Nothing quite beats the way a vinyl album sounds. Sure, a lot of audiophiles will tell you that, and mean it, but maybe you aren't so certain. Humanity has gotten used to the digital sound of streamed music, but misses the depth of quality a turntable brings.
Ultimately, however you listen to music, you're a winner, and the formats are not likely to change soon. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), revenues from all music sales reached $11.54 billion in the United States in 2025, a new record. 82 percent of that came from streaming, but $1 billion came from sales of vinyl albums, the most since 1983.
Vinyl's resurgence isn't something new. The format has been growing in sales in each of the last 19 years. 2025 might have topped $1 billion, but 2026 is likely to do so too. More artists and record companies are releasing new records in multi-format ways, and this often includes vinyl.
Vinyl albums sales reach a 42-year high in 2025
After the RIAA's latest report, companies and musicians are not going to suddenly rethink their approach to vinyl. If anything, more albums might be made available in that way. There is a new problem that could affect how much you are paying, though.
Vinyl albums are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is a petroleum-derived plastic (hence, the name of the format). Due to the war in Iran, the price of oil is increasing, and this could impact the cost of making records. If that occurs, which is likely, then the cost of vinyl albums will increase, too.
That might help the revenue go up for the format, but almost artificially. That doesn't mean more albums are being sold necessarily, only that the cost for purchasing one is higher.
This is one reason that streaming has, and will keep, the advantage over other formats. Not only is the format more versatile, as you can stream music in your car, house, work, and nearly everywhere else, but most people listening to music in that way aren't buying individual singles and albums, but subscribing to a service that lets them hear most things for no extra cost.
In fact, premium paid subscription revenues reached $6.4 billion in 2025, which accounts for 55.3 percent of the overall market. Also, the United States alone represents almost 50 percent of all vinyl sales. For the growth of the format to continue long-term, other nations need to start buying physical records, too. They won't regret it.