US Latin music revenues reach $542.2m in first half of 2026

US Latin recorded music earned $542.2 million in the first half of 2026, up 8.6% on the same period last year.

The figure is wholesale revenue, the money paid to labels, and comes from the Recording Industry Association of America, the US trade body that tracks sales. The RIAA published its mid-year Latin report on 25 September. Music Business Worldwide reported the numbers on 29 September.

Growth for Latin music ran faster than the wider US market. Overall US recorded music revenue rose 6.9% year on year in the first half of 2026.

Latin music took a larger slice of the pie. It accounted for 9.1% of total US recorded music revenue in the half year, up from 8.8% at the mid-point of 2025.

It was also the 13th straight year of mid-year growth for Latin music in the US, according to the RIAA. That run stretches back to 2014.

Streaming still drives almost everything. It delivered 96% of US Latin revenue in the half year, down slightly from 98% a year earlier.

Paid subscriptions did the heavy lifting inside that total. They grew 12.4% year on year to $308.4 million. That is 56.9% of all US Latin recorded music revenue.

The surprise was in physical music. Revenue from CDs, vinyl and other physical formats rose 232.2% year on year to $14 million.

Vinyl led the jump. Latin vinyl revenue rose 245.8% to $13.7 million in the half year. That six-month total was already higher than Latin vinyl revenue across the whole of 2025.

The wider US vinyl market also grew, but at a slower pace. Vinyl revenues across all music were up 17.7% year on year in the first half.

Licensing brought another sharp rise. Sync revenue, the fees paid to use recordings in film, television, adverts and games, rose 104.2% year on year to $3.3 million. That is close to the $3.5 million Latin sync earned in the full year of 2025.

What makes this stand out is the mix. Subscriptions keep expanding, while two smaller lines, vinyl and sync, are moving fast from a low base.