With the US facing myriad political and economic challenges – most recently brought on by Trump’s war in Iran – it’s safe to say the country is in the midst of a rocky period.
Despite difficult times though, the US remains the world’s first in the recorded music market, and is continuing to see new highlights. According to the RIAA, wholesale revenues grew 3.1% in 2025 to $11.54bn, a slight increase from 2024 at 2.7%.
While streaming is fairly mainstream in the US, there is also still room for evolution, says CEO of American Association of Independent Music Ian Harrison.
“Price increases are doing the heavy lifting. And we need to continue to move into a space where we are creating more value for our artists and better experiences for fans that want to engage deeply,” he told Music Ally.
Harrison further emphasized RIAA’s figure pointing towards 106.5 million paid streaming accounts, which is almost one in every three Americans.
“That’s 6.5% subscriber growth and the strongest year since 2022. Subscribers tell you what fans are doing. Revenue tells you what the platforms are charging. Those are different stories.”
One big US music headline was at the end of 2025, there were no rap songs on the Billboard Top 40 for the first time since 1990.
The charts aren’t quite the whole picture, however, as hip-hop/R&B still had some of the highest ranking artists in Total Equivalent Album units, including Kendrick Lamar, Partynextdoor and Drake.
As SXSW director of music Dev Sherlock points out, while some genres seem to be in a period of expansion, hip-hop may still be experiencing something of a cultural dip.
“I think that other genres, like Latin and country, are finding a new sound and a new audience,” he described. “Whereas I feel like hip-hop is in a little bit of a plateau at the moment, other genres are in a period of reinvention.”
While live music is struggling in a grassroots context, with 64% of indie venues operating without profitability in 2024, as well as the college-aged generation going out less, the festival circuit, especially on the rock and alternative side, is seeing decent expansion.
Rockville, Sonic Temple, Louder Than Life, Aftershock and Inkcarceration are “the backbone of the US rock festival circuit” with “passionate, dedicated audiences,” said Harrison.
Founder of Reverb Data Andy Blair also highlights “algorithmic frustration” as a big cultural shift, which may see a social media plateau, in what is now a modest decline among some US adults.
At the same time, real-life experiences like the Gorillaz’ House of Kong pop-up have been a big hit. New tech for music marketers is also on the rise, like CRMs OpenStage and Laylo, and SymphonyOS for automation, playlisting and pitching.
For more on the Latin and country evolution, TikTok predictions, brand deal strategies and more, head to our full US Country Profile.
