Italy’s recorded music market hits €225m in first half of 2026
Italy’s recorded music market reached around €225 million in the first half of 2026, with streaming and vinyl both driving the 7.3% growth.
Italy’s recorded music market is continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing a 7.3% year-on-year increase in the first half of 2026.
As Music Ally reports, Italy’s growth sits between the first-half results recently reported for Spain and France, which grew by 11.6% and 3.5%, respectively. The figures come from the Italian music industry body FIMI, which reported total recorded music revenues of approximately €224.7 million for the first six months of the year.
For independent artists and labels, the figures offer a useful look at where listeners are spending their time and money in one of Europe’s major music markets.
Streaming remains the biggest part of Italy’s music market
Streaming continues to dominate the Italian recorded music market, accounting for around 80% of the sector.
More than 52 billion streams were recorded in Italy during the first half of 2026, generating around €179 million in revenue. Streaming revenue increased by 7% compared with the same period in 2025.
Subscription streaming was particularly strong, growing by 9.45% to around €132 million. Meanwhile, ad-supported audio fell slightly by 1.31%, while ad-supported video streaming grew by 2.73%.
That continued growth in subscription revenue is particularly relevant for artists building audiences through streaming platforms. With billions of plays taking place in Italy alone, the market represents another potential audience for music distributed through services such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
Vinyl is growing even faster
Streaming may account for the majority of Italy’s recorded music revenue, but physical music is also having a strong year.
The physical market grew by 11.9% overall, with vinyl sales leading the way. Vinyl revenue jumped 18.5%, reaching around €26 million, while CD revenue remained relatively stable, growing by 1.29% to approximately €11 million.
The continued growth of vinyl shows that digital listening and physical music can sit alongside each other. For artists and labels, that can mean thinking about releases as more than just a streaming upload, particularly when a dedicated fanbase is interested in owning physical editions.
What does this mean for independent artists?
Italy’s latest figures point to a market where streaming remains central, subscriptions are growing, and physical formats are finding new momentum.
For independent artists who don’t live in Italy, that makes it worth looking beyond their home audience when planning a release strategy. Making music available across major streaming platforms gives artists the opportunity to build listeners in markets they may never have considered targeting directly.
As Italy continues to grow as a major recorded music market, having your music available to international listeners gives fans, wherever they are, the chance to discover it.