Global Recorded Music Revenue Seen Reaching $48.3 Billion In 2026

Global recorded-music retail sales are projected to reach $48.3 billion in 2026, marking a 12th consecutive year of growth, according to forecasts from research firm Omdia.

Streaming Remains The Main Growth Driver

Omdia expects the market to surpass $50 billion in 2027 before reaching $56.8 billion by 2030.

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The forecast covers consumer spending on physical and digital music formats and services, as well as trade revenue from advertising, performance rights and synchronisation.

Subscription services, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, are expected to remain the industry’s main source of growth. Subscription retail sales are projected to increase 7.2% to $30.5 billion in 2026 from $28.4 billion a year earlier and exceed $37 billion by 2030.

Physical Sales Continue To Grow

Advertising revenue is forecast to outpace physical music sales over the next five years, with compound annual growth rates of 4.3% and 3.4%, respectively.

Despite slower growth, physical formats are expected to remain the second-largest source of recorded-music revenue. Sales are projected to reach $8.3 billion by 2030, while combined audio and video advertising revenue is forecast to rise to $6.2 billion.

China Climbs The Global Rankings

China is expected to become the world’s second-largest recorded-music market by 2029 after overtaking the UK in 2028 and Japan a year later.

By 2030, the country is projected to account for 8.7% of global recorded-music retail revenue, up from 5.8% in 2025. The United States is expected to remain the largest market, although its share of global sales is forecast to decline from 40.3% to 38.4% over the same period.

Outlook

Simon Dyson, senior principal analyst at Omdia, said the forecasts point to continued momentum for the industry, with global retail sales expected to reach new record highs over the next five years.

He added that China becoming the world’s second-largest music market would mark a significant milestone, reflecting its growing contribution to the global music industry.

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Ring Makes New Encryption Standard Default For Cloud-Based Features

by News Editor

August 27, 2026

Amazon’s smart home division Ring is introducing a new encryption standard that will become the default for video protection and user controls, while allowing the company to offer more cloud-based features.

The standard, called TAKE, or “Throw Away the Key Encryption,” is designed to balance privacy with features that can be limited by end-to-end encryption, including video search, descriptions and access for trusted users.

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Temporary Keys Support Cloud Features

Under TAKE, Ring uses rotating encryption keys that are temporarily stored in the cloud and accessible only when needed to provide features activated by users. Once a request is completed, the company says the relevant keys will be deleted within 24 hours.

The system allows Ring to temporarily decrypt and process videos for cloud services such as Smart Alerts, which can notify users when people, vehicles or packages appear in a camera’s view. The company said in a blog post that the encryption key is deleted after the feature has been used.

Amazon’s technical white paper says TAKE was developed using Messaging Layer Security, an open messaging standard created by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Users Can Still Choose End-To-End Encryption

TAKE will begin rolling out to customers in September and will become the default worldwide. Ring users will still be able to manually select end-to-end encryption instead.

The new system also includes several options for recovering encryption keys. Users who lose access to their device can authenticate by standing near their Ring cameras, while passphrases, cloud backups, another approved device or passkeys can provide alternative recovery methods.

Ring said the approach is intended to preserve access to cloud features without requiring users to give up control of their video encryption keys.

Privacy Concerns Remain

The announcement comes after months of scrutiny over Ring’s use of facial recognition. Its Familiar Faces feature can identify people appearing in camera footage.

In June, a class-action lawsuit accused Amazon of storing images of people passing by Ring cameras without their consent. The introduction of TAKE therefore comes as Ring faces continued questions over how its cameras process and protect personal data.

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