CD Revenue Surged Nearly 60% in First Half of 2026

For a hot minute, CDs seemed destined to do little more than collect dust — nostalgic remnants sealed in jewel cases and forgotten in the back of the car. Now, they’re one of the fastest-growing parts of the recorded music industry. According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s new mid-year report, US CD revenue jumped 58.6% during the first half of 2026, reaching $171 million. That’s up from roughly $108 million over the same stretch last year and is the sharpest percentage increase of any category highlighted in RIAA’s report. Vinyl still brings in far more cash, generating $554 million through the first six months of the year. But vinyl revenue grew 17.7% over that span, meaning CDs easily outpaced it in terms of growth. Overall, physical music revenue rose 25.9%. The new figures arrive just a couple of months after another report showed CDs gaining ground at the cash register, too. As Consequence previously reported, Luminate found that US CD sales increased 16% to 16.3 million units during the first half of 2026, while vinyl sales rose just 2.4%. K-pop has played a sizable role in that growth, thanks in part to collectible packaging and multiple album variants, ...