CD sales are booming as physical media continues its resurgence
The Verge • • entertainment
Key Points:
- CD sales surged by 45.7 percent in the first half of 2026, reaching 17.5 million units sold compared to 12 million in the same period in 2025, with revenue increasing 58.6 percent to $171.1 million, according to the RIAA.
- The increase in CD sales is partly attributed to special editions from K-Pop artists like BTS, with many buyers from Gen Z and millennials treating CDs as collectibles rather than for playback, as noted by research firm Luminate.
- Vinyl sales also rose significantly by nearly 21 percent to 26.5 million units, while "other physical" media formats such as CD singles, DVDs, and cassettes saw a 73 percent surge to 1.6 million units.
- Despite the growth in physical media, streaming remains dominant, with streaming revenue increasing 4.7 percent to $4.9 billion, far surpassing the combined revenue of all physical formats.
