US CD Sales Surge 16% in H1 2026, Outpacing Vinyl

Luminate’s 2026 Midyear Report shows U.S. physical music sales rebounding, with compact‑disc units rising 16 % to 16.3 million in the first half of 2026—far outpacing vinyl’s modest 2.4 % growth. Total physical album sales (CDs, vinyl and cassettes) climbed 7.8 % to 38.2 million units, driven in part by K‑pop collectors but extending beyond that genre; even after removing BTS and other K‑pop titles, CD sales were still up 6.7 % year‑over‑year.

Streaming continued its expansion, reaching 2.8 trillion on‑demand audio streams globally and 732.7 billion in the United States, a 4.8 % increase from the previous year. While R&B/hip‑hop remains the top‑streamed genre, its share fell to 30 % of U.S. album‑equivalent consumption, down from 41 % in 2023. Latin and country music are gaining ground, with Latin tracks accounting for 9.4 % of U.S. streams and 54 % of listeners reporting engagement; country streams reached 63.8 billion. Top‑selling albums include Morgan Wallen’s *I’m the Problem*, Ella Langley’s *Dandelion* and Bad Bunny’s *Debí Tirar Más Fotos*.

Retail dynamics shifted as Target and Walmart captured nearly 30 % of the physical‑media market, while independent record stores still hold the majority share. The report also notes a rise in AI‑generated tracks and a growing nostalgia‑driven interest in physical formats among Gen Z listeners, many of whom now favor music from the 1990s or earlier.