Vinyl has dominated the physical music revival for years, but another supposedly outdated format is starting to make a serious comeback.
New figures released by the RIAA show US CD revenue surged 58.6% during the first half of 2026, rising from $107.9 million to $171.1 million.
More importantly, people aren’t simply spending more on CDs. They’re buying considerably more of them.
CD sales jumped from 12 million to 17.5 million units during the same period, an increase of 45.7%.
Vinyl is still comfortably ahead, selling 26.5 million records and generating $543.8 million, but its growth was slower at 20.9% in units and 17.7% in revenue.
For rock, metal, punk and hardcore fans, there could be a pretty simple reason CDs are becoming attractive again: vinyl has become expensive.
New vinyl records can regularly cost $25, $30 or considerably more, while the same album on CD can often be picked up for around $10 to $15. For fans who actually want to build a physical music collection, that difference quickly adds up.
Then there’s the back catalogue. Pop punk, emo, post hardcore, metal and alternative music exploded during the CD era, leaving decades of albums sitting in second hand shops that can often be picked up for just a few dollars.
For younger fans discovering those bands through streaming, CDs offer a relatively cheap way to start actually owning the music they love.
And the bigger picture suggests physical music itself isn’t going anywhere. Overall US physical music revenue increased 25.9% during the first half of 2026.
None of this means vinyl is dying. Far from it. Vinyl still generates more than three times as much revenue as CDs in the US.
But after years of vinyl dominating the physical revival, CDs suddenly growing by almost 46% in units and nearly 60% in revenue is difficult to ignore.
Streaming might have changed how we listen to music, but it clearly hasn’t killed our desire to own it. With vinyl becoming an increasingly expensive hobby, perhaps fans are starting to rediscover the cheaper format sitting right next to it.
CDs might finally be having their vinyl moment.