Checked 2026-11-03 · Vinyl in numbers
US vinyl sales statistics: RIAA and Luminate
In 2025 US vinyl LP/EP shipments were worth $1,042.9m at wholesale prices (RIAA), and Luminate counted 47.9 million vinyl albums sold. Those are two different measures from two different bodies, so they sit in separate tables below and are never added together.
Every number is from the publisher's own document, opened on 2026-11-03. Where we calculated something (a share, a ratio) the row says so.
2025 at a glance
| Figure | Value | Change | Year | Measures | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl (LP/EP) revenue | $1,042.9m | +9.3% on $954.4m | 2025 | Wholesale shipment revenue | RIAA | 2026-11-03 |
| Vinyl (LP/EP) units shipped | 46.8m | +7.9% on 43.4m | 2025 | Shipments, units | RIAA | 2026-11-03 |
| Vinyl share of total physical revenue | 75.5% | computed: $1,042.9m of $1,381.0m | 2025 | Share of wholesale shipment revenue | RIAA, computed by VinylAI | 2026-11-03 |
| CD revenue | $312.4m | −7.8% on $338.9m | 2025 | Wholesale shipment revenue | RIAA | 2026-11-03 |
| Vinyl albums sold | 47.9m | +8.6%, 19th straight year | 2025 | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| CDs sold | 33.8m | no growth rate in the source text | 2025 | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| All albums sold, physical and digital | 95.8m | +2.6% on 93.4m | 2025 | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
RIAA's 46.8 million units shipped and Luminate's 47.9 million albums sold look close and are not the same thing: one counts what labels sent to shops, the other what shoppers bought. The closeness is not a reconciliation. Why the two cannot be added or compared as one measure: methodology.
Cite this table VinylAI, "US vinyl sales statistics, 2025", checked 2026-11-03, https://vinylai.app/vinyl-statistics/united-states/
RIAA: shipment revenue since 1973
RIAA reports the wholesale value of recorded music shipped to retail, net after returns. That makes it a measure of what the industry put into the market, not of what listeners bought. Its database runs from 1973, long enough to show the whole arc of the format.
In nominal dollars, 2025 was the first year above $1bn since 1983 and the highest since 1982, but inflation changes the story. In 2025 dollars the 1978 peak was $7.41bn, so the 2025 figure is 14.1% of the best year the format has had. The low point after 1980 was 2005, when vinyl LP/EP revenue was $8.6m.
Vinyl against CD
Vinyl was ahead of the CD every year until 1987, when the CD overtook it. Vinyl came back in front in 2020. In 2025 vinyl LP/EP shipped $1,042.9m against $312.4m for CDs, and vinyl was 75.5% of all physical revenue.
| Year | Vinyl LP/EP, nominal | Vinyl LP/EP, 2025 dollars | CD, nominal | Vinyl share of physical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $755.7m | $5,479.7m | $0.0m | 64.4% |
| 1978 | $1,500.1m | $7,407.1m | $0.0m | 62.4% |
| 1986 | $596.2m | $1,751.3m | $531.1m | 22.8% |
| 1990 | $52.5m | $129.2m | $1,971.0m | 1.2% |
| 2000 | $16.8m | $31.4m | $7,545.9m | 0.2% |
| 2005 | $8.6m | $14.2m | $6,007.4m | 0.1% |
| 2010 | $53.9m | $79.6m | $1,935.5m | 2.6% |
| 2015 | $209.9m | $285.1m | $844.8m | 19.1% |
| 2020 | $426.8m | $530.9m | $274.4m | 59.1% |
| 2024 | $954.4m | $979.6m | $338.9m | 72.6% |
| 2025 | $1,042.9m | $1,042.9m | $312.4m | 75.5% |
Share = vinyl LP/EP revenue divided by total physical revenue (all 12 physical formats RIAA lists, including vinyl singles, cassettes and CD singles). Computed by VinylAI from RIAA's figures. RIAA records no CD revenue before 1983, so the early CD rows read $0.0m.
All 53 years, 1973–2025
| Year | Vinyl LP/EP, nominal | Vinyl LP/EP, 2025 dollars | CD, nominal | Total physical, nominal | Vinyl share of physical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $755.7m | $5,479.7m | $0.0m | $1,174.0m | 64.4% |
| 1974 | $822.4m | $5,370.7m | $0.0m | $1,280.6m | 64.2% |
| 1975 | $900.7m | $5,389.7m | $0.0m | $1,391.3m | 64.7% |
| 1976 | $1,008.6m | $5,706.9m | $0.0m | $1,592.0m | 63.4% |
| 1977 | $1,331.4m | $7,072.9m | $0.0m | $2,041.4m | 65.2% |
| 1978 | $1,500.1m | $7,407.1m | $0.0m | $2,402.7m | 62.4% |
| 1979 | $1,247.6m | $5,532.4m | $0.0m | $2,126.9m | 58.7% |
| 1980 | $1,334.3m | $5,213.3m | $0.0m | $2,140.7m | 62.3% |
| 1981 | $1,420.3m | $5,030.2m | $0.0m | $2,308.7m | 61.5% |
| 1982 | $1,167.6m | $3,895.3m | $0.0m | $2,094.6m | 55.7% |
| 1983 | $1,024.4m | $3,311.2m | $9.8m | $2,167.5m | 47.3% |
| 1984 | $939.4m | $2,910.7m | $59.0m | $2,460.7m | 38.2% |
| 1985 | $776.6m | $2,323.7m | $222.4m | $2,467.1m | 31.5% |
| 1986 | $596.2m | $1,751.3m | $531.1m | $2,615.4m | 22.8% |
| 1987 | $481.0m | $1,363.2m | $910.0m | $3,125.6m | 15.4% |
| 1988 | $322.8m | $878.4m | $1,193.4m | $3,499.4m | 9.2% |
| 1989 | $133.6m | $346.9m | $1,477.7m | $3,677.3m | 3.6% |
| 1990 | $52.5m | $129.2m | $1,971.0m | $4,218.3m | 1.2% |
| 1991 | $17.8m | $42.1m | $2,477.0m | $4,392.4m | 0.4% |
| 1992 | $8.2m | $18.8m | $3,041.6m | $5,066.8m | 0.2% |
| 1993 | $6.4m | $14.3m | $3,718.2m | $5,657.0m | 0.1% |
| 1994 | $10.8m | $23.5m | $4,833.5m | $6,810.1m | 0.2% |
| 1995 | $15.2m | $32.2m | $5,354.8m | $6,965.5m | 0.2% |
| 1996 | $22.3m | $45.8m | $5,673.0m | $7,091.1m | 0.3% |
| 1997 | $20.2m | $40.5m | $5,661.8m | $6,924.7m | 0.3% |
| 1998 | $20.6m | $40.7m | $6,518.9m | $7,780.1m | 0.3% |
| 1999 | $19.3m | $37.3m | $7,318.5m | $8,285.1m | 0.2% |
| 2000 | $16.8m | $31.4m | $7,545.9m | $8,154.1m | 0.2% |
| 2001 | $16.6m | $30.2m | $7,371.7m | $7,835.1m | 0.2% |
| 2002 | $12.4m | $22.3m | $6,877.5m | $7,200.8m | 0.2% |
| 2003 | $13.2m | $23.0m | $6,414.3m | $6,769.5m | 0.2% |
| 2004 | $11.7m | $20.0m | $6,536.3m | $6,949.2m | 0.2% |
| 2005 | $8.6m | $14.2m | $6,007.4m | $6,401.8m | 0.1% |
| 2006 | $9.5m | $15.2m | $5,352.0m | $5,642.7m | 0.2% |
| 2007 | $13.9m | $21.6m | $4,255.5m | $4,568.2m | 0.3% |
| 2008 | $34.4m | $51.4m | $3,124.3m | $3,298.7m | 1.0% |
| 2009 | $38.7m | $58.1m | $2,466.2m | $2,633.4m | 1.5% |
| 2010 | $53.9m | $79.6m | $1,935.5m | $2,098.1m | 2.6% |
| 2011 | $72.4m | $103.6m | $1,770.6m | $1,937.1m | 3.7% |
| 2012 | $97.5m | $136.7m | $1,419.4m | $1,590.4m | 6.1% |
| 2013 | $128.5m | $177.5m | $1,251.6m | $1,438.8m | 8.9% |
| 2014 | $153.4m | $208.6m | $1,022.6m | $1,225.3m | 12.5% |
| 2015 | $209.9m | $285.1m | $844.8m | $1,097.6m | 19.1% |
| 2016 | $224.9m | $301.7m | $635.9m | $896.3m | 25.1% |
| 2017 | $245.9m | $323.0m | $574.7m | $846.1m | 29.1% |
| 2018 | $268.4m | $344.2m | $372.1m | $660.8m | 40.6% |
| 2019 | $321.6m | $404.9m | $351.8m | $693.8m | 46.3% |
| 2020 | $426.8m | $530.9m | $274.4m | $722.4m | 59.1% |
| 2021 | $679.4m | $807.2m | $337.4m | $1,036.2m | 65.6% |
| 2022 | $799.8m | $879.9m | $270.2m | $1,085.9m | 73.7% |
| 2023 | $906.2m | $957.5m | $344.6m | $1,266.5m | 71.6% |
| 2024 | $954.4m | $979.6m | $338.9m | $1,315.5m | 72.6% |
| 2025 | $1,042.9m | $1,042.9m | $312.4m | $1,381.0m | 75.5% |
Sources: RIAA U.S. Sales Database (series, read 2026-11-03) and the RIAA Year-End 2025 Revenue Report (2024 and 2025 table; the database's vinyl, CD and total-physical figures agree with it). RIAA's database is an interactive dashboard; the figures here are its underlying data. Questions about RIAA's data go to [email protected].
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<iframe src="https://vinylai.app/market/data/embed/vinyl-by-year/" width="100%" height="460" style="border:1px solid #e4dfd8;border-radius:14px;max-width:760px" title="U.S. vinyl revenue, 1973–2025 — VinylAI" loading="lazy"></iframe>Cite this section VinylAI, "US vinyl revenue by year, RIAA, 1973–2025", checked 2026-11-03, https://vinylai.app/vinyl-statistics/united-states/
Luminate: albums sold in 2025
Luminate measures sales at the point of sale, by format, and says its physical numbers include modelled independent-retail figures. These are units bought by consumers in the calendar year, so they answer "how many records did people buy", which the RIAA series does not.
| Format | Albums sold | Change on 2024 | Measures | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl albums | 47.9m | +8.6% | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| CD albums | 33.8m | — | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| All physical albums (LP, CD, cassette) | 82.2m | +6.5% on 77.2m | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| Digital albums | 16.2m | −15.9% on 13.6m | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
| All albums, physical and digital | 95.8m | +2.6% on 93.4m | Sales, units | Luminate | 2026-11-03 |
Vinyl was about 50% of all albums sold in the US in 2025 (47.9m of 95.8m, calculated from Luminate's two figures). Luminate's report gives the vinyl total as 47.9 million; its blog post on physical sales rounds the same total to 47.8 million. We use the report. The blog is the only place we found the CD total, which is why that row links to it.
Luminate's 2024 tracking year had 53 weeks. Its report compares 2025 with 2024 weeks 2–53 to line the calendars up, so the changes above are on that basis. Luminate's report gives a percentage change for vinyl and for totals; it does not state the 2024 vinyl total, so we do not print one.
Where vinyl and CDs were bought
| Channel | Vinyl | CD |
|---|---|---|
| Independent record stores | 39% | 20% |
| Mass market | 23% | 30% |
| E-commerce | 22% | 34% |
| Direct to consumer | 14% | 13% |
| Non-traditional | 1% | 2% |
| Venue | 1% | 1% |
Source: Luminate 2025 Year-End Music Report, "U.S. Physical Album Sales by Strata", FY 2025. Rows may not sum to 100% because of rounding.
The ten best-selling vinyl albums of 2025
| # | Artist | Album | Copies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Swift | The Life of a Showgirl | 1,601,000 |
| 2 | Sabrina Carpenter | Man’s Best Friend | 292,000 |
| 3 | Kendrick Lamar | GNX | 279,000 |
| 4 | Sabrina Carpenter | Short n’ Sweet | 262,000 |
| 5 | Billie Eilish | HIT ME HARD AND SOFT | 192,000 |
| 6 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | 190,000 |
| 7 | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 182,000 |
| 8 | The Weeknd | Hurry Up Tomorrow | 178,000 |
| 9 | Taylor Swift | Lover (Live From Paris) | 166,000 |
| 10 | Tyler, The Creator | IGOR | 166,000 |
Source: Luminate 2025 Year-End Music Report, "U.S. Top 10 Vinyl Albums". Only one title, Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, sold more than a million copies.
Cite this section VinylAI, "US vinyl albums sold in 2025, Luminate", checked 2026-11-03, https://vinylai.app/vinyl-statistics/united-states/
What is not on this page
- Vinyl dollar sales from Luminate. The report counts units; we did not find a vinyl revenue figure in it.
- A 2024 vinyl unit count from Luminate. Not stated in the source text, so not printed.
- Forecasts. None are published here. Anything labelled a forecast elsewhere is a model, not a count.
- Retail prices. RIAA's figures are wholesale. The price a shopper paid is higher.
Sources and where this goes next
- RIAA, U.S. Sales Database and Year-End 2025 Revenue Report. Read 2026-11-03.
- Luminate, 2025 Year-End Music Report (PDF) and its blog post on physical sales. Read 2026-11-03.
More: other countries, why shipments, sales and revenue differ, all figures as CSV, and the longer year-by-year pages on vinyl revenue and vinyl against CD.