• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Events
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • THE SPORTS CREDENTIAL
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album/EP Releases
    • Single/Track Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • SIGN UP (FREE!)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

RIAA Mid-Year Report: Revenues Grew 18% In First Half Of 2019, Driven By Streaming

September 5, 2019/by Jessica Nicholson

Music recorded retail revenues in the United States grew 18%, to $5.4 billion, in the first half of 2019, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) Mid-Year Report for 2019. In 2018, the U.S. music industry’s retail revenues had reached $4.6 billion.

That double-digit growth rate is driven by the number of paid streaming subscriptions totaling more than 60 million for the first time (up 30% from 2018)—this represents an average of more than 1 million new subscriptions per month over the past 12 months.

Streaming revenues alone grew 26% to $4.3 billion in the first half of this year (up from $3.4 billion in 2018), and includes revenues from subscription services, digital and customized radio services including those revenues distributed by SoundExchange, and ad-supported, on-demand streaming services. Paid subscriptions made up 62% of overall industry revenues and account for 77% of U.S. streaming music revenues for the first half of 2019.

Streaming now generates 80% of music business revenues.

“This continued growth lets record companies do more than ever to discover, promote, and protect great artists,” RIAA’s Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement. “Worldwide, labels now spend nearly $6 billion a year to find talent, enable artists to record, cut through the noise, and be heard. Finding and developing new talent is the lifeblood of the business, with 20% of a major label’s roster of artists signed fresh each year. 7 in 10 unsigned artists want a label deal to help them make it in an increasingly complicated and high-tech business.

“Labels have worked for years to build powerful new tools, infrastructure, and teams to help artists navigate the global streaming ecosystem and protect and promote their work. Whether it’s fighting to shut down industrial piracy and stream-ripping operations or standing up to Big Tech platforms that have avoided accountability to exploit artists and grossly underpay for music. And more than anything, it’s a reminder of what we can accomplish when the whole music community—and our music service partners—work together. Collaboration and cooperation work. We’ve proven that by establishing the right to be paid for streaming in the early days of the internet, to the technical and data collaboration that made modern music services possible, to even more recent problem solving like the Music Modernization Act that finally won justice for artists who recorded before 1972. Let’s keep it going,” Glazier said.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson
Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at [email protected].
Jessica Nicholson
Latest posts by Jessica Nicholson (see all)
  • CMA Honors Robert Deaton With Chairman’s Award - December 4, 2020
  • Nashville Symphony, Nashville Musicians Association Reach Agreement - December 4, 2020
  • Zach Williams’ “Chain Breaker” Is Most-Added On ‘MusicRow’ CountryBreakout Radio Chart - December 4, 2020
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
0 0 Jessica Nicholson https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Jessica Nicholson2019-09-05 15:49:232019-09-05 15:49:23RIAA Mid-Year Report: Revenues Grew 18% In First Half Of 2019, Driven By Streaming
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

RECENT NEWS

  • Parker McCollum Celebrates Three No. 1 Hits September 22, 2023
  • Frank Ray Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With New Spanish EP September 22, 2023
  • Cody Johnson Announces Third Studio Album ‘Leather’ September 22, 2023
  • Dalton Dover Delivers New Project, ‘Never Giving Up On That’ September 22, 2023
  • Kane Brown Releases Phil Collins-Inspired Track ‘I Can Feel It’ September 22, 2023
  • Widely Admired Bass Player Dave Roe Passes September 22, 2023
  • Zach Bryan Releases Five-Track ‘Boys Of Faith’ EP September 22, 2023
  • Dustin Lynch To Kick Off His ‘Killed The Cowboy Tour’ In April September 22, 2023
  • Bill Anderson Named First Recipient Of Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement Award September 22, 2023
  • Morgan Wallen Takes ‘Everything I Love’ To Top Of MusicRow Chart September 22, 2023
  • Megan Moroney Drops Deluxe Edition Of Debut Album ‘Lucky’ September 22, 2023
  • Oliver Anthony Signs With UTA September 22, 2023
  • DISClaimer Single Reviews: ‘A Lot To Fall In Love With’ This Americana Week September 21, 2023
  • CMA Foundation Honors Music Teachers Of Excellence September 21, 2023
  • Industry Ink: Stephen Wilson Jr., Anne Wilson, BMI, ACM September 21, 2023

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2023 Music Row Enterprises, LLC – All rights reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top