CD Sales Climb in 2026 as Some Music Fans Turn Back to Discs
CD sales rose 16% in the first half of 2026, reaching 16.3 million units, according to the 2026 Midyear Report from the music data company Luminate. Excluding K-pop, CD sales still grew 6.7%, the report found.
The increase has also shown up in revenue. Reuters reported on 1 September that U.S. recorded music revenue rose nearly 7% in the first half of the year, helped by a resurgence in CD demand.
The Guardian published a feature on 29 October 2026 about music fans who are choosing to buy CDs. Its account links the trend to algorithms, which it says make music predictable. The retailer John Lewis said searches for CD players had risen 96% since July.
The feature profiles several buyers. Andrew Wales, 67, from London, told the paper he owns well over 10,000 CDs. He bought his first CD, John Scofield's Meant to Be, in 1991, around the time he bought his first CD player.
Neil Cumming, 53, from Gloucester, said he bought his first CD in 1988 and has collected several hundred since.
Younger listeners are part of the picture too. Gabriela Crowley, 32, from San Jose, California, told the Guardian she had only started listening to CDs in the past year.
