According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), CD sales in the US surged during the first half of 2026. The organization reported that 17.7 million units were sold, compared to 12 million units during the same period in 2025. This represents a year-over-year increase of 45.7% in unit volume and 58.6% in revenue.
This growth follows a decline in CD sales, which dropped by 22% between 2024 and 2025. Research firm Luminate noted that 16.3 million discs were sold in the first half of 2026. Analysts attribute this trend to the release of special editions by K-pop artists like BTS and the growing interest among Gen Z and millennials in collecting physical media.
Data from Luminate suggests that only about half of CD buyers actually own players to use the discs. Meanwhile, the vinyl market continues to expand, with 26.5 million records sold in the first six months of 2026, marking a 21% increase over 2025. Sales of other physical audio formats also rose by over 73%, reaching 1.6 million units.