U.S. recorded music revenue hit $6 billion in the first half of 2026, up 6.9% from the same period in 2025, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s mid-year report released Tuesday. Every major revenue category rose year over year.
Streaming remained the industry’s core engine, climbing 4.7% to $4.9 billion and accounting for 82% of total U.S. recorded-music income. Vinyl revenue jumped 17.7% to $554 million. Compact discs posted the sharpest percentage gain of any format, soaring 58.6% to $171 million. Synchronization licensing rose 18.2% to $232 million.
Overall download revenue dropped 12.7%. Single-track downloads fell 13% in units and 13.7% in value, generating $49 million. Album downloads slipped 2.5% in units and 3% in revenue, to $53 million from $55 million in the first half of 2025. Ringtones fell 21.2%, from $2 million to $1.6 million.
Luminate’s separate mid-year consumption report showed a parallel physical rebound at retail. U.S. CD sales rose 16% to 16.3 million units in the first half of 2026, outpacing vinyl’s unit growth of 2.4%. Vinyl still sold more copies overall, but CDs grew faster for the first time in years, helped in part by K-pop collectible editions and younger buyers treating discs as affordable merchandise as well as music. RIAA chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said the mixed-format growth reflects closer ties among labels, artists, fans, and platforms.
“As U.S. music revenues continue to grow across formats, labels are strengthening connections between artists, fans and the platforms delivering creative work,” he said. “That partnership is driving engagement in new and expanding ways to create opportunities that will lift up the entire music community for years to come.”
Matt Bass, RIAA vice president of research, framed the $6 billion half-year total as evidence of a broader, healthier market. “The power of music, amplified from earbuds to basement listening parties to World Cup playlists across the U.S., is reflected not only in its cultural significance but also in the $6 billion revenue documented in RIAA’s Mid-Year Recorded Music Revenue Report,” Bass said.
“These results point to a healthy, diversified marketplace supporting continued investment in artist and new ways for audiences to experience music.”
The mid-year figures follow a record $11.5 billion wholesale year for the U.S. industry in 2025 and keep streaming’s share near the 82% level that has defined the market for several years running. Physical formats and licensing added the extra lift that pushed first-half growth above last year’s pace, even as permanent downloads kept shrinking.