Entertainment06 September, 20262 min read
CD Sales Surge in the United States as RIAA Reports $171.1 Million Revenue in 2026
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CDs generated $171.1 million in US revenue in the first half of 2026. First-half 2026 CD unit sales reached 17.5 million, up 45.7% from 2025.
5 outlets told this the same way.
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CDs rebound in 2026
Sales of compact discs are rising again in the United States, with the Recording Industry Association of America reporting that CDs generated $171.1 million in revenue during the first half of 2026. TechCrunch ties the rebound to RIAA figures showing 17.5 million units sold in that same period, up 45.7% from roughly 12 million units in the first half of 2025. The earlier downturn is also quantified in the RIAA’s reporting, with TechCrunch saying CD revenue fell 7.8% for the full year 2025, from $338.9 million in 2024 to $312.4 million in 2025.
KultureGeek adds that 29.5 million CDs were sold over the entire 2025 year, and it places the rebound within a broader physical-media comeback. KultureGeek also reports that physical media revenues rose 25.9% to reach $731.5 million in the first half of 2026, alongside vinyl generating $543.8 million and selling 26.5 million records.
Retro tech and Gen Z
TechCrunch frames the CD comeback as part of a wider retro tech boom, listing renewed interest in “dumbphones, digital cameras, typewriters, landlines, and physical media like CDs and vinyl.” KultureGeek similarly describes the appeal of physical devices and retro technologies, naming old digital cameras, minimalist phones, typewriters, and dedicated audio players as drawing renewed interest, “especially younger ones.” TechCrunch also points to Gen Z demand for simpler devices, describing it as “a sort of yearning for an era of tech they never got to experience.”
KultureGeek says the CD rebound does not yet threaten vinyl’s dominance among physical media, noting that vinyl had already surpassed the CD in volume in the United States in 2022. In the same RIAA-based reporting, TechCrunch adds that the growth could be larger than its numbers show because they “don’t include used CD sales.”
What the numbers mean
TechCrunch highlights a methodological caveat in the RIAA’s reporting, saying the organization “changed how it calculates dollar figures in 2025,” switching from estimated retail value to wholesale value. Because of that change, TechCrunch notes that “the 2024 and 2025 revenue numbers aren’t directly comparable,” while unit sales still show the same underlying pattern. KultureGeek echoes the unit-sales comparison by stating that 2025 ended with “29.5 million units sold over the entire year,” after 2026’s first-half rebound.
The same RIAA-driven coverage also quantifies vinyl’s continued rise, with KultureGeek reporting that vinyl generated $543.8 million in the first half and sold 26.5 million records. TechCrunch concludes by pointing to the broader physical-media context, saying “Vinyl sales continue to grow, too,” and adding that physical media revenue in the first half of 2026 jumped 25.9% to $731.5 million.