UPDATE: Here’s the 2017 Soundscan data.There have been lots of updates, additions, and corrections. This page has old info.Get the latest and greatest! Go now!

2016 was a hell of a year, huh?

Music sales continued to fall, streaming continued to climb. Apple Music still kinda sucks. Spotify is just alright. Not a lot of excitement around new album releases. For me at least. I didn’t get into too much new stuff this year. The new release I was most excited by was the Monkees’ Good Times and seeing Mickey and Peter on their 50th anniversary tour was a thrill; I even bought a replica of the poncho from the “Randy Scouse Git” video! Other albums I enjoyed were new ones by Andrew Bird, Robbie Fulks, Wilco, the Handsome Family, Regina Spektor, and Two Cow Garage. I didn’t hear about Car Seat Headrest until they started showing up on everybody’s year-end lists, but I’m liking what I’ve heard of that, too.

I’m bummed about Prince and Leonard Cohen dying, regretting having blown multiple opportunities to see them in concert. George Michael, Sharon Jones, George Martin, Scotty Moore, David Bowie, Bernie Worrell, Glenn Frey, Leon Russell, Paul Kantner, Merle Haggard, Maurice White, Vanity, Phife Dawg, Carrie Fisher, Muhammad Ali, Gene Wilder, Jerry Heller, Fidel Castro, Nancy Reagan, Abe Vigoda, Garry Marshall, Garry Shandling, Grizzly Adams, Mrs. Brady, Schneider, Father Mulcahy, Big Ang… A lot of people died in 2016. A lot more are going to die in 2017. The Baby Boomers are in their 70s now. We can expect classic rockers to start dropping like flies. Prepare yourself. Let people know you care about them when you have the chance.

Until then, let’s look at the data from Nielsen Music via Billboard…

Total Album Sales (physical + digital albums)

2016: 200.54 million

2015: 241.39 million

2014: 257.02 million

2013: 289.41 million

2012: 315.96 million

2011: 330.57 million

2010: 326.15 million

2009: 373.9 million

2008: 428.4 million

2007: 500.5 million

2006: 588.2 million

2005: 618.9 million

2004: 666.7 million

2003: 667.9 million

2002: 693.1 million

2001: 762.8 million

2000: 785 million

1999: 754.8 million

1998: 712.5 million

1997: 651.8 million

1996: 616.6 million

1995: 616.4 million (I’ve heard the figure is 616,957,000)

1994: 614.7 million (I’ve heard the figure is 615,266,000)

1993: ~573 million (1994 was 7.4% increase over 1993)

Compact Discs

2016: 104.8 million

2015: 125.6 million

2014: 140.9 million

2013: 165.4 million

2012: 193.4 million

2011: 223.5 million

2010: 239.9 million

2009: 294.9 million

2008: 360.6 million

2007: 449.2 million

2006: 553.4 million

2005: 598.9 million

2004: 651.1 million

2003: 635.8 million

2002: 649.5 million

2001: 712.0 million

2000: 730.0 million

1999: 648.1 million

1998: ~578 million

1997: 504.6 million

1996: 448.4 million

1995: 368 million

Digital Albums

2016: ~82.2 million

2015: 103.33 million

2014: 106.47 million

2013: 117.58 million

2012: 117.68 million

2011: 103.1 million

2010: 86.3 million

2009: 76.4 million

2008: 65.8 million

2007: 50 million

2006: 32.6 million

2005: 16.2 million

2004: 5.5 million

Vinyl albums

2016: 13.1 million

2015: 11.92 million

2014: 9.19 million

2013: 6.1 million

2012: 4.55 million

2011: 3.9 million

2010: 2.8 million

2009: 2.5 million

2008: 1,877,000

2007: 990,000

2006: 858,000

2005: 857,000

2004: 1,187,000

2003: 1,404,000

2002: 1,339,000

2001: 1,246,000

2000: 1,533,000

1999: 1,405,000

1998: 1,376,000

1997: 1,092,000

1996: 1,145,000

1995: 794,000

1994: 625,000



Digital track sales

2016: 723.68 million

2015: 964.76 million

2014: 1.1 billion

2013: 1.26 billion

2012: 1.336 billion

2011: 1.27 billion

2010: 1.17 billion

2009: 1.16 billion

2008: 1.07 billion

2007: 844.1 million

2006: 582 million

2005: 352.7 million

2004: 142.6 million

2003: 19.2 million (SoundScan monitored them only during the year’s second half)

Track equivalent albums (where 10 track downloads equal one album + album sales)

2016: ~272.91 million

2015: 337.97 million

2014: 367.3 million

2013: 415.3 million

2012: 449.5 million

2011: 457.7 million

2010: 443.4 million

2009: 489.8 million

2008: 535.4 million

2007: 585 million

2006: 646.4 million

2005: 654.1 million

2004: 680.7 million

Song Streams *

2016: 431.74 billion (251.86 billion were audio-only)

2015: 317.2 billion (144.9 billion were audio-only)

2014: 164.5 billion

2013: 118.1 billion

2012: ~89.5 billion (calculated on reports that 2013 was up 32%)

Non-interactive digital services like Pandora and Sirius XM are not included in the streams tracked by Nielsen Music.

Streaming equivalent albums (SEA)

2016: 287.8 million (1,500 song streams equal one album)

2015: 211.5 million (1,500 song streams equal one album)

2014: 109.7 million (1,500 streams equal one album)

2013: 53 million units (2,000 streams equal one album)

“The industry calculates that a stream equivalent album (SEA) equals 1,500 streams. (That’s an average payout of half a cent per stream, totaling $7.50. In 2013, the average payout per stream was $.0.00375, thus in that year 2,000 streams equaled one SEA unit.)” – Ed Christman.

Total Album Consumption Units (Album Sales + TEA + SEA)

2016: 560.7 million

2015: 549.35 million

2014: 476.93 million

2013: 486.1 million

Album Consumption Historical Comparison *

2016: 560.7 million

2015: 549.35 million

2014: 476.93 million

2013: 486.1 million

2012: 449.5 million

2011: 457.7 million

2010: 443.4 million

2009: 489.8 million

2008: 535.4 million

2007: 585 million

2006: 646.3 million

2005: 654.1 million

2004: 680.7 million

2003: 687 million

2002: 681 million

2001: 763 million

2000: 785 million

1999: 754.8 million

1998: 711 million

1997: 651.8 million

1996: 616.6 million

1995: 616.4 million

1994: 614.7 million

1993: ~573 million

I made this one up to try to compare the different ways people have accessed music since the beginning of the Soundscan era. From 1993 to 2003, we just use album sales. From 2004 to 2012, we use album sales + TEA to account for track downloads. From 2013 to present, we use album sales + TEA + SEA. This gives a somewhat relative comparison to how much music people are “consuming” over the years, and it doesn’t look nearly as dreary as comparing actual album sales…

Sources: Billboard, Business Wire, Billboard, New York Times, Billboard, Billboard, Nielsen Music, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, USA Today, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, USA Today, Computer World, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, CTV, BBC, WSJ, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Billboard, Pitchfork, Narm, Billboard.

We’ve been doing this for a while. See our previous annual sales wrap-ups: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.