Culture
Animated Chart: The Rise and Fall of Music Sales, by Format (1973-2021)
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.
Rank | Music formats | Revenue in 2021 |
---|---|---|
1 | Streaming | $11.5 billion |
2 | Vinyl | $1.0 billion |
3 | CD | $0.6 billion |
4 | Downloads | $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.

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.
Misc
Ranked: America’s Most Streamed Shows of 2024
Australian animated series Bluey topped the charts, with Americans streaming over 55 billion minutes in 2024.

Most Streamed Show in America 2024
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.
Online streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video now account for nearly 40% of all TV viewership in the U.S., rapidly reshaping how Americans consume television.
This graphic shows the 10 most-streamed programs in America in 2024 by minutes viewed.
The data comes from Nielsen. Streaming data was collected from Jan. 1 to Dec. 29, 2024.
What Was the Most Popular Streamed Show of 2024?
Below, we show the most streamed shows in America in 2024, and how many minutes people spent watching them.
Program name | Streaming service | Minutes viewed (billions) |
---|---|---|
Bluey | Disney+ | 55.6 |
Grey's Anatomy | Hulu / Netflix | 47.9 |
Family Guy | Hulu | 42.4 |
Bob's Burgers | Hulu | 36.8 |
NCIS | Hulu / Netflix / Paramount+ | 35.9 |
Young Sheldon | Max / Netflix / Paramount+ | 32.1 |
The Big Bang Theory | Max | 29.1 |
Law & Order - SVU | Hulu / Peacock | 28.7 |
Criminal Minds | Hulu / Paramount+ | 28.4 |
Spongebob Squarepants | Paramount+ | 27.9 |
Bluey—an Australian animated series about a lovable blue puppy and her family—topped the charts, with Americans streaming over 55 billion minutes in 2024
The children’s show has been touted for its engaging storylines, positive role models, and cross-generational appeal, making it a favorite among both kids and parents.
Crime and procedural shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Law & Order: SVU, also dominate the list.
These shows offer episodic, easy-to-watch formats that make them highly bingeable and appealing to long-term viewers.
When it comes to hosting the most binged titles of 2024, Hulu—one of the priciest TV streaming subscriptions—leads the pack, followed by Paramount+ and Netflix.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about the TV and streaming landscape, check out this graphic by Statista that visualizes the Emmy 2024 nominations.
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