Why young people are buying CDs they might never play

Compact discs are enjoying an unexpected revival among younger buyers. According to market-research firm Luminate, CD sales in the United States rose 16% in the first half of this year to 16.3 million units, with Gen Z and millennials driving much of that growth.

The more surprising finding is that roughly half of younger CD buyers reportedly do not have a device to play them on. For these consumers, the disc itself is increasingly being treated as an affordable collectable, piece of merchandise or physical connection to an artist rather than simply a way to hear an album

K-pop has played a major role in the resurgence. Elaborately packaged albums can come with photo cards, posters, stickers and multiple collectible editions, helping turn a CD release into something closer to a fan package.

Luminate says K-pop accounted for more than half of this year’s rise in US CD sales, helped by major releases from artists including BTS and ATEEZ. Even after removing K-pop from the figures, however, CD sales were still up 6.7%, suggesting the trend extends beyond one fandom.

Price may also help: CDs are generally cheaper than vinyl and easier to store, giving younger fans a relatively accessible way to own a physical version of music they may otherwise stream.

In the UK, department store John Lewis reported that searches for CD players had risen 96% since July. The Guardian also found teenagers and twenty-somethings browsing CD aisles for reasons ranging from affordability to better sound and a desire to spend less time relying on their phones.

The renewed interest is ostensibly part of a wider push back against entirely digital entertainment. People interviewed by The Guardian in October described returning to CDs, DVDs and other physical formats because they wanted more control over what they watched and listened to.

Some disliked having their tastes constantly tracked and shaped by algorithms, while others were frustrated that streaming services could remove favourite titles without warning.

One collector summed up the appeal neatly: “If you can’t hold it, you don’t own it.” Others said physical media encouraged them to listen to whole albums again rather than endlessly skip between playlists.

That thinking is showing up closer to home, too. Earlier this year, FMT Lifestyle reported that many customers at Kuala Lumpur record shop SputnikRekordz were younger people rediscovering vinyl, CDs and cassettes.

Founder Naza Mohammad said physical formats still held a particular appeal for listeners who wanted to sit down and engage more deliberately with music.

None of this means streaming is in trouble – it remains overwhelmingly dominant, accounting for roughly 82% of US recorded-music revenue in the first half of 2026.

What appears to be changing is the role of physical music. Streaming provides convenience, while a CD can offer artwork, packaging, collectability and the satisfaction of owning something tangible.

For a generation accustomed to almost unlimited music living invisibly inside a phone, that might be precisely the point.

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