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For the first time in the 21st century, sales of new vinyl records exceeded $1 billion in value in the United States ($1.04 billion) in 2025, marking the 19th consecutive year of growth in sales (+9.3% in value).
Even so, they did not surpass the all-time sales value record, which peaked in 1978 at $1.5 billion (without adjusting for inflation).
A total of 48.5 million records were sold. The top 10 included:
Two older reissued albums also made the top 10:
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According to a global 2023 survey, people buy vinyl records mainly to build a collection (24%).
The choice of vinyl is also linked to wanting a physical copy of the music (22%), enjoying the experience of listening to music on vinyl (19%), and appreciating the records themselves as decorative and aesthetic objects (19%).
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However, vinyl accounts for less than 10% of sales in the U.S. music industry, which generated more than $11.5 billion in revenue last year.
The largest share came from streaming, which brought in $9.5 billion in revenue in 2025.
Other physical formats also contributed to revenues. In 2025, 29.5 million CDs were sold, worth $312.4 million, along with 2.18 million units of “other” formats (such as cassettes), worth $25.8 million.
(fyiteam)
Outside the United States, vinyl is also performing strongly worldwide.
It was the main reason global revenue from physical music formats grew faster than any other format (+8% annually), reaching $5.3 billion.
Specifically, vinyl revenue increased by 13.7% year over year, while CD revenue also rose by 3.7%.
(fyiteam)
Global music revenues reached a record $31.7 billion, marking growth for the 11th consecutive year.
Of that total, 69.6% came from streaming (+7.7% annual growth), 16.6% from physical formats, and 2.5% from downloads and other digital formats.
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Because today is Record Store Day!
The day was established in 2007 by independent record stores in the United States, with the aim of promoting vinyl culture. It is celebrated every third Saturday of April.
Each year, record labels, stores, and artists prepare exclusive releases dedicated to the occasion, creating new collectible products.
The first celebration, in 2008, was accompanied by 10 special releases from artists such as Death Cab for Cutie and R.E.M.
