CD Sales Surge in the US, Outpacing Vinyl Growth in 2026

CD sales in the United States grew by 16 percent during the first half of 2026, according to the 2026 Midyear Report from entertainment data company Luminate. This growth rate significantly outpaced vinyl, which saw a 2.4 percent increase over the same period between January and June 2026.

Luminate recorded 16.3 million CDs sold across the country during the first six months of the year. While CDs grew faster, vinyl remains the more popular physical format in total volume, with 21.8 million albums sold. Additionally, consumers purchased approximately 205,000 cassettes.

Combined sales for CDs, records, and cassettes rose by 7.8 percent to roughly 38.2 million units in the first half of 2026.

K-pop and BTS Drive Physical Sales

Luminate attributed the surge in CD purchases to price accessibility, collection building, and a heavy schedule of K-pop releases. A primary driver was the release of the album ARIRANG by BTS.

The ARIRANG album sold 516,000 physical copies in the U.S. during its opening week. This total included 208,000 vinyl copies, marking the highest weekly vinyl sales for a group since Luminate began electronic tracking in 1991.

K-pop labels often release albums in multiple versions featuring exclusive posters, books, and photocards. This strategy encourages fans to buy several copies of a single record to complete a collection.

The growth trend extends beyond the K-pop genre. Luminate data shows that when K-pop sales are removed from the figures, U.S. CD purchases still increased by 6.7 percent compared to the first half of 2025.

Gen Z and Millennial Purchasing Habits

The report suggests younger listeners are treating CDs as collectible merchandise rather than primary listening devices. Luminate found that approximately half of Gen Z and millennial consumers buying CDs do not own a CD player.

This physical resurgence has not replaced digital consumption. On-demand audio streams in the U.S. rose 4.8 percent to 732.7 billion during the first half of 2026. Globally, streams increased by 9.8 percent to 2.8 trillion.

Vinyl Performance in the UK Market

In the United Kingdom, Harry Styles’ album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally was the top-selling vinyl album of 2026 as of mid-April, with 69,000 copies sold.

Other top vinyl performers in the UK include:

• Olivia Dean’s The Art Of Loving
• Gorillaz’ The Mountain
• The War Child charity album Help(2)
• Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours

The UK vinyl singles list was led by RAYE’s Where Is My Husband!, followed by Taylor Swift’s The Fate Of Ophelia and Opalite, as well as the collaboration between Sam Fender and Olivia Dean titled Rein Me In.

Industry Revenue and Artist Income

Despite the growth in physical and digital consumption, the Musicians’ Union has raised concerns regarding how much revenue reaches working artists. The union points to the UK Musicians’ Census, which found the average annual income from music work is £20,700.

According to the census, 43 percent of professional musicians earn less than £14,000 per year from their music work.