• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Arts & EntertainmentMusic

Why Streaming Is Taking Over the Music Industry In One Handy Chart

By
Anne VanderMey
Anne VanderMey
and
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Anne VanderMey
Anne VanderMey
and
Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 27, 2016, 11:30 AM ET
December 22, 2008, Escondido, California, USA_Detail view of vinyl 12 inch LP record albums for sale at Gary's record Paradise_Credit: photo by Charlie Neuman, San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press. copyright 2008 San Diego Union-Tribune  (Credit Image: © Th
DR1DR8 December 22, 2008, Escondido, California, USA_Detail view of vinyl 12 inch LP record albums for sale at Gary's record Paradise_Credit: photo by Charlie Neuman, San Diego Union-Tribune/Zuma Press. copyright 2008 San Diego Union-Tribune (Credit Image: © The San Diego Union Tribune/ZUMA Press)Alamy Stock Photo

All is not well in the music industry. Revenue is a fraction of what it was during the heyday of the CD—and far from being replaced by iTunes singles, sales from downloads have fizzled, too. Vinyl has staged an unlikely comeback, but its rise is only remarkable in the context of the rapid demise of all other physical forms of music. And music videos are hardly a reliable source of income.

There is hope, though, and it’s streaming music. Services like Spotify and Pandora continue to grow, helping drive a nascent sales increase in the industry for the first time, as Kid Rock would say, in a long time.

Click here to enlarge the graphic.

Nicolas Rapp
Nicolas Rapp

Vinyl

As CD sales continue their descent, vinyl records have enjoyed an audiophile-driven resurgence—with record sales making up 31% of physical music sold in the first half of this year.

Streaming

Downloading music, thought to be the future of the industry as à la carte iTunes purchases climbed, lost out to streaming, which brought in $2.4 billion last year.

Revenue

Record-industry revenues adjusted for inflation are nowhere near what they were in the ’70s, but there’s a bright side: They’re starting to climb again, and margins too.

For more on music streaming, watch this Fortune video:

A version of this article appears in the November 1, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “The Record Industry Sees a Savior in Streaming.”

This article has been corrected to reflect the total revenue for all streaming in 2015.

About the Authors
By Anne VanderMey
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Nicolas Rapp
By Nicolas RappInformation Graphics Director
LinkedIn icon

Nicolas Rapp is the former information graphics director at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

trump
PoliticsReligion
Donald and Leo is the latest power-versus-pope showdown stretching back 1,000 years
By Joëlle Rollo-Koster and The ConversationApril 15, 2026
6 hours ago
warren
Arts & EntertainmentElizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren on her proposal to bring back IRS Direct File: ‘For just one day of bombing Iran, we could pay for 20 years’
By Catherina GioinoApril 15, 2026
6 hours ago
Jeremy Renner
AIHealth
Exclusive: Jeremy Renner bets on the tech that could have saved his life faster. ‘There’s 150 people that are responsible for me not dying’
By Catherina GioinoApril 15, 2026
16 hours ago
Warren Buffett’s first tax return showed $7 owed to the IRS. The then paperboy and former Berkshire Hathaway CEO is now worth $143 billion
SuccessWarren Buffett
Warren Buffett’s first tax return showed $7 owed to the IRS. The then paperboy and former Berkshire Hathaway CEO is now worth $143 billion
By Sydney LakeApril 14, 2026
1 day ago
paramount
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
‘Unequivocal opposition’: Over 1,000 members of Hollywood royalty lobby against Paramount/Warner merger
By Jake Coyle and The Associated PressApril 14, 2026
1 day ago
sam altman
LawOpenAI
Meet the man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman: a 20-year-old AI doomer
By Juan Lozano, Lekan Oyekanmi and The Associated PressApril 13, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Fortune EditorsApril 15, 2026
11 hours ago
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
Success
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she's just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
By Fortune EditorsApril 13, 2026
2 days ago
Palantir CEO says working at his $316 billion software company is better than a degree from Harvard or Yale: ‘No one cares about the other stuff’
Success
Palantir CEO says working at his $316 billion software company is better than a degree from Harvard or Yale: ‘No one cares about the other stuff’
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
2 days ago
Retirees are facing a $345,000 bill they never saw coming — and most aren't prepared
Commentary
Retirees are facing a $345,000 bill they never saw coming — and most aren't prepared
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
2 days ago
Economists warned California not to raise the minimum wage to $20. They were wrong in almost every way so far, another economist says
Economy
Economists warned California not to raise the minimum wage to $20. They were wrong in almost every way so far, another economist says
By Fortune EditorsApril 15, 2026
14 hours ago
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
Success
The billionaire Anthropic cofounder who majored in literature says knowing how to ask the right questions beats knowing how to code
By Fortune EditorsApril 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.