economy
Why are people buying so many CDs?
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TL;DR
- CD sales increased by 16% in the first half of 2026, reaching 16.3 million units in the US.
- Growth drivers include collection building, price accessibility, major album releases (like BTS' ARIRANG), and K-pop.
- Even excluding K-pop, CD sales grew by 6.7%.
- Approximately half of Gen Z and millennial CD buyers do not own a CD player.
- CDs are being recontextualized as affordable collectibles and a way to support artists, not just for listening.
- Overall physical album sales (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) increased by 7.8%.