Compact discs are making a surprising comeback as more listeners choose to buy physical music again. According to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 17.5 million CDs were sold in the first six months of 2026. This is a 45.7 percent increase compared to the 12 million CDs sold during the same period in 2025, bringing total CD revenue to $171.1 million. The sudden growth surprised industry analysts because CD sales had previously dropped by 22 percent between 2024 and 2025.
Younger buyers are driving much of this renewed interest in physical formats. Research firm Luminate reported that 16.3 million CDs were sold in the first half of 2026, noting that special CD editions from K-Pop groups like BTS helped boost sales. Members of Gen Z and millennial generations are purchasing CDs primarily as collectibles to support their favorite artists. In fact, Luminate found that only about half of these buyers actually own a CD player.
Other physical music formats are also growing alongside CDs. Vinyl album sales rose by nearly 21 percent to 26.5 million units in the first half of the year, while sales of other physical formats like cassettes and CD singles jumped by over 73 percent to 1.6 million units. However, digital streaming remains the most popular way to listen to music. Streaming revenue grew by 4.7 percent to $4.9 billion during the same period, which is far larger than all physical media sales combined.