CDs are back with an impressive sales increase in the United States after 17 years of drought.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 22: A wide range of compact discs are seen in the CD music section of the Barbican Library following it's re-opening, at the Barbican Centre on July 22, 2020 in London, England. After months of closure due to the COVID-19 lockdown, the library opened it's doors to the public on July 20, with a range of safety measures in place, including a maximum 30-minute visit time, one-way systems, mandatory hand cleansing and the removal of seating. All returned items are quarantined for 72 hours to ensure the items are virus-free.
It comes despite the reign of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music in the music scene, which has replaced CDs as the mainstream means to access songs.
It is worth noting that audiophiles and music enthusiasts have been purchasing CDs and vinyls, albeit the digitalization of music in the past two decades with the advent of iPods or MP3 players and now-streaming services.
CDs are Back with US Sales Increase
As per a news story by The Verge, CD sales in the US saw a slight increase after consistently falling in the past years.
The latest figures were from the data of the Recording Industry Association of America or RIAA, which showed that the US CD sales have massively increased to a whopping 46.6 million in 2021 compared to its 2020 performance, which only accounted for 31.6 million.
On top of that, the overall revenue of CD sales has also increased along with its surging sales, at least in the US.
To be more precise, the CD shipment revenue last 2021 has ballooned to a staggering $584.2 million from its $483.2 million figures way back in 2020.
It is interesting to point out that it is the first time that CD sales saw an increase in its sales since 2004 when it started to steadily go down as the years passed by.
However, The Verge noted that the sales of CDs are still unlike what it was during its glory days way back in the 2000s. During that time, billions of CDs were being shipped annually in the US, which is far from the 46 million sales from last year.
For an unknown reason, the 2021 figures were a refreshing sight to see for those who have been buying CDs amidst the fame of streaming services like Spotify.
CDs and Physical Music
According to a recent report by Axios, there has been an increase in demand for physical music nowadays, along with the continued success of digital services.
In fact, the news outlet noted that Vinyl sales have been increasing in the past years as well, garnering more than 39 million sales in the US by 2021.
As such, the overall physical music sales revenue last year has already jacked up to a hefty $1.65 billion.
This illustration picture taken on April 19, 2018 shows the logo of online streaming music service Spotify displayed on a tablet screen in Paris.
Meanwhile, streaming services like Amazon and Apple Music have already released a CD-quality feature on their platform, which they call lossless music. Spotify also previously teased a similar feature, but it has yet to be released.
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Written by Teejay Boris
