CD sales are climbing sharply in 2026, marking a notable comeback for physical music formats. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 17.5 million CDs were sold in the United States during the first six months of the year, a significant rise from the 12 million units sold in the same period of 2025.
That represents a 45.7 percent increase in units, while revenue climbed even faster at 58.6 percent, reaching EUR 147 million. The rebound is especially striking given that CD sales had declined 22 percent from 2024 to 2025, suggesting a sudden reversal in consumer demand for the format.
Multiple Reports Confirm the Trend
The RIAA is not alone in tracking this growth. In July, research firm Luminate published its own findings, reporting 16.3 million CD units sold across the first half of 2026. While the exact totals differ slightly between the two organizations, both point to the same conclusion: the compact disc is experiencing renewed interest among buyers.
The data adds to a broader narrative around the return of physical media, a category that many had written off as streaming services came to dominate how people access music. The scale of the increase, particularly in dollar terms, indicates that shoppers are willing to spend on tangible copies of albums rather than relying solely on digital libraries.
A Reversal After Years of Decline
For much of the past two decades, CD sales followed a steady downward path as digital downloads and later streaming reshaped the industry. The 22 percent drop recorded between 2024 and 2025 fit that long-established pattern, making the 2026 surge all the more unexpected.
The revenue figure of EUR 147 million for the first half of 2026 underscores how meaningful the shift has been for the recorded music business. The jump in dollars outpacing the jump in units suggests buyers are not only purchasing more discs but doing so at healthy price points.
Physical formats have shown pockets of strength in recent years, with vinyl often cited as the leading example of the trend. The latest CD figures indicate the resurgence extends beyond records to include the compact disc, a format that dominated music retail through the 1990s and early 2000s before digital alternatives took hold.
Both the RIAA and Luminate reports cover the same six-month window in 2026, and each documents millions of CDs moving into consumers’ hands. The combined data confirms that the format’s decline has, at least for now, given way to measurable growth in the U.S. market.
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Image: theverge.com
