Luminate's midyear 2026 report shows CD sales growing faster than vinyl, even though only about half of Gen Z and millennial CD buyers actually own a CD player. The finding underscores a shift in physical music consumption, where younger fans increasingly treat purchases as collectible merchandise and a way to support artists directly rather than as a means of listening to music.

CD sales rose 16% to 16.3 million units, compared with a 2.4% rise for vinyl, though vinyl remains the larger format overall. K-pop fandoms, particularly around BTS and ATEEZ, drove much of the surge, but CD sales still climbed 6.7% even excluding K-pop releases. The rebound is notable given that CD sales had fallen 22% year-on-year in the RIAA's 2025 midyear report, while vinyl had been roughly flat. The wider Luminate report also found R&B/hip-hop's streaming share declining despite still accounting for about a quarter of all streams, with dance/electronic, country and Latin genres gaining ground, and Spanish-language music now making up nearly one in ten US streams.