Music fans return to CDs for ownership, focus and album listening

CDs are enjoying a resurgence as some music fans turn to physical albums for a more deliberate listening experience and greater control over what they hear. John Lewis reported a 96% rise in searches for CD players since July, while a separate trend report found CD sales had increased by 16%.

Fans cited different reasons for returning to discs: London collector Andrew Wales owns well over 10,000 CDs and values their compact size and availability of some classical recordings; Gabriela Crowley says CDs help cut through streaming’s abundance of choice; and Neil Cumming buys directly from independent musicians to support them. Others value owning music that can disappear from streaming services, or listening to albums in sequence. Some still use streaming to discover new music, while choosing CDs for everyday listening.