Media Trends Executive

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

As America pulls back from investments in traditional pillars of soft power such as international aid and broadcasting, one area stands out as a growing cultural export: music.

Why it matters: The forces that launched the U.S. to the top of the global stage in music can't be easily unwound by a single administration or policy. They are woven into the cultural fabric of America's history and identity.

The big picture: Music as a form of soft power serves America's geopolitical and economic interests, without the government having to invest much or intervene.

The music industry, driven in large part by exports, directly and indirectly supports around 2.5 million jobs domestically and contributes over $200 billion in value to the U.S. economy, according to data from industry trade group Recording Industry Association of America.

American music tends to underscore values such as freedom and democracy that can shape culture and inspire resistance in repressed regimes.

Catch up quick: The U.S. has been the dominant world power in music since the post-World War II era in the 1940s and 1950s. Its investments in technology have been key to its ascendance. 

Government-funded broadcasters, such as Voice of America, helped export new American music genres globally, such as jazz during the Cold War, and later rock 'n' roll. 

U.S. investment in broadcast towers and, later, internet infrastructure helped the music industry quickly evolve to meet consumer demand.

Slower radio adoption in other countries helped promote American popular music around the world, said Timothy Taylor, professor in the Departments of Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, and Musicology at UCLA.

By the numbers: Despite momentum from other countries, such as the British rock invasion in the 1960s and the rise of Korean pop over the past two decades, the U.S. has consistently remained the top exporter of music by far.

The U.S. and Canada held 38.7% of global recorded music revenues last year, per new data from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

The U.S. accounts for most of that share as the world's top music market, whereas Canada is ninth.

The U.S. recorded music industry was worth $17.7 billion in 2024. The next-largest market, Japan, was worth around $2.5 billion. 

Context: While other countries, such as China and India, are seeing huge growth, most of their music is domestic in reach.

The vast majority (79%) of on-demand audio streams in India, for example, come from a local artist, per new data from Luminate, an entertainment data analysis firm.

"Part of that is that English is the most understood language around the world, or the biggest second language in most countries around the world," said Mitch Glazier, the longtime CEO of RIAA.

Of note: While most U.S. music consumption is in English, Latino listenership is surging. Today it accounts for 8.8% of total recorded music revenue in the U.S.

Zoom out: The political and social forces that have led to America's music dominance are in many ways unique, and would be challenging for another country to replicate. 

In its founding, the U.S. was unbound from historic institutions like culture ministers that often emphasize domestic language and values.

American society was shaped by European and African influences that uniquely came together to create new genres over time, such as gospel, ragtime, blues, jazz, country, funk, rock and hip-hop.

The First Amendment and free-speech protections have also played a massive role in propelling U.S. music exports.

The bottom line: "We make music here that people would not have been allowed to make in many countries," Glazier said.

"Music is this innate sort of expression of freedom, and because of our First Amendment, we get to express it here, which allows us to have that soft power and to export it."

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Music exports serve America's geopolitical and economic interests, without the government having to invest much or intervene.

Illustration of the Statue of Liberty in headphones with musical notes in the background

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

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As America pulls back from investments in traditional pillars of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="soft power" data-vars-click-url="https://brandfinance.com/press-releases/us-sees-steepest-decline-out-of-all-193-nation-brands-in-global-soft-power-index-2026" data-vars-content-id="be658288-2cb2-4f86-9152-a8395c1b80a5" data-vars-headline="America&#x27;s loudest export is cranking the volume" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://brandfinance.com/press-releases/us-sees-steepest-decline-out-of-all-193-nation-brands-in-global-soft-power-index-2026" target="_blank">soft power</a> such as international aid and broadcasting, one area stands out as a growing cultural export: music.Why it matters: The forces that launched the U.S. to the top of the global stage in music can&#x27;t be easily unwound by a single administration or policy. They are woven into the cultural fabric of America&#x27;s history and identity.

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America's loudest export is cranking the volume

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