CD Sales Surge in Early 2026 Even as Streaming Still Dominates
New industry data shows CD sales climbing sharply in the first half of 2026, though streaming revenue still far outpaces all physical formats combined.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reports that 17.5 million CDs were sold in the United States during the first half of 2026, a 45.7 percent increase over the 12 million sold in the same period of 2025. Revenue from CD sales grew even faster, rising 58.6 percent to reach $171.1 million. The rebound is especially notable given that CD sales had actually fallen 22 percent between 2024 and 2025.
A separate report from research firm Luminate, released in July, largely corroborated the trend, citing 16.3 million units sold over the same half-year period. Luminate attributed much of the growth to special-edition releases from K-Pop artists such as BTS, noting that many Gen Z and millennial buyers appear to be purchasing CDs as collectibles rather than for playback — only about half of buyers reported actually owning a CD player.
Vinyl and other formats also climbing
Vinyl records extended their own resurgence, with sales rising nearly 21 percent year over year to 26.5 million units. An even sharper jump came from what the RIAA classifies as "other physical" formats — including CD singles, DVDs, cassettes, and SACD — which grew more than 73 percent to 1.6 million units sold.
Despite this renewed enthusiasm for physical media, paired with an ongoing revival of interest in devices like the iPod, listeners are not abandoning streaming services. Streaming revenue rose 4.7 percent to $4.9 billion in the same period, a figure that still dwarfs the combined total of every physical format.
