by modern hands.
Looking to 2025, it’s clear that the lines between genres will blur even further, inviting anyone with a passion for music to explore, create, and innovate.
Whether you’re crafting the next chart-topper or carving out your niche in a local scene, remember that the key to making great music lies in authenticity and a willingness to experiment. Dive into these trends, find the right sounds, and maybe find your music echoed in the next Top 100.
So, grab those samples, fire up your DAW, and let’s make 2025 another year to remember in music. With LANDR’s ever-evolving toolkit at your fingertips, who knows? The next big trend could start with you.
Alex Lavoie is a drummer, music producer, songwriter and marketing professional living in Montreal, Quebec. He works as a staff writer at LANDR by day and writes indie post-punk tunes in his band UTILS while moonlighting as drummer for folk-rock outfit The Painters. Connect with Alex Lavoie on LANDR Network!
@Alex LavoieGear guides, tips, tutorials, inspiration and more—delivered weekly.
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