Music industry earned a record $11.5 billion in the U.S. last year, helped by vinyl and Taylor Swift

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Last year, the U.S. music industry hit $11.5 billion in sales, thanks to the ongoing popularity of vinyl and the continued success of artists like Taylor Swift.

In 2025, Americans spent over a billion dollars on vinyl records, a rise of more than 9% compared to the previous year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Vinyl record sales in the U.S. account for almost half of all global sales, making the country the leading market for physical music. This marks the first time vinyl has generated over $1 billion in revenue since 1983.

According to a new report, the music industry is thriving thanks to dedicated investment from record labels and artists exploring new creative avenues. “Fans are enjoying music in more ways than ever, and this report shows a strong, healthy music economy,” says Matt Bass, RIAA’s head of research.

Hollywood Inc.

It’s common for artists and streamers to disagree about how much money artists should receive from streaming. Spotify claims it currently pays artists more than any other music service. Here’s an explanation of how they do that.

While vinyl record sales are increasing in popularity, most people in the U.S. still listen to music through streaming services. Streaming accounted for over 80% of all music revenue, and subscriptions to services like Spotify and Apple Music brought in around $6.4 billion.

More than half of all music sales in the U.S. now come from streaming services. The U.S. also has the biggest market for paid music subscriptions worldwide.

Taylor Swift was a major driver of streaming revenue growth, launching her twelfth album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” in 2025 to record-breaking sales. It became the biggest album debut ever, surpassing Adele’s “25,” which previously sold almost 3.5 million copies in its first week.

Taylor Swift’s new album sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. during its first week. The 12 songs on the album, titled “Showgirl,” were streamed 681 million times, according to Billboard. This makes it the fourth-highest streaming week ever, following Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” and Drake’s “Scorpion” and “Certified Lover Boy.”

Hollywood Inc.

I’ve noticed something really interesting lately – even though everyone’s streaming movies and shows now, a lot of people my age are actually going back to things like DVDs and Blu-rays! It seems like Gen Z is rediscovering the appeal of owning physical copies instead of just relying on streaming services.

According to RIAA Chairman Mitch Glazier, music is still incredibly important to American culture and a major economic force, adding $212 billion to the U.S. economy and providing jobs for over 2.5 million Americans.

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2026-03-16 23:31