--- title: "Vinyl outsells CDs in the US, but CD sales are growing faster in 2026" description: "US vinyl passed $1bn in 2025 and outsells CDs, yet CD sales grew 16% in early 2026. The verified RIAA, IFPI, BPI and Luminate numbers explained." url: "https://eclair.world/news/vinyl-outsells-cds" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-12" updated: "2026-11-12" --- # Vinyl outsells CDs in the US, but CD sales are growing faster in 2026 > **Key takeaways** — In the United States, vinyl records have outsold CDs every year since 2022, and vinyl revenue passed $1 billion in 2025. In the first half of 2026, however, CD sales grew much faster than vinyl, and in the UK the CD still sells more units. Yes, in the United States vinyl now outsells the CD by a wide margin. In 2025 Americans bought about 46.8 million vinyl records against 29.5 million CDs, and vinyl revenue passed $1 billion for the first time since 1983. But the picture is less one-sided than the headline suggests: CD sales grew far faster than vinyl in the first half of 2026, and in the UK the CD still sells more units. > **Key points** — US vinyl revenue rose 9.3% to just over $1 billion in 2025, its 19th consecutive year of growth (RIAA). > US vinyl units (46.8 million) were roughly 1.6 times CD units (29.5 million) in 2025. > In January–June 2026, US CD sales rose 16% while vinyl grew only 2.4% (Luminate). > In the UK, 9.7 million CDs were sold in 2025 against 7.6 million vinyl LPs (BPI). ## Does vinyl really outsell CDs? In the US it does, in both units and money. The Recording Industry Association of America's year-end report for 2025, published on 16 March 2026, put vinyl revenue at about $1.04 billion, up 9.3%, and vinyl units at 46.8 million, [according to Music Week's report on the figures](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/riaa-us-revenue-hits-record-high-as-vinyl-sales-pass-1-billion/093770). CD units stood at 29.5 million, [Mix reported](https://www.mixonline.com/business/record-industry-hit-new-revenue-milestones-in-2025), with CD revenue of about $312 million. The crossover is recent. Vinyl first sold more units than CDs in the US in 2022, when about 41 million records were sold against 33 million CDs, the first time since 1987, [CBS News reported](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vinyl-record-sales-top-cds-first-time-since-1987) from the RIAA data at the time. **US physical music, 2025 (RIAA, wholesale revenue)** | Format | Units | Revenue | Change in revenue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Vinyl | 46.8 million | about $1.04 billion | +9.3% | | CD | 29.5 million | about $312 million | nearly −8% | | All recorded music | n/a | about $11.5 billion | record high | ## Why is vinyl growing when almost everyone streams? Vinyl grows because it has become a collectible, not a replacement for streaming. Streaming still accounts for 82% of US recorded music revenue, and vinyl now represents about 75% of all US physical revenue, [Hypebot reported](https://www.hypebot.com/us-music-revenue-hits-record-11-5b-as-vinyl-surpasses-1b) from the RIAA data. Vinyl's appeal lies in owning an object: large artwork, coloured pressings and limited editions. Globally, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) found that vinyl revenue rose 13.7% in 2025, its 19th straight year of growth, while total recorded music revenue reached $31.7 billion, [Music Week reported](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/ifpi-global-recorded-music-revenue-up-6-in-2025-as-industry-embraces-the-future-on-ai/093789). Industry summaries of the report point to higher prices and multiple variants of the same album, aimed at dedicated fans, as part of the explanation. That means revenue can rise faster than the number of people buying records. ## Is the CD making a comeback in 2026? There are early signs of one, but it is concentrated. The data firm Luminate's [2026 midyear report](https://luminatedata.com/blog/luminate-2026-midyear-report-trends-in-music-television-film/), published on 15 July 2026, found that US CD sales rose 16% to 16.3 million units in January–June, while vinyl LP sales grew 2.4%. The CD surge is driven largely by K-pop fandoms, which buy CDs as collectible packages. Without K-pop, Luminate calculated, US CD growth would have been 6.7%. Vinyl remains the larger format in the US; the change is in momentum, not in rank. ## Is it the same in the UK? No. In the UK the CD still sells more units than vinyl. The British record industry body BPI reported that vinyl sales rose for an 18th consecutive year in 2025, to 7.6 million units, up 13.3%, in its [annual figures published on 31 December 2025](https://www.bpi.co.uk/news/12963051). CDs fell 7.6% but still sold 9.7 million units, according to [Music Week's breakdown](https://www.musicweek.com/public_html/index.php/labels/read/bpi-uk-stars-make-global-impact-and-physical-maintains-momentum-but-streaming-growth-slows-in-2025/093301) of the BPI data. - UK vinyl LPs, 2025: 7.6 million units (+13.3%). - UK CDs, 2025: 9.7 million units (−7.6%). - UK physical total, 2025: 17.6 million units (+1.4%). - UK total consumption: 210.3 million albums or streamed equivalent (+4.9%). So the claim that vinyl has overtaken the CD is accurate for the US, but not for every market. ## What does this mean for listeners and artists? For most listeners, very little changes: streaming is how most music is heard, and physical formats are a supplement. How streaming pays has also changed how songs are written, as our explainer on [why hit songs got shorter in the streaming era](https://eclair.world/news/streaming-song-length) shows. For artists and labels, physical sales matter more than their share suggests, because each sale earns far more than a single stream. Buyers who want to listen without buying can often borrow CDs and records from their local library; our piece on [what the data says about public library use](https://eclair.world/news/public-libraries-boom) looks at how lending is changing. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did vinyl last outsell CDs before 2022? In the United States, vinyl last sold more units than CDs in 1987, before the CD became the dominant format. The RIAA's 2022 figures, published in March 2023, showed vinyl ahead again for the first time in 35 years, with about 41 million records sold against 33 million CDs. Vinyl has stayed ahead in the US every year since. ### How much was vinyl worth in the US in 2025? According to the RIAA, US vinyl revenue reached about $1.04 billion in 2025, up 9.3% on 2024. It was the first time vinyl passed $1 billion since 1983 and the format's 19th consecutive year of growth. The RIAA reports wholesale revenue, so the amount spent in shops is higher. ### Are CD sales growing again? In the US, yes, at least in early 2026. Luminate found CD sales rose 16% to 16.3 million units in the first half of 2026, compared with 2.4% growth for vinyl. Much of the increase came from K-pop releases; excluding them, CD growth was 6.7%. Full-year 2026 figures will show whether the trend lasts. ### Does vinyl outsell CDs in the UK? Not in units. BPI figures for 2025 show 9.7 million CDs sold in the UK against 7.6 million vinyl LPs. Vinyl is growing, up 13.3% and rising for an 18th straight year, while CDs fell 7.6%. If those trends continue, vinyl could overtake the CD in the UK, but it had not done so by the end of 2025. ## Sources - [RIAA — US recorded music annual revenue achieves new high of $11.5 billion in 2025](https://www.riaa.com/riaa-reports-us-recorded-music-annual-revenue-achieves-new-high-of-11-5-billion-in-2025/) (16 March 2026) - [Music Week — RIAA: US revenue hits record high as vinyl sales pass $1 billion](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/riaa-us-revenue-hits-record-high-as-vinyl-sales-pass-1-billion/093770) (16 March 2026) - [Mix — Record industry hit new revenue milestones in 2025](https://www.mixonline.com/business/record-industry-hit-new-revenue-milestones-in-2025) (17 March 2026) - [Luminate — 2026 Midyear Report: trends in music, television and film](https://luminatedata.com/blog/luminate-2026-midyear-report-trends-in-music-television-film/) (15 July 2026) - [Music Week — IFPI: global recorded music revenue up 6% in 2025](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/ifpi-global-recorded-music-revenue-up-6-in-2025-as-industry-embraces-the-future-on-ai/093789) (18 March 2026) - [BPI — UK recorded music grows for an 11th consecutive year in 2025](https://www.bpi.co.uk/news/12963051) (31 December 2025) - [Music Week — BPI: physical maintains momentum but streaming growth slows in 2025](https://www.musicweek.com/public_html/index.php/labels/read/bpi-uk-stars-make-global-impact-and-physical-maintains-momentum-but-streaming-growth-slows-in-2025/093301) (31 December 2025) - [CBS News — Vinyl record sales top CDs for first time since 1987](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vinyl-record-sales-top-cds-first-time-since-1987) (10 March 2023) — Thierry Gustin, Editor-in-chief · November 12, 2026