The number of paid streaming subscriptions in the US music market is now over 105 million – against a population of around 340 million – according to the latest stats from the Recording Industry Association Of America. Subscriber numbers reached 100 million in the latter part of 2024, with a decent number of new sign ups continuing throughout the first half of 2025.
In terms of revenue, paid-for streaming – including full-on premium subscriptions as well as paid-for services with limited catalogue or functionality – generated $3.2 billion for the record industry from January to June, a 5.7% year-on-year increase.
“The number of paid subscriptions hit a historic milestone, surpassing 100 million accounts”, RIAA CEO Mitch Glazier declares alongside his organisation’s latest stats release.
Meanwhile, “revenues from all formats reached $5.6 billion in the first half of 2025 – important markers that underscore music’s enduring value and demand for human artistry supported by record labels and collaborative partnerships”.
On top of revenues from paid-for subscriptions, artists and labels also receive income from the ad-funded free tiers of streaming services like Spotify and the use of music on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, plus there’s the money that flows in from online radio services via the collecting society SoundExchange.
Although those all generate less income than the paid-for services, when all streaming is combined, total revenues in the first half of the year were $4.7 billion, a 2.3% increase year-on-year.
Streaming revenue continues to dominate in the US market, accounting for 84% of total income, with physical discs bringing in 10% of the money, and sync and downloads 3% each.
Physical sales dipped in the first half of the year, with vinyl revenues down 1% and CD revenues down a sizable 22.3%, so that physical revenues at large slipped 5.9%. Vinyl now significantly outsells CD, with vinyl shifting nearly twice as many units and generating more than four times the revenue. Total vinyl revenues for January to June were $456.9 million, while CD revenues were $108.1 million.
With physical, downloads and sync all seeing slight declines so far this year, that total $5.6 billion of recorded music revenues cited by Glazier was just 0.9% higher that total revenues in the first half of 2024.
