Music sales: revenue up 7.3 per cent in the first half of 2026

For the Italian music industry, the first half of 2026 ended with a 7.33 per cent increase in turnover. The sector’s total revenues for the half-year stood at 224.7 million, thanks mainly to streaming, which consistently accounts for 80 per cent of the business, whilst in percentage terms it was the physical segment that grew the most (+11.94 per cent). The overall picture emerging from the half-yearly figures from Fimi, the association of major record labels, already suggests that 2026 will be the ninth consecutive year of growth for the sector.

This growth currently centres on two main figures: Samurai Jay, whose Ossessione finished in 17th place at Sanremo but established itself as the most-streamed single of the half-year, whilst Kid Yugi, whose Anche gli eroi muoiono was the top-selling album of the first half of the year. But let’s get back to the figures.

Streaming, overall, grew by 6.97 per cent to reach 178.9 million. Needless to say, when we talk about Spotify, Apple Music and the like, the largest slice of the pie is premium streaming: 132.1 million in revenue, up 9.45 per cent on the same period in 2025. Ad-supported free streaming, on the other hand, fell by 1.31 per cent, whilst video viewing recorded a 2.73 per cent increase.

I dati Fimi sulla discografia italiana nel primo semestre 2026

The physical segment grew by 11.9 per cent, reaching 37.6 million in revenue. Here, the bulk of the business (26.1 million) comes from vinyl, which saw growth of 18.5 per cent. The CD market is also growing, albeit in small steps (+1.29%), with a value of around 11.3 million. The niche market for other audio formats (audio cassettes in particular) has plummeted by 66 per cent, following the hype of a few years ago.

Rounding off the picture are dubbing for audiovisual productions and advertising, which totalled 6.3 million in the first six months of the year, representing a fall of 1.73 per cent.