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On recent US sales figures, vinyl looks less like a fad and more like a sustained resurgence. Vinyl grew for a nineteenth consecutive year in 2025, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and RIAA reported further growth in the first half of 2026. That answers the narrow question of whether the format is a short-lived spike. It does not explain why people buy records, and it does not show how long the growth will last. All of these figures describe the United States only.
What “fad” should mean in this question
A fad is a burst of interest that peaks and then fades. If vinyl were a fad, its sales would show a spike followed by decline. A more useful test is whether sales keep rising across several years, in both physical units and money, and whether the most recent periods still point up. Sales data can answer that test. It cannot answer why buyers care about records.
The 2025 numbers
RIAA’s 2025 Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report, published in March 2026, gives US vinyl figures for 2024 and 2025 on the same basis. Dollar values in that report are wholesale values, net after returns.
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| US vinyl measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change reported by RIAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album units | 43.4 million | 46.8 million | +7.9% |
| Wholesale value | $954.4 million | $1,042.9 million | +9.3% |
Units and value are separate indicators, and they can move at different rates. Here both rose. The unit change is 7.9% in RIAA’s report, while the rounded totals in the table work out to about 7.8%. That small gap likely reflects RIAA calculating from unrounded source data, so quote RIAA’s percentages rather than recalculating them from the rounded totals.
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A nineteenth straight year of growth
RIAA’s year-end report says vinyl grew in 2025 for the nineteenth consecutive year. A streak measured in years rather than a single strong period is the strongest evidence against the fad label, because short-lived fads rarely sustain annual gains for nearly two decades.
RIAA’s 2024 Year-End Revenue Report, published in March 2025, put it in similar terms. Its analysis, credited to Matt Bass, RIAA Vice President, Research, states: “The continued overall growth was amplified as vinyl continued a nearly 20-year surge.” That statement is RIAA’s analysis of its own data, published as part of an industry trade report.
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- THREE SPEED THREE SIZES OPTIONS - Balanced tonearm with lifting arm control, support adjusting 3 listening speeds(33-1/3, 45 and 78 RPM) and playing 3 sizes(7'', 10'' and 12'') of records, let you enjoy your entire record collection
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The first half of 2026
RIAA’s mid-year announcement, dated September 1, 2026, reports that US vinyl grew 17.7% in the first half of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025. RIAA defines vinyl in that update as full-length vinyl albums, including direct and special-market sales.
This is a half-year, year-over-year rate. It is not a full-year total, so it should not be placed alongside the 2025 annual change as if the two covered the same period. It shows momentum into 2026, but one half-year cannot establish a multi-year pattern.
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Why the dollar figures do not line up across reports
RIAA changed how it values vinyl. Its 2024 report presents estimated retail dollar values, net after returns. Its 2025 report presents wholesale values on the same basis for both years. The two reports’ dollar totals therefore measure different things.
| Source report | Dollar basis | Period | US vinyl LP/EP value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Year-End Revenue Report (March 2025) | Estimated retail value, net after returns | 2023 | $1,350.2 million |
| 2024 Year-End Revenue Report (March 2025) | Estimated retail value, net after returns | 2024 | $1,442.9 million |
| 2025 Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report (March 2026) | Wholesale value, net after returns | 2024 | $954.4 million |
| 2025 Year-End Recorded Music Revenue Report (March 2026) | Wholesale value, net after returns | 2025 | $1,042.9 million |
Do not subtract the 2025 report’s 2024 wholesale figure from the 2024 report’s retail figure, and do not read the gap between $1,442.9 million and $1,042.9 million as a fall in spending. For a growth rate, use the 2025 report’s own 9.3% wholesale increase. The 2024 report’s narrative rounds its retail figure to $1.4 billion.
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- Audio-Technica Stylus, The diamond-tipped Audio-Technica stylus cartridge is designed to produce rich sound and outstanding clarity, tracking your record’s grooves with precision for accurate, high-definition audio
What sales data cannot tell you
- Why people buy records. RIAA’s materials describe vinyl as a listening experience and collectible art. That is a characterization, not a quantified consumer study, and the sales figures do not measure motives.
- Listening versus collecting. The share of purchases made for playback compared with display or collecting is not reported.
- Specific artists and special editions. These figures do not break out how much particular releases or special editions contributed to growth.
- Future demand. Past and recent growth does not guarantee that the trend will continue.
- Other countries. These are US figures. They do not show that other national markets followed the same path.
- Source independence. RIAA is an industry trade association that reports recorded-music market statistics. Its data is not an independent survey of consumers.
Signals that would change the answer
The current evidence points to growth, so the useful checks are ones that would reverse it. Watch for these in future RIAA reports:
Quick Recap
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- A full-year decline in US vinyl units or wholesale value in a later year-end report, compared on the same wholesale basis.
- A first-half comparison showing a year-over-year decline after the 17.7% increase reported for 2026.
- Units and value moving in opposite directions for several years. That would suggest a shift in average price or product mix rather than a simple rise or fall in demand.
- Any change in RIAA’s definition of vinyl, such as the full-length album scope used in the 2026 mid-year update, which would affect how new figures compare with older ones.
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