Recorded music revenue grew 27% in the first 6 months of 2021 says RIAA

The 27% rise year on year includes the 84% revenue from streaming services in a report published by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA).

10% of the total figure includes the 94% growth in vinyl purchases, year on year. Downloads account for 5% and revenue from CDs continue to fall as fewer retailers stock CD in stores.

The continued rise of vinyl comes as Jack White adds a London branch to his Third Man Records group of stores, Rough Trade moves into Manhattan from Brooklyn and Amazon launches a vinyl subsciption service.

The rise of streaming shows that music listening is on the rise and now more people than ever have access to a high-res or CD quality music service. However, the noise around artist royalities continues to face anyone involved in streaming.

The UK government continues to look in to artist royalties via an official enquiry while Spotify has been subject to various campaigns which showcase the plays artists need to make a living.

Although no end of year data has been published, several audio companies have told Audio Media International that their sales of consumer headphones and hi-fi continue to rise, even against the rise of 2020. That news will come as difficult reading for Sennheiser who recently sold their consumer business but will please Apple as the company releases AirPod Max at $549/£549.