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CD Sales Stage Unexpected Comeback as Retro Tech Boom Drives Growth
U.S. CD revenue jumped 58.6% in the first half of 2026, according to new industry data, as a renewed appetite for physical media and simpler technology reverses last year's decline.
The Recording Industry Association of America's midyear report shows CDs generated $171.1 million in revenue during the first six months of 2026, up 58.6% from roughly $107.9 million in the same period a year earlier. Unit sales rose 45.7% to 17.5 million, compared with about 12 million in the first half of 2025.
The rebound follows a difficult 2025, when CD revenue fell 7.8% for the full year to $312.4 million from $338.9 million in 2024, and unit sales dropped 11.6% to 29.5 million from 33.3 million.
The growth comes amid a surge of interest in retro tech, including dumbphones, digital cameras, typewriters, landlines, and other physical media such as vinyl records. For younger consumers, these devices represent a yearning for an era when technology offered more control and less intrusion from notifications, addictive apps, and algorithms.