The days of physical music distribution are slowly coming to an end. According to RIAA mid-year statistics, music downloads and streaming services accounted for more than 70 percent of music industry revenues in the United States in the first half of 2015. Physical formats, e.g. CDs and LPs now account for less than 1 in 4 dollars earned by the U.S. recording industry.
However, it seems that music lovers haven't just moved on from physical formats but also from the general idea of "owning" music. Revenues from permanent downloads declined by 4 percent while streaming revenues soared by 23 percent. It appears as if downloads were only a transitional technology....
Another telling infographic from statista.com, it may be a short article but this picture speaks volumes about the trends of music revenue sources. As digital downloads trend down and physical purchases take a huge hit, streaming continues to climb high. If this trend continues, it wont be long until streaming, or maybe something new takes the forefront of music sales.