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In brief: Sony would like you to think physical media is dead but according to recent data from Luminate, that's not the case across the board. In fact, some formats are actually experiencing a resurgence. In the first half of 2026, sales of CDs shot up 16 percent in the US to 16.3 million units.
Much of the growth can be attributed to younger buyers, but here's the unexpected part. According to the market research firm, roughly half of Gen Z and Millennial CD buyers don't even own a CD player. So, why are people buying CDs without a way to listen to them?
Luminate said the data suggests CDs have been reclassified from a functional audio format into an affordable collectible. In a world that's increasingly digital, physical goods are becoming more rare by the day. Physical media like CDs and vinyl is a holdover from an earlier time, and today's youth are discovering some of the same qualities that buyers from yesteryear enjoyed – namely, owning a tangible product and being able to appreciate it at any point and time without an active Internet connection.
