CD sales are booming as physical media continues its resurgence
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TL;DR
- CD sales increased by 45.7% in the first half of 2026, reaching 17.5 million units.
- Dollar sales for CDs rose 58.6% to $171.1 million in the same period.
- Vinyl sales climbed nearly 21% to 26.5 million units.
- 'Other physical' media sales surged over 73% to 1.6 million units.
- Streaming revenue grew by 4.7% to $4.9 billion, remaining the dominant revenue source.
- Some reports suggest K-Pop special editions and collectible purchases are driving CD sales, with a portion of buyers not owning CD players.
- CD sales had previously shrunk by 22% from 2024 to 2025.