Forget Spotify and its perpetual music recommendation engine, the people have spoken and physical media is making one heluvah comeback. And we’re not just talking about vinyl, the sales of which have been on the rise for some 19 years now. Both CD and cassette are seeing surges in popularity as the world decides to press pause on streaming and get back to actually owning music again.
According to MusicWeek, the sales of vinyl are set to surpass CDs in the UK by the end of 2026. Now, this is an interesting stat as vinyl sales have easily passed CDs the last four years in a row. However, CD is having its own resurgence thanks to K-Pop: the popularity of BTS’ ARIRANG on CD has meant that vinyl has a real physical rival again. Couple this with Taylor Swift using the format to her advantage, releasing four CD editions of The Life of a Showgirl in 2025, and those digital discs are very much back in business.
