In 2025, U.S. vinyl sales surpassed $1 billion in revenue for the first time since 1983. The boost came in no small part from Taylor Swift, which makes it a real shame the notable year here wasn’t 1989. The musician’s latest release, The Life of a Showgirl, accounts for 1.6 million vinyl units sold last year, the highest of any release by over 1.3 million units, according to Luminate as Variety reports.
Swift sold eight distinct versions of the Life of a Showgirl vinyl. There was the The Life of a Showgirl: The Crowd Is Your King edition, the Shiny Bug edition, the Show Business edition, the Tiny Bubbles in Champagne edition, and more pressed on varying transparent, shimmering, marbled, and sparkling vinyl.
According to the RIAA’s year-end report released Wednesday, vinyl sales, in units, increased from 43.4 million in 2024 to 46.8 million in 2025. The 7.9 percent increase accompanies a 9.3 percent revenue increase from $954.4 million to $1,042.9 billion. Besides Swift, the year’s top vinyl sellers were Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, the Weeknd, and Tyler, the Creator.
As vinyl numbers rose, CD sales and revenue saw a decrease of 11.6 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively. Elsewhere, paid streaming subscriptions are up 6.5 percent from 100 million accounts in 2024 to 106.5 million accounts in 2025 for a revenue increase of 6.8 percent, jumping from $5,506.5 billion to $5,881.1 billion.
The RIAA reports a record high year-end total revenue of $11.5 billion. The number is up 3.1 percent from the previous year.
“Fans are consuming music from the artists they love in more ways than ever, and that passion is reflected in today’s report,” Matt Bass, RIAA VP Research and Gold & Platinum Operation, said in a statement. “U.S. recorded music has demonstrated sustained growth globally, reaching $6.4 billion alone in paid subscriptions and tallying 50% of global vinyl revenue, leading the way for fans to listen and connect with their favorite music whenever, wherever and however they want.”
