US vinyl sales pass $1bn in 2025 as Taylor Swift leads the charts
Vinyl is no longer a niche. In 2025, US vinyl sales generated more than $1bn in annual revenue for the first time in over four decades, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The RIAA says vinyl purchases reached $1.04bn in 2025. It is also the 19th straight year of growth for the format.
US vinyl sales keep rising
Vinyl sales totaled 46.8m units in 2025. That is up 7.9% from 43.4m in 2024, the report says.
CDs brought in far less. Revenue from CD sales totaled $312.4m, or under a third of vinyl’s takings. Other physical formats, including cassettes, generated $25.8m.
The RIAA figures cover new vinyl releases. They do not include used sales.
Taylor Swift’s vinyl strategy dominates 2025
Taylor Swift’s 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl was the year’s bestselling vinyl release. The report puts its vinyl sales at 1.6m.
The album was marketed with multiple collectible versions. Swift released eight vinyl variants, with different cover art and LP colours. Some editions included extras, such as a Target exclusive with previously unseen photos, a double-sided poster, and a poem written by Swift. Other versions were available only for 48-hour windows on her webstore.
The physical push extended beyond vinyl. The singer also released the album across CD, cassette and digital download formats.
How many variants were released
Swift released at least 34 variants of The Life of a Showgirl in total, according to the report cited in the Guardian. That approach helped the album set major sales records at release.
The album reached 4.002m US sales in its opening week. The report says 1.3m of those sales were vinyl.
Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar complete the top tier
Two more major releases followed Swift in the 2025 vinyl rankings.
Sabrina Carpenter sold 292,000 vinyl copies of Man’s Best Friend. Kendrick Lamar sold 272,000 copies of his Grammy-winning album GNX.
Carpenter also placed again. Her album Short n’ Sweet ranked fourth with 262,000 vinyl sales. Billie Eilish followed with 192,000 copies sold of her 2024 LP Hit Me Hard and Soft.
Classic albums remain strong sellers
New releases drove the headlines. However, older pop staples still performed well on vinyl.
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Michael Jackson’s Thriller also appeared in the top 10 of US vinyl sales, the report says.
Streaming still dwarfs physical formats
Despite the $1bn milestone, vinyl remains a small part of the wider market. Vinyl represented less than 10% of US music sales in 2025.
The RIAA report puts streaming revenue at $9.5bn, far ahead of any physical format.
The report also says consumers bought about 48.5m copies of new vinyl releases. CDs sold 29.5m units by comparison.
A debate over waste and overproduction
Swift’s dominance has also fuelled criticism. Some commentators argue that endless variants push fans to buy multiple copies rather than meet genuine demand.
In a January video titled “Taylor Swift is Still Ruining Vinyl”, YouTuber Anthony Fantano questioned whether eight vinyl versions reflect real market needs, or an exploitation of a loyal collector base.
Environmental concerns have also surfaced. Eilish has highlighted the impact of unnecessary variants. Some artists have taken steps to reduce harm. The report notes that pressings of Eilish’s most recent album used 100% recycled vinyl, while Coldplay’s 2024 album Moon Music was pressed on records made from recycled plastic bottles.
Vinyl’s resurgence is now undeniable. But as the format grows, so does scrutiny over how it is sold, how it is made, and what that means for fans and the planet.