News and Notes on 2015 RIAA Shipment and Revenue Statistics
Joshua P. Friedlander
Senior Vice President, Strategic Data Analysis, RIAA
The U.S. recorded music industry continued its transition
to more digital and more diverse revenue streams in
2015. Overall revenues in 2015 were up 0.9% to $7.0
billion at estimated retail value. The continued growth
of revenues from streaming services offset declines in
sales of digital downloads and physical product. And at
wholesale value, the market was up 0.8% to $4.95 billion
– the fifth consecutive year that the market has grown at
wholesale value.

Figure 2

US Revenues 2015
Source: RIAA

Synch
2.9%
Physical
28.8%

Digital
Download
34.0%

2015 was a milestone year for streaming music. For the
first time, streaming was the largest component of
industry revenues, comprising 34.3% of the market, just
slightly higher than digital downloads.

Streaming
34.3%

Figure 1

Proportion of Total US Music
Revenues From Streaming
Source: RIAA

34%
27%

All parts of the streaming music market grew in 2015,
and total streaming revenues exceeded $2 billion for the
first time ever. Combining all categories of streaming
music (subscription, ad-supported on-demand, and
SoundExchange distributions), revenues grew 29% to
$2.4 billion.
Figure 3

21%

US Streaming Music Revenues
Source: RIAA

15%

2010

9%

2011

2014

2015

$1,219

2012

2013

2014

2015

The streaming category includes revenues from
subscription services (such as paid versions of Spotify,
TIDAL, and Apple Music, among others), streaming radio
service revenues that are distributed by SoundExchange
(like Pandora, SiriusXM, and other Internet radio), and
other non-subscription on-demand streaming services
(such as YouTube, Vevo, and ad-supported Spotify).

$ Millions

7%

2013

$800
$639

$773 $803
$590
$385
$295
$220

Paid Subscription SoundExchange On-Demand AdDistributions
Supported
Paid subscription services were the biggest – and fastest
growing – portion of the streaming market. The launch
of new services like TIDAL and Apple Music made this
one of the most watched and talked about spaces in the
industry. In 2015, revenues from paid subscriptions

 Figure 4

Paid Subscriptions
(US, Annual Average)
Source: RIAA

Figure 5

US Digital Music Revenues
Source: RIAA

$Millions

grew 52% to $1.2 billion. At the same time, the number
of paid subscriptions grew 40% to an average of 10.8
million for the full year.

$4,370
$98
$1,450

$4,510
$66
$1,868

Ringtones &
Ringbacks

Permanent
Downloads

3.4

2014

$2,407

Streaming

$2,823

$2,575

$2,328

2013

2014

2015

6.2

2013

$55

10.8

7.7

2012

$4,789

2015

SoundExchange distributions grew 4% to $803 million,
and on-demand ad-supported streaming grew 31% y-o-y
to $385 million.
Digital accounted for 70% of the overall market by value,
compared with 67% in 2014 (note Synchronization
excluded from this figure). Even though digital download
revenues (including digital tracks and albums) declined
10% to $2.3 billion, the total value of digitally distributed
formats was up 6% to $4.8 billion, compared to $4.5
billion in 2014.

Total value of shipments in physical formats was $2.0
billion, down 10% versus the prior year. Vinyl LPs were
up 32% by value, and at $416 million were at their
highest level since 1988. Synchronization royalties were
$203 million, up 7% versus the prior year.
Overall, the data for 2015 shows a music industry that
continues to adopt digital distribution platforms for the
majority of its revenues. While overall revenue levels
were only up slightly, large shifts continued to occur
under the surface as streaming continued to increase its
market share. In 2015, the industry had the most
balanced revenue mix in recent history, with just about
1/3 of revenues coming from each of the major platform
categories: streaming, permanent downloads, and
physical sales.

Note – 2013 and 2014 data has been updated.
For news media inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Lamy
Cara Duckworth Weiblinger
Liz Kennedy

202/775-0101

 United States Unit Shipments and Estimated Retail Dollar Value
(In Millions, net after returns)

Digital Permanent Download

(Units Shipped)
(Dollar Value)

2015

1,199.1
$1,407.8
117.6
$1,150.9
1.6
$2.6
6.8
$13.6
26.6
$66.3

1,021.0
$1,226.9
109.4
$1,090.7
2.2
$3.7
3.2
$6.4
21.9
$54.6

$773.4

$802.6

3.8%

7.7
$800.1

10.8
$1,218.9

40.2%
52.3%

$294.8

$385.1

30.6%

$4,509.5

$4,789.0

6.2%

$189.7

$202.9

7.0%

142.8
$1,832.6
1.0
$3.8
13.2
$314.9
0.5
$5.9
4.1
$91.2
0.1
$2.1
0.0
$0.8
161.7
$2,251.3

122.9
$1,520.8
0.4
$1.2
16.9
$416.2
0.5
$6.1
3.3
$73.2
0.2
$5.4
0.0
$1.1
144.2
$2,024.0

-13.9%
-17.0%
-59.5%
-67.5%
28.3%
32.2%
4.1%
2.6%
-20.4%
-19.8%
169.7%
153.2%
39.8%
40.5%
-10.8%
-10.1%

Total Retail Units
Total Retail Value

141.3
$2,112.0

124.5
$1,898.0

-11.9%
-10.1%

Total Units6
Total Value

1,513.4
$6,950.5

1,302.0
$7,015.9

-14.0%
0.9%

% of Shipments7
Physical
Digital

2014
33%
67%

2015
30%
70%

Download Single
Download Album

For a list of authorized services see www.whymusicmatters.com

% CHANGE
2014-2015

2014

Kiosk1
Music Video
Ringtones & Ringbacks

-14.9%
-12.8%
-7.0%
-5.2%
38.4%
43.2%
-52.8%
-52.8%
-17.7%
-17.7%

Digital Subscription & Streaming
SoundExchange Distributions2
Paid Subscription

3

On-Demand Streaming (Ad-Supported)4

TOTAL DIGITAL VALUE
Synchronization Royalties5

Physical
(Units Shipped)
(Dollar Value)

CD
CD Single
LP/EP
Vinyl Single
Music Video
DVD Audio
SACD
Total Physical Units
Total Physical Value

TOTAL DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL

Retail Value is the value of shipments at recommended or estimated list price
Formats with no retail value equivalent included at wholesale value
Note: Historical data updated for 2013 and 2014
1
Includes singles and albums
2
Estimated payments in dollars to performers and copyright holders for digital radio services under statutory licenses
3
Streaming, tethered, and other paid subscription services not operating under statutory licenses
Subscription volume is annual average number of subscriptions
4
Ad-supported audio and music video services not operating under statutory licenses
5
Includes fees and royalties from synchronization of sound recordings with other media
6
Units total includes both albums and singles, and does not include subscriptions or royalties
7
Synchronization Royalties excluded from calculation
Permission to cite or copy these statistics is hereby granted, as long as proper
attribution is given to the Recording Industry Association of America