The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) released a mid-year report on Friday. It said Latin music is still doing very well in the US. It made $490.3 million in the first half of 2025. This is almost 6% more than the same time last year. This is also more than the overall U.S. music market growth of only 0.9%.
Performance That Breaks Records
The genre now makes up 8.8% of all recorded music sales in the United States. It marks the 12th year in a row that it has grown at the halfway point of the year. This percentage has steadily risen from 5.5% in 2020 to 8.1% in 2024. These figures show that the genre is becoming more popular with the general public.
Streaming Rules
Streaming services are what makes Latin music so popular. They bring in 98% of all revenue, which is a lot more than the 84% streaming share for the whole music industry. Paid subscriptions brought in $271.1 million. This is an 11.2% increase from the previous year. The total amount of money made from streaming was $481.6 million, which is 6.3% more than the year before.
Star Power Drives Growth
Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Rauw Alejandro, and Karol G are some of the biggest names in the world driving the surge. Bad Bunny, one of the most famous musicians in all genres, has been at the top of Billboard’s Latin charts all year. He was chosen to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Physical Sales Stay Low
Vinyl sales make up about 8% of the total revenue in the music business. However, physical sales of Latin music are very low, at just $3.9 million, which is less than 1% of total revenue. This shows that the genre is popular with younger people. These people are more likely to buy it digitally.
Viewpoint from the Industry
“Latin music in the U.S. continues to gain popularity and generate increased value thanks to the incredible artists whose music connects across language and geographical barriers with support from creative label partnerships,” said Matt Bass, RIAA Vice President of Research. “Latin has become the second-fastest growing genre in America because streaming gives people more access than ever to legacy voices and next-generation icons that shape today’s culture.”
What Will Happen Next
Latin music is set to reach new heights in 2025. Mid-year earnings are approaching half a billion dollars, and chart-topping artists are continuing to gain popularity. The genre’s ability to cross language and geographic barriers, while still getting a lot of streams, suggests it will keep growing for the rest of the year.
