CD sales in USA rise for first time in nearly two-decade

According to the latest report, data released by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) shows that in 2021, CD sales in the United States will increase for the first time in nearly two decades.

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Moreover, shipments increased from 31.6 million in 2020 to 46.6 million in 2021, and revenue increased from $483.2 million to $584.2 million. U.S. CD sales peaked at nearly 1 billion in 2000, and have been falling since then. Regarding the increase in CD sales this year, some media believe that this increase is a sign of the recovery of physical music.

Furthermore, RIAA data shows that in 2021, music subscription revenue will be $8.6 billion, accounting for 57.2% of total revenue, streaming media revenue will be $1.8 billion, and CD and vinyl sales will add up to less than 11% of total revenue.

The sources believe that compared to digital music, vinyl records provide a unique experience, and CDs contain digital music that is basically the same as that provided by lossless music streaming services.

But CDs still offered what digital music couldn’t—a beautiful physical entity with an album cover that gave the owner a real sense of ownership.

(via)