Reference desk
U.S. Music Industry
Statistics
Key figures on the recorded-music economy, gathered in one place for writers, listeners, and people who make records.
A quick read
The business around the song is still moving.
Recorded music now travels through streaming subscriptions, physical formats, sync, and the many places a listener chooses to bring a song into their life. These figures offer a grounded snapshot of the U.S. market without flattening the art that makes the market possible.
Each number below links to its original report and names the period it covers. Revenue measures are reported exactly as their source describes them, because wholesale and retail figures are not interchangeable.
The numbers
Current figures, with the reporting period attached.
U.S. wholesale recorded-music revenue in 2025
The Recording Industry Association of America reported a record annual wholesale total for 2025.
Source: RIAA, 2025 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report, published March 16, 2026 ↗U.S. recorded-music revenue growth in the first half of 2026
The increase is measured against the first half of 2025.
Source: RIAA, 2026 Mid-Year Music Industry Revenue Report, published September 1, 2026 ↗Share of U.S. recorded-music revenue from streaming in the first half of 2026
Streaming remained the largest revenue driver in the period.
Source: RIAA, 2026 Mid-Year Music Industry Revenue Report, published September 1, 2026 ↗U.S. streaming revenue in the first half of 2026
RIAA reported this streaming total across the first six months of 2026.
Source: RIAA, 2026 Mid-Year Music Industry Revenue Report, published September 1, 2026 ↗U.S. recorded-music revenue at estimated retail value in 2024
This total rose 3% from the prior year.
Source: RIAA, 2024 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report, published April 16, 2025 ↗Paid streaming subscriptions in the United States in 2024
RIAA reported that paid streaming reached this milestone for the first time.
Source: RIAA, 2024 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report, published April 16, 2025 ↗What the figures say
More than one way to meet a listener.
The newest mid-year figures show a market still led by streaming, while physical formats and sync licensing are also growing. That matters for artists and independent teams because one release can carry different kinds of value in different rooms: a subscription stream, a record on a shelf, a placement, or a listener who comes back for the next song.
For Lysette, the record is never reduced to a number. The number is simply one trace of the places a song can travel after it leaves the studio. Explore the current music or step into the Audio & Visual Vault.
Method & sources
Made to be checked.
This page uses primary reporting from the Recording Industry Association of America. The 2025 year-end report covers U.S. wholesale revenue for calendar year 2025. The mid-year report covers the first half of 2026. The 2024 report uses estimated retail value, which is why it is shown separately.
- RIAA, 2025 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report, March 16, 2026 ↗
- RIAA, 2026 Mid-Year Music Industry Revenue Report, September 1, 2026 ↗
- RIAA, 2024 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report, April 16, 2025 ↗
Cite this page
Lysette Titi. “U.S. Music Industry Statistics.” Updated September 23, 2026. https://lysettetiti.com/music-industry-statistics