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Record Sales By The US Census

Record Sales By The US Census

All information is provided by the Bureau of the Census. Amounts include the number of records that were in production that year. The U.S. Census Bureau terminated the collection of data for this program as of October 1, 2011. See additional sources below for more information.


1998 to 2022 music sales
The changing revenue of the recorded music industry over the past two decades.


Year Amount Value Change In Value Notes
2010 5,500,000 $92,500,000 +40.5% ***
2009 4,400,000 $65,800,000 +2.8% ***
2008 4,100,000 $64,000,000 +40.6% ***
2007 4,900,000 $45,500,000 +14.6 ***
2006 4,500,000 $39,700,000 -45.3% ***
2005 7,100,000 $72,600,000 -28.1% ***
2004 9,100,000 $101,000,000 +133.8% ***
2003 5,300,000 $43,200,000 -4.8%
2002 6,100,000 $45,400,000 -22.7%
2001 7,800,000 $58,800,000 +8.8%
2000 7,000,000 $54,000,000 +9.5
1999 8,200,000 $59,700,000 0%
1998 8,800,000 $59,700,000 -13.3%
1997 10,200,000 $68,900,000 -18.2%
1996 13,000,000 $84,300,000 +17.4%
1995 12,400,000 $71.800,000 +10.4%
1994 13,600,000 $65,000,000 +4%
1993 16,200,000 $61,800,000 -22.6%
1992 22,100,000 $79,900,000 -14.3%
1991 26,800,000 $93,300,000 -48.4%
1990 39,300,000 $180,900,000 -46.2%
1989 71,200,000 $336,700,000 -52.7%
1988 138,000,000 $712,600,000 -28.4%
1987 189,000,000 $996,400,000 -17.7%
1986 219,100,000 $1,211,100,000 -22.4%
1985 287,700,000 $1,561,500,000 -15.4%
1984 336,100,000 $1,847,500,000 -5.6%
1983 334,000,000 $1,958,000,000 -11.3%
1982 379,000,000 $2,208,000,000 -15%
1981 450,000,000 $2,598,000,000 +1.5%
1980 487,100,000 $2,559,600,000 +6.1
1979 502,000,000 $2,411,000,000 -11.8%
1978 531,000,000 $2,734,000,000 +12%
1977 534,000,000 $2,440,000,000
1976 3,201,000 $349,000,000 **
1975 421,000,000 $1,696,500,000
1973 5,235,000 $246,000,000 +15.4% **
1972 4,256,000 $213,000,000 **
1970 * $1,182,000,000
1968 4,020,000 $233,000,000 +8.3% **
1967 3,987,000 $215,000,000 -20.6% **
1965 4,436,000 $271,000,000 **
1963 3,372,000 * **
1960 2,840,000 * **
1959 3,300,000 $330,000,000 +1.5% **
1957 3,717,000 $335,000,000 +117.5% **
1955 2,234,000 $154,000,000 **
1954 * $80,224,000 -12.3%
1953 * $91,527,000 +4.4%
1952 * $87,670,000 +2.9%
1950 * $85,203,000
1947 * $110,184,000
1947 760,000 $81,432,000 Value including records and record players
1939 * $19,762,000
1939 * $48,917,000 Value including record accessories like needles, etc.
1937 * $7,823,000 +111.1%
1935 * $3,705,000 +48.2%
1933 * $2,500,000 -67.5%
1931 30,851,282 $7,698,000 -77.4%
1929 105,085,000 $34,129,000 +7.3%
1927 105,701,000 $31,781,000 +18.6%
1925 82,125,000 $26,791,000 -51.6%
1923 978,000 $55,395,000 +44.8%
1921 588,000 $38,251,000 -56.9%
1919 2,138,000 $88,836,000
1914 514,000 $15,291,000 **
1909 345,000 * **
1899 151,000 * **






 
* No data
** All values include phonographs and single record players
*** All values include all analog physical media
Click to download report


The Compact Cassette was invented by Lou Ottens and his team at the Dutch company Philips in 1963.
Click to download census report 

The compact disc was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings in 1982.
Click to download census report


To access the most current data, please refer to the census cited in the source notes.


Additional information and sources:
Global Music Report
Statistical Abstracts of the United States
Statistical Abstracts of the United States Wikipedia
Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970

Labels:
Location: United States

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