RIAA says US recorded music revenue hit $6 billion in the first half of 2026

The RIAA has released its Mid-Year 2026 US Recorded Music Revenue Report, and the headline number is six billion dollars in US recorded music revenue for the first half of the year. That is a rise of 6.9%, which the trade body notes outpaces US inflation.

Every major revenue category grew, which is the part worth pausing on: growth spread across formats rather than concentrated in one is a different story from a single line item carrying the rest.

Streaming remains the largest source by a wide margin at $4.9 billion, up 4.7%. Inside that, paid subscriptions reached $3.4 billion, up 6.4%, while free streaming came to $900 million, up 3.7%. The subscription tier is growing faster than streaming as a whole, which means the paid side is doing the heavier lifting.

RIAA VP of Research Matt Bass tied the figure to how widely music is being consumed rather than to any one platform. "These results point to a healthy, diversified marketplace supporting continued investment in artists," he said, citing everything from earbuds to World Cup playlists.

RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier framed the growth as a function of the relationship between labels, artists and platforms. "That partnership is driving engagement in new and expanding ways," he said.

Half-year revenue reports are the closest thing the business has to a scoreboard, and the picture around this one is mixed elsewhere: Tencent Music reported $1.32 billion for its second quarter in August, while the certification side of the RIAA's work keeps ticking over, as with Alan Jackson's certification in Nashville.