Growth is real; streaming still carries the market
The Recording Industry Association of America’s 2026 mid-year report puts U.S. Latin recorded-music revenue at $542.2 million for the first half of the year, up 8.6% from the comparison period shown in the report. RIAA says it is the category’s 13th straight mid-year gain. These are U.S. wholesale figures, not a global-market total. [1]
Streaming remains the main source of that revenue. RIAA reports $522.2 million in streaming revenue, up 6.5%, and says streaming represented 96% of Latin recorded-music revenue in the period. Paid subscriptions reached $308.4 million, a 12.4% increase and 56.9% of the reported total. [1]
Other categories grew at different rates: physical revenue was $14 million, synchronization revenue was $3.3 million, and download revenue was $2.8 million. RIAA notes that the figures are rounded, so small differences between displayed category totals and the overall total should not be treated as a contradiction. [1]
Vinyl’s jump is striking—but it is still a small share
Vinyl revenue rose 245.8% year over year to $13.7 million, according to RIAA. The report’s unit table shows 0.8 million vinyl units in the first half of 2026, compared with 0.2 million in its 2025 comparison column. The jump stands out, but the reported dollar total remains modest beside streaming’s $522.2 million. [1]
Using the report’s rounded totals, $13.7 million is about 2.5% of the $542.2 million market total. That makes the right takeaway more precise than “vinyl is taking over”: vinyl is a fast-growing format from a much smaller base, while streaming remains the dominant revenue channel. [1]
Synchronization also increased: RIAA lists $3.3 million, up 104.2%. The report describes wholesale recorded-music revenue, however; it does not tell readers how much any individual artist, songwriter, label or publisher received after contracts, expenses, splits or other deductions. [1]
The prior-year comparison needs a clear footnote
There is an important change in the comparison base. RIAA’s 2026 table lists first-half 2025 revenue as $499.4 million. Its 2025 mid-year report, published at the time, listed that period at $490.3 million. The two official reports therefore differ by $9.1 million on the prior-year figure. [1][2]
The earlier RIAA report also said the organization was updating its public database with wholesale breakdowns and historical data. That note offers context, but the 2026 report does not explain the $9.1 million difference or provide a reconciliation between the previously published and current comparison figures. [1][2]
Complex’s September 30 coverage foregrounded the vinyl surge. Read beside both RIAA tables, the less obvious comparison-base difference is another important part of the report for readers tracking year-over-year performance. [1][2][4]
Music Business Worldwide highlighted the difference on September 29, noting that the new 8.6% growth rate implies a higher 2025 base than the $490.3 million published last year. MBW said it had asked RIAA whether the earlier figure had been restated; the report did not include an RIAA response. The figures establish that the comparison base changed; the sources reviewed here do not establish the exact reason. [3]
This caveat does not negate the $542.2 million 2026 total or the growth reported against RIAA’s current comparison column. It does mean readers should identify the basis being used and avoid comparing the new percentage directly with last year’s published headline without noting the changed prior-year figure. [1][2][3]
A useful read of the new report
The report points to continued U.S. growth, a streaming-led revenue mix and sharp gains in vinyl and synchronization. For artists and music-business readers, the most useful reading is both parts of the story: the headline growth and the footnote-sized data issue behind its year-over-year comparison. [1][2][3]
RIAA labels its figures U.S. wholesale dollar value, net after returns, and says some figures are rounded. They are not a global estimate, a stream count, a measure of artist take-home pay or a work-by-work royalty statement. Readers should use the report for market-level context—not as a substitute for individual deal or rights records. [1]