CD players, once pushed aside by smartphones and streaming services, are making a comeback. Analysts say a "retro boom" is reshaping how people listen to music as young consumers accustomed to streaming and smartphones seek out CDs.
On the 27th, according to the Guardian and others, searches for CD players at the British department store John Lewis surged 96% since July. Popular models such as the £79 (about 150,000 won) Crosley Voyager and the £129 (about 240,000 won) Pure Classic C-D6 are sold out online. Portable CD players are also counted among popular products.
This aligns with rising CD sales. According to music and entertainment market research firm Luminate, 16.3 million CDs were sold in the United States in the first half of this year, up 16% from a year earlier. Over the same period, the LP sales growth rate was just 2.4%.
◇ Instead of pricey LPs, CDs… "value for money" appeals to the young
One reason young consumers are turning to CDs is price. According to the Guardian, an LP in the U.K. costs about £35 (about 65,000 won), while a CD is about £12 (about 22,000 won). As LP prices rise, CDs are becoming a relatively affordable alternative for young consumers who want to own physical music but have limited expenditure capacity.
Even for the same record, the price gap between LPs and CDs is large. The U.K. first pressing "Damont" of Oasis's debut album "Definitely Maybe" goes for £150 to £250 depending on condition, and even standard reissue LPs run about £25 to £30. But the CD of the same album sells for about £4.
In particular, the age of consumers seeking actual CDs is trending younger. It is not only people who used CDs in the past buying again for nostalgia; young consumers accustomed to streaming and smartphones are embracing CDs in a new way. This is closely tied to the tendency to support artists and treat CDs as items to collect.
Tom Morgan-Freelander, deputy editor at U.K. tech magazine Stuff, cited the desire to step away from smartphones, better sound quality, and limited disposable income as recent drivers of CD player demand. Instead of buying a separate turntable and speakers, consumers can choose an all-in-one CD player audio unit for about £150 (about 280,000 won).
◇ One CD I chose, not an algorithm
Still, it is hard to explain the recent trend by low prices alone. Rather, the appeal seems to be the idea of a single CD "I picked myself," instead of streaming services where algorithms analyze tastes and endlessly recommend new music.
Jeyna A. Phillips, a writer who covers Gen Z trends, noted that in an era when music is virtually limitless, the act of choosing one album, inserting the CD, and listening from start to finish is part of the appeal. Instead of following algorithmic recommendations, people are consuming music as both an object and an experience.
Brand strategist Alexi Gurner described the use of portable CD players and wired headphones as "performative audiophilia," a way to express one's musical taste and cultural sensibility. With smartphones, streaming, and wireless audio becoming the norm, this is a kind of reaction aimed at reclaiming the physical and sensory aspects of music listening that have disappeared.
◇ K-pop also fuels the CD boom… BTS CD albums are emblematic
In particular, the collecting culture of K-pop fandoms appears to have influenced the rise in CD sales. CD sales at HMV, a U.K. music and entertainment retailer, rose 10% from a year earlier. HMV said exclusive content offered only on CDs by some artists is also boosting sales.
Phil Halliday, HMV managing director (MD), told the Guardian, "K-pop has been a huge driver," adding, "BTS is the most representative example of artists leading this resurgence." More consumers are also seeking CDs by other artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, and Olivia Dean.
According to Luminate, excluding K-pop sales, the U.S. CD sales growth rate in the first half of this year drops from 16% to 6.7%. In other words, K-pop has substantially lifted the increase in CD sales. BTS's comeback album "ARIRANG" sold 516,000 physical copies in its first week in the United States, of which 308,000 were CDs. Still, the fact that CD sales rose even without K-pop suggests this shift is not confined to a single fandom.
It is still unclear whether the popularity of CDs will fade as a fad or reestablish itself as a market like LPs. But with young consumers choosing not only LPs but also CDs among past music formats, attention is turning to changes in the physical record market.