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Into The HiFi · Control Room

Industry Watch · figures as of Oct 19, 2026
On airLocal --:--:--UTC --:--:--

Meter bridge · US revenue growth

H1 2026 vs H1 2025 · scale −20% to +60%
Vinyl revenue +17.7% year over year-200+20+40+60YOY %
Vinyl+17.7%
$544M in H1 2026
CD revenue +58.6% year over year-200+20+40+60YOY %
CD+58.6%
$171M in H1 2026
Streaming revenue +4.7% year over year-200+20+40+60YOY %
Streaming+4.7%
$4.89B in H1 2026
All recorded music revenue +6.9% year over year-200+20+40+60YOY %
All recorded music+6.9%
$5.97B in H1 2026

Vinyl revenue rose +17.7% while vinyl units rose +2.4%. Buyers are spending more per record. CD units rose +16.0%, or +6.7% without K-pop.

Revenue: RIAA Mid-Year 2026 · Units: Luminate Midyear 2026

Next audio shows

Countdown to doors
Capital AudiofestRockville, MD · Nov 13–159DAYS10HRS11MIN45SECDüsseldorfer HiFi-TageDüsseldorf, Germany · Nov 28–2924DAYS04HRS11MIN45SECAudio Show DeluxeWhittlebury, UK · Mar 20–21136DAYS05HRS11MIN45SEC

Countdowns to opening time, local to each show · Shows calendar

Channel strips · where the money comes from

US recorded music revenue, H1 2026: share of the total
56.1%
Paid subscriptions
15.1%
Ad-supported streaming
10.7%
Other streaming
9.1%
Vinyl
3.9%
Sync
2.9%
CD
2.0%
Downloads

Source: RIAA Mid-Year 2026. Paid subscriptions combine premium and non-premium tiers.

The active shift

Active speakers vs separates
Traditional system
SourceDACPreampPower ampPassive speakers
Active system
Phone or computerActive speakersDAC + preamp + amp built in

Global market size, 2025 estimates

6.7× apart
SkyQuest $3.56BGMI $23.7B
$0$10B$20B$30B
Wireless · 65%9.0%/yr
Wired · 35%4.6%/yr
Separates Pressure Index2026 active speaker launches per DAC, preamp and amp launchNO SIGNAL · not enough 2026 launches yet

Market size: GMI and SkyQuest. Growth by connection: GMI. Index: our gear catalog.

Readouts · the long view

US, full year 2025 and H1 2026
US recorded music, 2025$11.5BRecord high
Streaming share of revenue82%Fifth straight year
Paid subscription accounts106.5MFull year 2025
Vinyl units, 202546.8M+9.3% · 19th year of growth
CD units, H1 202616.3M+16.0% vs H1 2025
US audio streams, H1 2026732.7B+4.8% vs H1 2025

2025: RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix) · H1 2026 streams and CD units: Luminate

Tape counter · launched in 2026

Into The HiFi gear catalog
Turntables: 0
Headphones: 0
Active speakers: 0
Amplifiers: 0
Preamps: 0
DACs and streamers: 1

Products in our catalog with a 2026 release year. Updated every few minutes.

  • ShowsNext up: Capital Audiofest, Rockville, MD, Nov 13–15
  • Launches1 new products in our catalog for 2026, led by dacs and streamers (1)
  • US musicRecorded music revenue $5.97B in H1 2026, +6.9%
  • CDCD revenue +58.6% to $171M, the fastest-growing format
  • VinylVinyl revenue +17.7% to $544M while units grew +2.4%
  • Streams732.7 billion US on-demand audio streams in H1 2026, +4.8%
  • 2025Vinyl passed $1B in US revenue in 2025 on 46.8M units
  • ActiveActive speaker market estimates for 2025 range from $3.56B to $23.7B
  • ActiveWireless active speakers hold 65% of value, forecast to grow 9% a year
  • SyncSync licensing +18.2% to $232M
Every number and its source
MetricValueChangePeriodSource
Paid subscriptions revenue$3.35B+6.4%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Ad-supported streaming revenue$900M+3.7%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Other streaming revenue$639M−2.1%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Vinyl revenue$544M+17.7%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Sync revenue$232M+18.2%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
CD revenue$171M+58.6%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Downloads revenue$121M−12.7%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Streaming revenue (total)$4.89B+4.7%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
Physical revenue (total)$732M+25.9%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
All recorded music revenue$5.97B+6.9%H1 2026 vs H1 2025RIAA Mid-Year 2026
US on-demand audio streams732.7B+4.8%H1 2026 vs H1 2025Luminate Midyear 2026
CD units16.3M+16.0%H1 2026 vs H1 2025Luminate Midyear 2026
CD units excluding K-pop+6.7%H1 2026 vs H1 2025Luminate Midyear 2026
Vinyl units+2.4%H1 2026 vs H1 2025Luminate Midyear 2026
Recorded music revenue$11.5BRecord highFull year 2025RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix)
Streaming revenue$9.5B82% shareFull year 2025RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix)
Paid subscription accounts106.5MFull year 2025RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix)
Vinyl units46.8M+9.3%Full year 2025RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix)
CD units29.5MFull year 2025RIAA year-end 2025 (via Mix)
Active speaker market (global)$23.7B7.3% a year to $48.6B (2035)2025 estimateGMI
Active speaker market (global)$3.56B8% a year to $6.6B (2033)2025 estimateSkyQuest
Wireless active speakers65% of value9% a year2025 to 2035GMI
Wired active speakers35% of value4.6% a year2025 to 2035GMI

Revenue figures are RIAA retail-value estimates for the US. Unit figures come from Luminate, a separate tracker, so revenue and unit changes are compared for direction, not precision. Research firms define the active speaker market differently and their estimates differ widely; both are shown on purpose. For a screen at a show, add ?screen=1 to this page's address.