• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
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
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

s
Personal FinanceSports
The sports economy is unaffordable at the bar, let alone the stadium
By Catherina GioinoJuly 2, 2026
7 hours ago
t
Arts & EntertainmentNew York
No holiday for New York City cops, who get a heat wave, World Cup and a Taylor Swift wedding at MSG
By Anthony Izaguirre and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
7 hours ago
ts
Arts & EntertainmentTaylor Swift
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden will run from 5pm on Friday until maybe 4am on July 4th, permit says
By Jake Offenhartz and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
7 hours ago
ts
Arts & EntertainmentNew York
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce donate $26 million to charities ahead of rumored Madison Square Garden wedding
By Kimberlee Kruesi and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
ts
Arts & EntertainmentNew York
NYPD confirms ‘an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night,’ declines to comment on Taylor Swift wedding
By Jake Offenhartz, Kimberlee Kruesi and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
usa
North AmericaWorld Cup
The World Cup is a smash but America still isn’t a soccer country, poll suggests
By Linley Sanders and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
Success
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
19 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
Success
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
9 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
Success
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
By Emma BurleighJuly 2, 2026
10 hours 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.