Sales increased 58.6% during the six-month period.
Photo credit: Brett Jordan on Unsplash
US CD revenues increased by 58.6% during the first half of 2026, reaching an estimated US$171 million, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s latest mid-year report.
The increase contributed to a broader 25.9% rise across physical music formats. Combined revenues from CDs, vinyl, and cassette tapes reached approximately US$731.5 million during the six months.
Vinyl remained the largest physical format, generating around US$544 million after revenues increased by 17.7%. In contrast, revenue from single and album downloads declined by 12.7%.
Overall US recorded music revenues rose 6.9% to approximately $6 billion. Streaming continued to account for the majority of the market, generating $4.3 billion, including $3.4 billion from paid subscriptions.
The figures are detailed in the RIAA’s 2026 Mid-Year Recorded Music Revenue Report.
Read the full report here.
