Years after they went the way of 78 rpm records and eight-track tapes, compact discs (CDs) are enjoying a revival.
CD sales in the United States surged 58.6% to US$171.1mil (RM696.27mil) during the first half of 2026, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Unit sales increased 45.7% to 17.5 million discs.
The sharp gains helped boost recorded music revenue to nearly US$6bil (RM24.42bil) for the first six months of the year, the RIAA reported, up 6.9% from a year earlier.
Streaming remains the industry’s dominant category by far, accounting for US$4.9bil (RM19.94bil), or roughly 82% of the recorded music market. But the unexpected jump in CD sales and the continued uptick in demand for vinyl LPs helped drive a 25.9% increase to US$731.5mil (RM2.98bil) in physical-media revenue.
“These results point to a healthy, diversified marketplace supporting continued investment in artists and new ways for audiences to experience music,” said Matt Bass, RIAA vice president of research.
This year’s CD boom belies the format’s fate in 2025, when revenue fell 7.8% to US$312.4mil (RM1.27bil) from US$338.9mil (RM1.38bil) in 2024. Unit sales fell 11.6% for the year, from 33.3 million to 29.5 million.
Industry data suggests the CD resurgence extends beyond a single breakout release or artist, though one catalyst has been the popularity of collectable K-pop CDs that feature exclusive packaging, photo cards, and other tangible bonus items.
Yet industry experts point out that even when those special editions are excluded, CD sales are still up 6.7% so far this year. “The mechanics of modern music consumption are shifting toward culture-driven growth and community engagement,” said Jaime Marconette, vice president of music insights and industry relations at Luminate, an independent data and analytics firm.
The trend coincides with a broader boom in retro technology, especially among younger buyers who have shown growing interest not only in CDs and vinyl albums but also in old-school items such as digital cameras, typewriters, and flip phones.
“For Gen Z,” writes TechCrunch, “the demand…represents a sort of yearning for an era of tech they never got to experience – where you had more control over when you engaged with technology and how, and tech itself had less room to invade your life with its notifications, addictive apps, and algorithms.”
Whether the rebound represents the start of a lasting trend or a short-lived, nostalgia-fueled spike remains unclear.
“The success that the CD format is enjoying for now could be a ‘sugar high’ tied to a handful of blockbuster releases,” writes Ashley King of Digital Music News, an online trade publication. “We’ll have to wait for the RIAA’s full 2026 year report to get a clearer picture.” – Inc./Tribune News Service
