U.S. Recorded Music Revenue Hits $5.6B in First Half of 2025 as Paid Subscriptions Top 100 Million: RIAA

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced Tuesday that U.S. recorded euphony gross reached $5.6 cardinal crossed each formats successful the archetypal fractional of 2025, marking a humble 1% summation compared to the aforesaid play successful 2024. Streaming remained the ascendant unit successful the market, generating $4.68 cardinal and accounting for 84% of full revenue, with paid subscriptions starring the mode — increasing 6.4% to 105 cardinal accounts and contributing $3.2 billion, a 5.7% year-over-year increase.

This year, RIAA began reporting figures connected a wholesale basis, aligning with planetary standards similar IFPI’s Global Music Report. The alteration aims to amended bespeak the existent worth returned to the originative ecosystem and alteration “more accordant cross-market comparisons,” the enactment said.

Vinyl income totaled 22.1 cardinal units, down 1% from 22.3 cardinal a twelvemonth ago, and were valued astatine $457 million. Other carnal formats lagged, too, but the region betwixt them and vinyl grew. CD income plummeted 22.3% to $108.1 million, with 11.7 cardinal units sold — fractional of vinyl’s total. The different class — encompassing cassettes, CD singles, vinyl singles, DVD audio and SACD — dipped 2.9% to $11.4 million. Physical income reduced its percent of full gross to 10% from 11.4% successful the prior-year period. Vinyl represents implicit three-quarters of each carnal euphony revenue, and for the 5th consecutive year, much vinyl records were shipped than CDs.

Streaming continues to pb the U.S. manufacture successful revenue, generating $4.67 cardinal successful the archetypal fractional of 2025 — up 3.8% year-over-year and accounting for 84% of the marketplace — driven mostly by paid subscriptions, which roseate 6.3% to $2.8 cardinal with 105.3 cardinal mean subscribers, showing nary signs of churn contempt caller terms hikes from services similar Spotify.

Other streaming segments saw mixed results: limited-tier subscriptions dipped 0.4% to $262.7 million, and ad-supported on-demand streaming fell 2.9% to $875 million. Download income continued their dependable decline, present making up conscionable 3% of full revenue, with wide income down 1.4% to $138.6 cardinal — way income dropped 0.3%, integer albums fell 13.7%, and ringtone/ringback income declined 5% to $2.1 million. The “other digital” category, including kiosks and euphony video downloads, grew 41.5% to $24.1 million. Synchronization royalties besides declined, falling 7.9% to $196 million.

In a statement, RIAA chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier highlighted paid subscriptions reaching a milestone: “The fig of paid subscriptions deed a historical milestone, surpassing 100 cardinal accounts, portion revenues from each formats reached $5.6 cardinal successful the archetypal fractional of 2025 – important markers that underscore music’s enduring worth and request for quality artistry supported by grounds labels and collaborative partnerships.”

RIAA vp of probe Matt Bass said the latest figures bespeak a “stable and sustainable foundation” for the U.S. euphony industry, with American artists making up one-third of planetary streams—more than the adjacent six countries combined — and that “aligning our reporting to planetary standards allows america to archer that communicative much intelligibly than ever.”