How Gen Z Are Rediscovering CD's, And What It Means For Physical Media
27 August, 2026In the grand old year of 2026, most of us by now are used to music arriving instantly. When a new single drops, we open Spotify, press play and carry on with our day (or put our headphones on in preparation for a music-fuelled spiritual experience). But there’s far less- or for some none at all- waiting for the post- or a trip to the record shop and certainly no need to find something to play a disc on.
But apparently a change is afoot. History repeats itself as they say, trends go in circles and some people can influence those changes.
On 21 August, the ever-beloved by Gen Z Olivia Rodrigo surprise-released a new song, “Serena Joy”, as a very limited CD single with just 500 copies available exclusively through independent record shops. It only took a few hours for there to be none left and people were then left waiting for a digital or wider release if they want to hear the song.
In the world of streaming, 500 listens would be nothing for an artist the calibre of Rodrigo, but this suggests that CDs aren’t just surviving but maybe, just like vinyl, on the verge of a boom period with the younger generation.
Of course, one cannot minimise the star power of someone like an Olivia Rodrigo and just her name attached to it is obviously an incentive for young fans to run to the shops and grab a copy- not to mention its limited nature. But what’s next?
For years, CDs seemed destined to become little more than a relic of the early 2000s. Streaming made music easier, cheaper and more accessible, while vinyl has transformed into a more niche, nostalgic collector’s format- whereas CD found themselves somewhere in the middle.
But just as ongoing conversation is, well, ongoing, more and more people are now looking to go back to physical media; PlayStation seems to have started a kind of domino effect since the announcement of their no-disc future. A vinyl record, a CD, a DVD or a game disc becomes a physical reminder of something you connected with, rather than it being one of a million buried in a digital space.
Interestingly, that shift is already happening. According to the BPI, UK CD revenue actually grew by 3.1% in 2025, reaching £99.6 million and its strongest annual revenue total since 2021. Considering that this followed a period of multiple years where the format had experienced steep decline, it’s certainly worth taking note of.
Perhaps even more telling is that those sales are increasingly being driven by new releases rather than reissues. Among the biggest sellers have been albums by Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga- suggesting that CDs are increasingly being treated as a current format rather than simply a way for older listeners to revisit the music of their youth.
But the UK isn't alone. Across the Atlantic, the US is seeing a similar resurgence, with CD sales reportedly up 16% in 2026, driven in large part by the huge popularity of K-pop. BTS’ ARIRANG, for example, was one of the biggest contributors to the US CD surge in the first half of 2026. But even excluding the wider K-pop catalogue, CD sales were still up 6.7%, suggesting that the format's revival extends well beyond a handful of blockbuster releases.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about all this however is who is buying them. Whilst vinyl has become increasingly popular with younger listeners, CDs are smaller, cheaper and easier to store- and we know that people love a bit of convenience! But for a generation that have all the convenience in the world having grown up in the digital age, CDs can feel like something new.
It isn’t simply about accessibility or convenience though, that engagement is about fandom and community as much as listening. A physical release can be something to collect, display, trade and share with other fans. This is particularly obvious in K-pop, where albums have become highly collectible packages featuring different versions, exclusive artwork, photocards and other inclusions. The CD itself can almost become secondary to the experience of owning a piece of a particular era or being part of a wider fan community.
But what Olivia Rodrigo did with “Serena Joy” is create a moment. Moments are becoming increasingly more important in the entertainment worlds right now with movies like The Odyssey getting people excited about the cinema. Now Olivia Rodrigo is getting people excited to go to music stores and pick up a physical CD, especially with its scarcity. She has already experimented with the idea of exclusivity with physical media in the past. Her limited “vampire” CD single for example, included a demo that wasn't available on the standard release.
And that idea of the ‘moment’ is perhaps key to understanding the CD revival. Limited editions, exclusive artwork, alternate covers, bonus tracks and special packaging have transformed physical releases into something closer to merchandise and memorabilia than simply a way of listening to an album.
Basically, the younger gen are discovering that there is something actually very nice about having an album in your hands, flipping through the artwork, reading the lyrics, and putting it on your shelf to look at and launch into show-and-tells with unsuspecting visitors.
Whilst vinyl still dominates cultural conversation around physical music, CDs could be a very good entry point for younger fans who want to start collecting, and unlike back when CDs were the default, now it’s a choice.
I don’t think that I need to launch into a rant on why physical media is the way and why it should be saved and should be preserved- instead I can refer you to this- my rant on why physical media is the way and why it should be saved and should be preserved.
Obviously, CD or any type of physical media is unlikely to replace streaming, just as it shouldn’t be the case the other way around but that's not really the point. The two should comfortably coexist. You can stream an album on the tube, on the bus, listen to it through your headphones at the gym and then come home to find the CD sitting on your shelf.
The numbers are moving in an exciting direction- new releases are driving sales, younger fans are discovering the appeal of physical music, and artists are increasingly finding creative ways to make physical editions feel special.
And we’re here for it. Obviously.
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