Revenue from vinyl sales grows by almost 14%

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has reported that revenue from vinyl sales has grown by almost 14% globally.

According to IFPI's Global Music Report 2026, recorded music revenues grew 6.4% around the world, reaching an all-time high of $31.7 billion (€27.5 billion) in 2025. That is the 11th consecutive year of growth.

Last year, earnings from physical formats grew by 8%, with vinyl rising 13.7%. This was the 19th year in a row that vinyl sales have grown.

Managing Director at Proper Music Distribution in the UK, Drew Hill, said that the figures were a "reminder that physical music continues to defy expectations", and that they "provide something streaming struggles to replicate: a tangible connection with fans".

"In almost every major territory, vinyl grew in both units and value last year - now nearly two decades into its revival," said Hill.

According to Official Charts, the best-selling vinyl of 2025 in the UK was Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, followed by Sam Fender's People Watching and Oasis' (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, which placed second and third. Fontaines D.C.'s Romance placed eighth.

IFPI's Global Music Report also found that total streaming revenues surpassed $22 billion (€19.1 billion), accounting for 69.6% of global recorded music income.

Accounting for 52.4% of total revenues, paid subscription streaming grew 8.8%, with there now being 837 million users of paid streaming subscription accounts worldwide.

Streaming earnings vary widely, depending on the platform, listener location, and whether the listener has a paid streaming subscription account. For example, artists earn, on Spotify, approximately €0.003 to €0.005 per stream.

Contrary to streaming, the sales of physical forms of music, such as CDs and vinyl, have a much higher revenue margin, averaging at €7 to €13 per album sold, for independent artists.

Elsewhere, the report said that AI presented an opportunity for driving innovation and finding new opportunities for artists.

IFPI also warned that the music industry was facing a threat from streaming fraud and that it needed strong industry-wide action.

"Great music from incredible artists, aided by record company partnerships and investment, is driving global growth - with more people than ever before paying to engage with it on paid streaming services worldwide," said Chief Executive of the IFPI Victoria Oakley.

"Importantly, this growth means even greater financial returns for artists and reinvestment into an increasingly broad range of music communities worldwide.

"The entire music community must take action to tackle the threats facing our industry.

"Streaming fraud is theft, plain and simple. The organisations with the data, scale, and leverage to prevent this fraudulent activity, including streaming services, content aggregators, and distributors, must take decisive action."

You can access IFPI's Global Music Report 2026 here.