In the United States, CD sales are on the rise again in 2021, increasing by more than 20% compared to the year before. An impressive growth which does not signify the return of the format, since 2020 was a very special period, which confuses the tracks.
–
Is listening to music on a CD back in fashion? While sales have continued to plummet since 2004, the little disc is experiencing a strong comeback in 2021. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), CD sales jumped 21% in 2021.
46.6 million small patties were sold in 2021, compared to 31 million in 2020. This means revenues of $584 million for the industry. We are still far from the stratospheric figures of the beginning of the century (over 700 million CDs sold in the United States in 2004), but there is improvement for the first time in almost 20 years.
Is the CD signing its big comeback?
We could then wonder if the CD is signing its great comeback as a vintage object, like the vinyl before it. Not so fast… These figures show the progress between 2020 and 2021, and we all know that 2020 was a special year: record stores were closed most of the time and the concerts have been canceled (no CD sales after the show, therefore). We will have to look scrupulously at the figures for 2022 to see if this trend is confirmed or if this is just a jump before death.
ALSO READ – Vinyl sales beat CD sales for the first time in 34 years
Vinyl, on the other hand, continues to be a popular item for collectors, with a 61% increase in 2020 to 2021. Revenues from the format have brought in $1 billion to the industry in the United States.
Today, it is of course the streaming platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, etc.) that are doing well. 2021, increasing by 24% compared to 2020.
The CD therefore remains largely in the minority, but it is interesting to note a recovery in sales. It must be said that the followers of the physical format remain numerous. The relationship is not the same between a playlist on Spotify and a hard object.
–
