CD sales are trending up? Yes. And here’s why.
If you go back and check any of my weekly reports on Canadian CD and vinyl sales (here’s the latest), you’ll see that after months and months of decline, CD sales are once again trending up. In fact, the rate of sales growth for CDs in some territories like the UK is greater than that of vinyl. What’s happening?
A couple of things.
- The BTS album ARIRANG has moved a lot of physical copies. K-pop fans want everything their heroes release in all formats.
- Gen Z is suffering from digital burnout. After living their whole lives online, they’re looking for something that’s there IRL. While about half of Gen Z CD buyers don’t have a CD player, they still want a physical representation of what they’re streaming.
- Millennials? Same thing. “Give me something real.”
- Gen X is also suffering from digital burnout. Many (55%) are buying CDs and vinyl out of nostalgia and memories of a simpler time.
- Boomers? Same as it ever was.
Streaming is still growing, too, but alongside the old physical formats. The analogue revival is real. Where do you sit?
