diff --git a/core/listening_stats_worker.py b/core/listening_stats_worker.py
index e2445aac..4010759b 100644
--- a/core/listening_stats_worker.py
+++ b/core/listening_stats_worker.py
@@ -291,6 +291,13 @@ class ListeningStatsWorker:
         if not (top_artists or top_albums or top_tracks):
             return
 
+        # Normalize image URLs HERE, at cache-build time, not on every /api/stats/cached
+        # read. normalize_image_url registers each URL in the image cache (a SQLite write
+        # under a lock) — doing that per-request made the "instant" stats endpoint take ~20s
+        # on HDD-backed installs (#935). Done once per background rebuild it's off the hot path,
+        # and the read just returns the already-browser-safe URLs.
+        from core.metadata import normalize_image_url as _fix_image
+
         conn = None
         try:
             conn = self.db._get_connection()
@@ -324,7 +331,7 @@ class ListeningStatsWorker:
                     key = (artist.get('name') or '').lower()
                     r = artist_rows.get(key)
                     if r:
-                        artist['image_url'] = r[1] or None
+                        artist['image_url'] = _fix_image(r[1]) or None
                         artist['id'] = r[2]
                         artist['global_listeners'] = r[3]
                         artist['global_playcount'] = r[4]
@@ -356,7 +363,7 @@ class ListeningStatsWorker:
                     key = (album.get('name') or '').lower()
                     r = album_rows.get(key)
                     if r:
-                        album['image_url'] = r[1] or None
+                        album['image_url'] = _fix_image(r[1]) or None
                         album['id'] = r[2]
                         album['artist_id'] = r[3]
 
@@ -395,7 +402,7 @@ class ListeningStatsWorker:
                            (track.get('artist') or '').lower())
                     r = track_rows.get(key)
                     if r:
-                        track['image_url'] = r[2] or None
+                        track['image_url'] = _fix_image(r[2]) or None
                         track['id'] = r[3]
                         track['artist_id'] = r[4]
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/tests/test_listening_stats_batch_queries.py b/tests/test_listening_stats_batch_queries.py
index ea79b4be..09c810c0 100644
--- a/tests/test_listening_stats_batch_queries.py
+++ b/tests/test_listening_stats_batch_queries.py
@@ -218,13 +218,44 @@ class TestEnrichStatsItems:
 
         album_by_name = {a["name"]: a for a in cache["top_albums"]}
         assert album_by_name["First Album"]["id"] == "al1"
-        assert album_by_name["First Album"]["image_url"] == "http://img/al1.jpg"
+        # image_url is normalized at build time now (#935) — it's enriched (truthy);
+        # exact form depends on the image-cache config, so don't pin the raw value.
+        assert album_by_name["First Album"]["image_url"]
 
         track_by_name = {t["name"]: t for t in cache["top_tracks"]}
         assert track_by_name["Alpha"]["id"] == "t1"
         assert track_by_name["Bravo"]["id"] == "t2"
         assert track_by_name["Alpha"]["artist_id"] == "a1"
 
+    def test_image_urls_normalized_at_build_time(self, db, worker, monkeypatch):
+        """#935: image URLs are run through the fixer HERE, at cache-build time, so the
+        /api/stats/cached read does zero per-image image-cache writes on the hot path
+        (those writes were the ~20s stats hang on HDD-backed installs). Deterministic
+        via a stub fixer so it doesn't depend on the real image-cache config."""
+        _insert_track(db, "t1", "Alpha", "a1", "Band One", "al1", "First Album")
+
+        seen = []
+
+        def _fake_fix(url):
+            seen.append(url)
+            return f"/api/image-cache/fixed::{url}"
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr("core.metadata.normalize_image_url", _fake_fix)
+
+        cache = {
+            "top_artists": [{"name": "Band One"}],
+            "top_albums": [{"name": "First Album"}],
+            "top_tracks": [{"name": "Alpha", "artist": "Band One"}],
+        }
+        worker._enrich_stats_items(cache)
+
+        # every section's raw thumb_url was passed through the fixer, and the cached
+        # value is the fixed (browser-safe) url — so the read path has nothing to do.
+        assert cache["top_albums"][0]["image_url"] == "/api/image-cache/fixed::http://img/al1.jpg"
+        assert cache["top_artists"][0]["image_url"].startswith("/api/image-cache/fixed::")
+        assert cache["top_tracks"][0]["image_url"].startswith("/api/image-cache/fixed::")
+        assert any("al1" in str(s) for s in seen)
+
     def test_unknown_entries_left_untouched(self, db, worker):
         _insert_track(db, "t1", "Real", "a1", "Real Band", "al1", "Real Album")