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Here’s how the way we listen to music has changed since the start of the decade

Streaming dominates

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DETROIT – It’s no doubt that music streaming has grown in popularity through the decade, but statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America show just how much things have changed.

MORE: The top Billboard Hot 100 songs of the decade

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At the start of the decade in 2010, streaming made up only a small portion -- 7 percent -- of the United States music market. At that point, physical music was still popular. Physical music sales, such as CDs, accounted for 52 percent of the music market that year.

Digital downloads were the second most popular way to get music in 2010, accounting for 38 percent.

Synchronization royalties made up the remaining 3 percent.

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Mid-year stats from 2019 showed that music streaming now accounts for 80 percent of how Americans listen to music. Physical music and digital downloads both dropped to only 9 percent.

MORE: Songs that topped the Hot 100 chart at the end of the past 6 decades

Synchronization royalties made up the remaining 2 percent in 2019.

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