US premium streaming earned $3.1 billion in H1 2026, RIAA says, as CDs jump 58.6%
The RIAA mid-year report shows US recorded music at $6 billion, with paid subscriptions still the growth engine.
The RIAA's 2026 mid-year report, published Sept. 1, puts US recorded music revenue at about $6 billion for the first half, up 6.9% year on year. Streaming accounted for about $4.9 billion, up 4.7%, or roughly 82% of the total.
Premium subscriptions generated about $3.11 billion for rightsholders, up 7.8%, while premium accounts rose 5.5% to 111.1 million. Including other paid tiers, subscriptions reached $3.4 billion, up 6.4%; non-premium plans fell 9% to about $239 million.
Free streaming rose 3.7% to about $900 million. Physical formats grew 25.9%, with vinyl up 17.7% and CDs up 58.6%.
Sources round the totals slightly differently, for example $5.975 billion versus $6 billion, but the direction is consistent.
