Luminate’s 2026 midyear report indicates that Gen Z and millennials are buying more CDs, even though many do not own the devices needed to play them. Across the generations studied, about half of CD purchasers say they do not have a CD player. The report frames the behavior as “collection building,” with CDs increasingly treated as affordable collectibles and ownership items rather than solely as audio formats.
Vice and Slashdot both point to overall physical-media momentum in the United States during the first half of 2026, with combined CD, vinyl, and cassette sales reaching 38.2 million units and rising year over year. CD sales show continued growth as well, with Luminate reporting a 6.7% increase year over year; removing K-pop’s influence still leaves gains, according to the cited figures.
Retail and listening trends are also shifting. Indie record stores remain a major source of physical album sales, while big-box retailers such as Target and Walmart account for roughly 30% of the market collectively. The data also suggests younger listeners are increasingly drawn to older music catalogues.
