Animated Chart: The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)

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Animated Chart: The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)

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The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)

We live in a world of music. Whether when driving to work or jamming out at home, people around the world like to have their favorite tunes playing in the background.

But while our love for music has been constant, the way we consume media has evolved drastically. The past 50 years have seen many different music formats used to access these tunes, mirroring society’s shift from analog to digital.

This video, created by James Eagle using data from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), highlights sales of different music formats in the U.S. over the last 50 years.

Vinyl

Up until the late 1980s, vinyl dominated the music format industry, earning billions of dollars in sales annually. Records of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon were some of the top selling albums available.

Vinyl is said to provide its listeners with analog sounds that reverberate and the warm notes of almost-live music. For vinyl users and enthusiasts to this day, the music produced by these sleek yet massive records is unparalleled.

8-Track

If you’re a millennial (or younger), you may have never heard of the 8-track. But this music format played an integral part in the history of music.

When the booming automotive vehicle industry found it challenging to translate the music experience to cars using vinyl, it looked to the “Stereo 8” eight-track cartridge, better known as the 8-track. This cartridge used an analog magnetic tape and provided 90 minutes of continuous music play time.

8-track carved a niche for itself much before the advent of cassettes and CDs. And through the proliferation of vehicles, 8-track sales climbed to reach a peak revenue of $900 million in 1978.

Cassettes

The era of cassettes pushed 8-tracks into the history of music in the early 1980s. These pocket-sized tapes were more convenient to use than 8Tracks and quickly spread worldwide.

By 1989, the cassette format reached its peak revenues of $3.7 billion.

CDs

First released in 1982, the Compact Disc or CD came into the music market as the successor to the vinyl record.

Developed by Philips and Sony, sales of the sleek and portable CD grew quickly as home and car stereos alike added CD functionality. The format brought in $13.3 billion in revenue in both 1999 and 2000. To date, no other music format has reached the same milestone since.

Digital Music Formats

When it comes to preferred music formats over time, convenience (and cost) seem to have been the biggest catalysts of change.

From the start of the early 2000s, CDs had started to be replaced by other forms of digital storage and distribution. The massive shift to internet consumption and the introduction of digital music, available through downloads, pushed audio CD sales down rapidly.

The launch of streaming platforms like Spotify in 2006 exacerbated this decline, with CD sales dropping by around $4 billion in five years.

Digital sales continued to evolve. Ringtone sales alone brought in $1.1 billion in 2007, and in 2012, the revenues from downloads shot up to a peak of $2.9 billion. But music streaming platforms kept climbing through 2021, and will likely continue to be the future face of music consumption.

RankMusic formatsRevenue in 2021
1Streaming$11.5 billion
2Vinyl$1.0 billion
3CD$0.6 billion
4Downloads$0.5 billion
Other$1.4 billion
Total$15.1 billion

Music streaming and subscription services pushed the accessibility of music to new highs, especially with free ad-supported platforms.

In 2021, streaming secured the music industry a whopping $11.5 billion in sales, good for 76% of the total. If it keeps growing in popularity and accessibility, the format could potentially challenge the peak popularity of CDs in the late 90s.

The Vintage Comeback?

There’s no doubt that digital music formats are getting increasingly popular with every passing year. However, one of our vintage and beloved music formats—the vinyl record—seems to be making a comeback.

According to the RIAA database, the revenue earned by LP/EP sales has shot up to $1.0 billion in 2021, its highest total since the mid-1980s.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Maps

Mapped: Countries Where People Don’t Exercise Enough

This map shows the share of people in each country who don’t get enough exercise per week. Stark regional patterns emerge.

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This cropped map tracks the share of population in every country that doesn't get enough exercise from data published by a study in Lancet Global Health.

Mapped: Countries Where People Don’t Exercise Enough

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Two-thirds of the UAE isn’t getting enough exercise, the highest rate for any country in this study.
  • In West and South Asia, around half the population falls short of recommended physical activity levels.
  • Roughly one in three Americans aren’t hitting the minimum exercise mark.

The World Health Organization recommends 2.5 hours of moderate activity or 1.25 hours of vigorous activity every week.

What counts as moderate and vigorous activity?

A good rule of thumb is checking heart rate and breathing. If you can talk but not sing while doing the activity (walking, hiking), then it’s a moderate level of exercise.

Running and high-intensity sports are in the vigorous zone.

Using the latest data from a study published by The Lancet Global Health in 2024, we map the countries by the share of their population who aren’t meeting minimum exercise requirements.

Ranked: Countries That Don’t Get Enough Exercise

At the very top of the list, two-thirds of UAE’s population isn’t meeting minimum physical activity guidelines. This is the highest rate for any country in the study.

RankCountry/Territory% of population with
insufficient physical
activity
1🇦🇪 UAE66%
2🇰🇼 Kuwait63%
3🇨🇺 Cuba61%
4🇱🇧 Lebanon59%
5🇰🇷 South Korea58%
6🇵🇦 Panama58%
7🇶🇦 Qatar54%
8🇮🇶 Iraq52%
9🇵🇹 Portugal52%
10🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia52%
11🇨🇷 Costa Rica50%
12🇮🇳 India49%
13🇸🇷 Suriname49%
14🇮🇷 Iran46%
15🇵🇰 Pakistan46%
16🇻🇪 Venezuela46%
17🇱🇾 Libya46%
18🇵🇭 Philippines46%
19🇷🇸 Serbia45%
20🇿🇦 South Africa45%
21🇯🇵 Japan45%
22🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago45%
23🇹🇷 Türkiye44%
24🇧🇧 Barbados44%
25🇰🇳 Saint Kitts & Nevis42%
26🇵🇷 Puerto Rico42%
27🇧🇿 Belize42%
28🇴🇲 Oman41%
29🇨🇾 Cyprus41%
30🇲🇹 Malta41%
31🇧🇷 Brazil40%
32🇮🇹 Italy40%
33🇲🇾 Malaysia40%
34🇸🇻 El Salvador39%
35🇳🇮 Nicaragua39%
36🇧🇭 Bahrain39%
37🇯🇲 Jamaica39%
38🇦🇷 Argentina39%
39🇲🇷 Mauritania39%
40🇨🇱 Chile38%
41🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda38%
42🇸🇾 Syria38%
43🇧🇸 Bahamas37%
44🇨🇦 Canada37%
45🇱🇰 Sri Lanka37%
46🇩🇴 Dominican Republic37%
47🇵🇱 Poland37%
48🇬🇹 Guatemala37%
49🇭🇳 Honduras37%
50🇷🇴 Romania37%
51🇵🇾 Paraguay36%
52🇬🇩 Grenada36%
53🇹🇯 Tajikistan36%
54🇳🇷 Nauru36%
55🇬🇷 Greece35%
56🇬🇾 Guyana35%
57🇳🇴 Norway35%
58🇵🇪 Peru35%
59🇨🇴 Colombia34%
60🇪🇬 Egypt34%
61🇺🇾 Uruguay34%
62🇺🇸 U.S.34%
63🇦🇫 Afghanistan33%
64🇹🇳 Tunisia33%
65🇧🇳 Brunei33%
66🇧🇬 Bulgaria32%
67🇰🇮 Kiribati32%
68🇺🇿 Uzbekistan32%
69🇨🇻 Cabo Verde31%
70🇹🇴 Tonga31%
71🇩🇲 Dominica31%
72🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines31%
73🇻🇳 Vietnam30%
74🇲🇺 Mauritius30%
75🇲🇱 Mali30%
76🇵🇸 Palestine30%
77🇭🇺 Hungary29%
78🇫🇲 Micronesia29%
79🇾🇪 Yemen29%
80🇩🇿 Algeria29%
81🇹🇭 Thailand29%
82🇭🇷 Croatia28%
83🇭🇹 Haiti28%
84🇯🇴 Jordan28%
85🇰🇿 Kazakhstan28%
86🇲🇽 Mexico28%
87🇲🇳 Mongolia28%
88🇹🇼 Taiwan27%
89🇦🇩 Andorra27%
90🇰🇵 North Korea27%
91🇹🇱 Timor-Leste27%
92🇦🇲 Armenia27%
93🇮🇱 Israel27%
94🇲🇰 North Macedonia26%
95🇵🇼 Palau26%
96🇮🇸 Iceland26%
97🇸🇲 San Marino26%
98🇦🇺 Australia26%
99🇲🇨 Monaco26%
100🇧🇪 Belgium25%
101🇨🇰 Cook Islands25%
102🇳🇦 Namibia25%
103🇲🇻 Maldives25%
104🇲🇦 Morocco25%
105🇲🇭 Marshall Islands24%
106🇹🇻 Tuvalu24%
107🇦🇱 Albania24%
108🇬🇪 Georgia24%
109🇦🇿 Azerbaijan24%
110🇨🇳 China24%
111🇨🇿 Czechia23%
112🇸🇰 Slovakia23%
113🇫🇷 France23%
114🇸🇬 Singapore23%
115🇪🇨 Ecuador23%
116🇲🇪 Montenegro23%
117🇧🇴 Bolivia23%
118🇧🇼 Botswana22%
119🇲🇲 Myanmar22%
120🇮🇪 Ireland22%
121🇪🇸 Spain22%
122🇬🇭 Ghana21%
123🇬🇲 Gambia21%
124🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina21%
125🇱🇨 Saint Lucia21%
126🇬🇦 Gabon21%
127🇸🇨 Seychelles20%
128🇧🇩 Bangladesh20%
129🇱🇹 Lithuania20%
130🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan20%
131🇦🇹 Austria20%
132🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire20%
133🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea20%
134🇸🇿 Eswatini19%
135🇸🇩 Sudan19%
136🇨🇭 Switzerland19%
137🇬🇧 UK19%
138🇮🇩 Indonesia19%
139🇸🇮 Slovenia19%
140🇨🇲 Cameroon19%
141🇳🇿 New Zealand19%
142🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe18%
143🇳🇬 Nigeria18%
144🇷🇺 Russia18%
145🇸🇴 Somalia18%
146🇧🇯 Benin18%
147🇹🇩 Chad18%
148🇿🇼 Zimbabwe18%
149🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau18%
150🇸🇧 Solomon Islands18%
151🇦🇴 Angola17%
152🇰🇲 Comoros17%
153🇩🇯 Djibouti17%
154🇧🇫 Burkina Faso17%
155🇬🇳 Guinea17%
156🇸🇳 Senegal17%
157🇨🇫 Central African Republic17%
158🇸🇸 South Sudan16%
159🇳🇪 Niger16%
160🇨🇬 Congo16%
161🇪🇪 Estonia16%
162🇱🇦 Laos16%
163🇫🇯 Fiji16%
164🇨🇩 DRC15%
165🇹🇬 Togo15%
166🇱🇷 Liberia15%
167🇱🇻 Latvia15%
168🇧🇮 Burundi14%
169🇿🇲 Zambia14%
170🇧🇾 Belarus14%
171🇱🇺 Luxembourg14%
172🇲🇬 Madagascar14%
173🇼🇸 Samoa14%
174🇰🇭 Cambodia13%
175🇸🇱 Sierra Leone13%
176🇺🇦 Ukraine13%
177🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea13%
178🇩🇰 Denmark12%
179🇹🇲 Turkmenistan12%
180🇩🇪 Germany12%
181🇪🇷 Eritrea12%
182🇲🇩 Moldova11%
183🇧🇹 Bhutan10%
184🇲🇿 Mozambique10%
185🇫🇮 Finland10%
186🇪🇹 Ethiopia9%
187🇳🇱 Netherlands9%
188🇷🇼 Rwanda9%
189🇰🇪 Kenya9%
190🇸🇪 Sweden9%
191🇳🇵 Nepal8%
192🇱🇸 Lesotho8%
193🇻🇺 Vanuatu8%
194🇳🇺 Niue7%
195🇺🇬 Uganda6%
196🇹🇿 Tanzania4%
197🇲🇼 Malawi3%

Note: Data collected between 2022–2024, via surveys and national statistics programs, published August 2024. Figures are age-standardized, averaged between sexes, and rounded.

In fact, the Middle East and West and South Asia are all swathes of red—indicating about half of the population isn’t exercising enough.

On the other hand, East and Southeast Asian countries are a little better when it comes to physical activity.

Interestingly Japan—known for their longevity—isn’t technically exercising enough by the specified guidelines. However the Japanese are also known for their walkable cities and excellent diet, both points in their favor.

Meanwhile, most people in Europe and Africa meet the requirements. Sub-Saharan Africa in particular is very active, but there are economic reasons at play here as well: a greater share of the population in poorer countries are often employed in subsistence farming or manual labor.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To see the correlation between exercise levels and incomes check out The Global Population by Income Group for a quick overview.

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