Vinyl Keeps Spinning: Taylor Swift Helps Drive U.S. Sales Growth for 19th Straight Year

January 14, 2026: Vinyl is far from a nostalgia trend — it’s a full-blown movement. According to year-end industry data, U.S. vinyl sales rose for the 19th consecutive year in 2025, with Taylor Swift once again leading the charge.

Taylor Swift’s Vinyl Power

Taylor Swift’s continued dominance played a major role in vinyl’s sustained success. Her album releases — often paired with multiple collectible vinyl variants — consistently topped sales charts and fueled record-store traffic throughout the year.

Fans didn’t just stream her music; they actively sought out physical editions, proving that vinyl remains a key part of modern fandom, not just a retro novelty.

Vinyl’s Unstoppable Comeback

The growth marks nearly two decades of uninterrupted vinyl expansion, a milestone few physical formats have achieved in the digital era. While streaming still dominates overall music consumption, vinyl continues to carve out a premium lane, driven by collectors, audiophiles, and younger listeners discovering physical music for the first time.

Record stores across the U.S. reported strong demand, with limited pressings and exclusive releases often selling out within hours.

Why Fans Still Love Vinyl

Vinyl’s appeal goes beyond sound quality. Large-format artwork, lyric inserts, and the ritual of playing a record have transformed albums into tangible experiences again. For many listeners, owning vinyl represents a deeper emotional connection to the music — something digital formats can’t fully replicate.

Artists embracing vinyl-first rollouts have also helped push the format forward, making physical ownership feel special rather than outdated.

A Strong Signal for the Music Industry

The 2025 milestone reinforces vinyl’s place as a lasting pillar of the music industry. With major artists continuing to invest in creative pressings and fans eager to collect them, vinyl’s future looks as strong as ever.

As long as stars like Taylor Swift continue to treat vinyl as an essential part of their releases, the format’s streak shows no signs of slowing down.

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