CD sales on the rise: Absurd nostalgia or Gen-Z trend?
The CD is making a comeback - what does this mean for the future of music?
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CD sales on the rise: nostalgia or Gen-Z trend? · Source: Chris Howes/Wild Places Photography / Alamy Stock Foto
CD sales are experiencing an unexpected resurgence and are now well ahead of digital download album sales. According to the Recording Industry Association of America‘s (RIAA) mid-year report, CDs sold almost three times as well as digital albums in the first half of the year. CD sales totalled $236.7 million, while downloads generated only $87.8 million. These figures show a remarkable shift in favour of physical recordings, which many had declared dead.
All you need to know about the boom in CD sales
Why the CD is suddenly booming again and what it means for streaming
Interestingly, the comeback of the CD is largely due to younger listeners. According to the French music industry group SNEP, 43% of CD purchasers are under the age of 35. This generation is showing a growing interest in physical music formats, which can be attributed to several factors.
Firstly, CD sales offer a tangible connection to music, which is increasingly valued in the digital age. In addition, many people prefer the uncompressed sound quality of CDs to streaming or compressed digital files. Nostalgia also plays an important role: for many young people, the CD represents a return to a medium they only know from stories of their parents. In addition, CDs are a cheaper way to build a physical music collection than vinyl records.
CD sales are exploding: Why young people are going retro
While CD sales remain stable, digital downloads are in sharp decline and represent only a small part of the music industry’s total revenue. In the first half of 2007, digital album sales generated just $87.8 million, down 18.5 percent from the previous year.
Single track sales also fell by 16.1 per cent to $81.8 million. Overall, digital download revenue fell by 15.8 per cent to $189.7 million. This clearly shows that music lovers are increasingly turning to streaming services and digital downloads are becoming less in demand.
CD and vinyl sales are outperforming digital formats: What it means for the future
In addition to CD and vinyl sales, which continue to play an important role in the market, streaming services are also experiencing growth. Paid subscriptions to music streaming services grew by 4% to $5.7 billion, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the music industry’s total revenue. It seems that physical recordings and streaming can co-exist, while digital downloads are becoming less important.
This could mark the end of digital downloads, while CD sales are making a surprising comeback. The music landscape is therefore more diverse than ever, with a mix of physical and digital formats catering to different listener preferences.
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6 responses to “CD sales on the rise: Absurd nostalgia or Gen-Z trend?”
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WTF is this title ?
CD is the only physical format commonly available that have perfect audio quality (for the human ear), that’s compact (it’s in the name) and that is practical to use (decent length, tracks…)
If you want a format that you actually own and that actually support artists (contrary to streaming) CD is the most reasonable choice.
I really wish that this revival can lead to advancement in durability (we have the tech, we need the incentive), but other than that, CD revival makes far more sense than vinyls or bloody cassettes.
If you buy music at Bandcamp you can download it in much better quality than CD aswell as longer length (yes I’m a sucker for ambient) and you support the artist. So no need to get a digital disc for that. Anyway, nice that people spending on music either way
Interesting, although “on the rise” in the title is rather misleading: the linked report says CD sales only grew by 0.3% since 2023 vs. vinyl’s 17%. It’s more of a digital download decline than a CD comeback.
I’m reading this in Sept of 2024. Why did you reference something from 2007
Tell that to the auto makers. If you can’t play it in your car, might as well stick with streaming…
Youngsters are beginning to realize that a physical copy is forever. A subscription to a streaming service lasts as long as the service remains solvent (and doesn’t jack up the fee repeatedly).
Music is something you SHOULD hand down to your kids.