Growth in CD sales outpaces vinyl in the US for the first half of 2026.
CD sales have grown by 16% in the US, significantly outpacing the growth of vinyl, during the first half of 2026.
The data was discovered in Luminate’s 2026 Midyear Report, a report where they track trends in music, television and film.
The entertainment data company found that 16.3 million CD's were sold across the US between January and the end of June. This is compared to vinyl sales which grew 2.4%.
The report clarified that vinyl is still more popular despite having a slower growth rate.
Luminate state that the rapid increase in CD sales is attributed to "collection building" and "price accessibility" and they do consider K-Pop to be a huge contributing factor to the rapid CD sales growth.
However, they also confirm that approximately half of Gen Z and Millennials who have purchased a CD do not own a CD player.
Speaking on the report and the rise in CD sales, Jaime Marconette, VP, Music Insights & Industry Relations, at Luminate said: “At the halfway point in 2026, music industry benchmarks show an industry continuing to expand its global footprint, with audio streaming up nearly 10% worldwide and physical formats surging domestically."
"Dance/Electronic has emerged as the year’s leading U.S. growth genre, driven by current hits and a nostalgia-fueled spike in 2015–2017 catalog tracks. This parallels a 16% surge in CD sales, fueled by collectible K-pop releases. The mechanics of modern music consumption are shifting toward culture-driven growth and community engagement," he continued.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Harry Styles' 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally' was the UK's biggest -selling vinyl album of 2026. The album sold 69,000 copies by mid-April since it's release on March 6th.
Styles is followed by Olivia Dean in second place for her second LP 'The Art Of Loving'.
