CD Sales Rebound as Retro Tech Gains Momentum

U.S. CD revenue reached $171.1 million in the first half of 2026, up 58.6% from roughly $107.9 million in the same period of 2025, according to the RIAA figures cited by TechCrunch. Unit sales also rose, with 17.5 million CDs sold, up 45.7% from about 12 million a year earlier. The jump marks a notable reversal for a format often treated as a casualty of streaming.

The CD growth is part of a wider renewed interest in simpler tech and physical media. TechCrunch points to demand for dumbphones, digital cameras, typewriters, landlines, CDs, and vinyl as examples of consumers seeking more tactile, less always-on technology. For Gen Z, the appeal is framed as interest in an era of tech with more control and fewer notifications, addictive apps, and algorithms.

The 2026 rebound follows a difficult 2025, when full-year CD revenue fell 7.8% from $338.9 million in 2024 to $312.4 million in 2025. Units sold dropped 11.6%, from 33.3 million to 29.5 million. TechCrunch notes that the RIAA changed its revenue calculation in 2025 from estimated retail value to wholesale value, meaning the 2024 and 2025 revenue figures are not directly comparable; unit sales still show CDs were declining before the rebound.

CDs are not the only physical format gaining momentum. Physical media revenue rose 25.9% to $731.5 million in the first half of 2026, supported by the CD increase and a 17.7% rise in vinyl revenue. The reported figures also may not capture used CD sales, thrift-bin purchases, garage-sale discs, or CDs passed down within families.