Movies of War

Mar 16, 2026 8:37am PT Led by Taylor Swift, U.S. Vinyl Sales Reached $1 Billion for First Time Since 1983 as Recorded Music Revenue Hit New High in 2025 By Jem Aswad Plus Icon Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music jemaswad Latest Music Industry Moves: Brad Paisley Joins New Firm Domain Artist Management, Rico Nasty Signs With UTA, Concord Acquires Ninja Tune Label and Publishing 3 days ago Jack Harlow Finds a Soulful New Lane on the ‘Voodoo’-Channeling ‘Monica’: Album Review 3 days ago James Blake on His New Album ‘Trying Times,’ the ‘Sinners’ Soundtrack and Being a Fully DIY Artist 3 days ago See All Courtesy TAS Rights Management The U.S. recorded-music industry reached a record high of $11.5 billion in revenue in 2025, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s year-end revenue report, with premium paid streaming subscription revenues growing 6.8% to $5.88 billion and vinyl sales growing for a 19th consecutive year, passing $1 billion in sales for the first time since 1983. Vinyl sales climbed 7.9%, to 46.8 million from 43.4 million in 2024, with revenue climbing to $1,042.9 billion from $954.4 million, according to the RIAA’s report, which was released early Monday. This is due in no small part to Taylor Swift’s ongoing emphasis on vinyl sales — her 2025 album “Life of a Showgirl” sold around 1.6 million units on vinyl alone, one of many high-selling titles in her catalog: next up was her “Lover (Live From Paris)” set, which racked up 166,000 units, ninth for the year, according to Luminate. Variety’s 2025 Hitmaker of the Year Sabrina Carpenter’s two most recent albums, “Man’s Best Friend” and “Short n’ Sweet,” sold nearly 600,000 vinyl units last year. Popular on Variety Related Stories Razzie Awards 2026 Winners: Ice Cube Named Worst Actor as 'War of the Worlds' Dominates With Five Dishonors The U.S. sells more than half of the world’s vinyl on a revenue basis, and it remains the world’s largest market for paid streaming subscriptions, comprising a third of the world’s value in the category. “Fans are consuming music from the artists they love in more ways than ever, and that passion is reflected in today’s report,” says RIAA VP of research Matt Bass. “U.S. recorded music has demonstrated sustained growth globally, reaching $6.4 billion alone in paid subscriptions and tallying 50% of global vinyl revenue, leading the way for fans to listen and connect with their favorite music whenever, wherever and however they want.” RIAA chairman-CEO Mitch Glazier added, “Through it all, music remains a cornerstone of culture and a growing economic powerhouse for the U.S., contributing $212 billion to our GDP and supporting more than 2.5 million American jobs.” Other highlights in the report include overall streaming revenues growing to $9.5 billion, representing 82% of total U.S. revenue, while paid streaming grew to 106.5 million accounts, with associated revenues reaching $6.4 billion, or 55.3% of total U.S. revenue. Vinyl also continued to lead physical formats in 2025, adding more than three times the revenue of CDs. Other details can be found in the infographic below. Jump to Comments ‘Marshals’ Renewed for Season 2 at CBS After ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff Premieres With 20.6 Million Viewers ‘The Madison’ Trailer: Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Star in Gorgeous Family Drama From ‘Yellowstone’ Creator ‘The Madison’ Teaser: Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Search for Peace in Montana in Taylor Sheridan’s Latest ‘Yellowstone’ Offshoot ‘Marshals’ Premiere Shocker: [SPOILER]’s Sudden Death Kicks Off ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff With a Twist ‘The Madison’ First Look: Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’-Verse Series With Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell Sets March Release Date Country Singer Riley Green Joins ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff ‘Marshals’ (EXCLUSIVE) JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...