CD sales are making an unexpected comeback amid a retro tech boom
CD sales are making an unexpected comeback amid a retro tech boom
在复古科技热潮中，CD 销量意外回升
Retro tech is making a comeback, and this week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) put hard numbers to that trend in terms of music consumption habits. Surprisingly, the organization reported that CDs — yes, the shiny, round things that Spotify supposedly killed — are growing once again. 复古科技正在回归。本周，美国唱片业协会（RIAA）通过音乐消费习惯的数据证实了这一趋势。令人惊讶的是，该协会报告称，CD——没错，就是那些本应被 Spotify 终结的闪亮圆盘——销量再次增长。
According to the RIAA’s new report, CDs generated $171.1 million in revenue during the first half of 2026 — up 58.6% from roughly $107.9 million in the first half of 2025 — on 17.5 million units sold, up 45.7% from about 12 million units in the same period last year. That rebound is all the more interesting because it follows a rough 2025. Last year’s full-year report showed CD revenue had actually fallen 7.8% for the full year, from $338.9 million in 2024 to $312.4 million in 2025, while units sold dropped 11.6%, from 33.3 million to 29.5 million. 根据 RIAA 的最新报告，2026 年上半年 CD 收入达到 1.711 亿美元，较 2025 年上半年的约 1.079 亿美元增长了 58.6%；销量为 1750 万张，较去年同期的约 1200 万张增长了 45.7%。这次反弹之所以引人注目，是因为它发生在一个艰难的 2025 年之后。去年的全年报告显示，CD 收入实际上全年下降了 7.8%，从 2024 年的 3.389 亿美元降至 2025 年的 3.124 亿美元，销量则下降了 11.6%，从 3330 万张降至 2950 万张。
The growth comes amid a surge of renewed interest in simpler tech, like so-called dumbphones, digital cameras, typewriters, landlines, and physical media like CDs and vinyl, among other categories. For Gen Z, the demand for these devices represents a sort of yearning for an era of tech they never got to experience — where you had more control over when you engaged with technology and how, and tech itself had less room to invade your life with its notifications, addictive apps, and algorithms. 这种增长正值人们对更简单科技的兴趣重新高涨之际，例如所谓的“功能机”（dumbphones）、数码相机、打字机、固定电话，以及 CD 和黑胶唱片等实体媒介。对于 Z 世代来说，对这些设备的需求代表了他们对一个从未经历过的科技时代的向往——在那个时代，你可以更好地掌控使用科技的时间和方式，而科技本身也没有那么多机会通过通知、令人上瘾的应用程序和算法来侵入你的生活。
Several startups are playing in this space now, too, including landline makers like Tin Can, Ooma, and Pinwheel, and non-smartphones like those from Light, Dumb Co, Minimal, and others, including the soon-to-launch BlackBerry-like Clicks. Meanwhile, Gen Z consumers are snapping up old gadgets at thrift stores or on vintage tech websites like eBay or Retrospekt. 目前，多家初创公司也正在涉足这一领域，包括 Tin Can、Ooma 和 Pinwheel 等固定电话制造商，以及 Light、Dumb Co、Minimal 等推出的非智能手机，还包括即将推出的类似黑莓手机的 Clicks。与此同时，Z 世代消费者正在二手店或 eBay、Retrospekt 等复古科技网站上抢购旧设备。
And to be fair, the trend could be bigger than the RIAA’s numbers demonstrate, as they don’t include used CD sales, like those discs bought from thrift bins or garage sales, nor do they account for how many CDs have now been handed down from Gen X parents to their kids. 平心而论，这一趋势的规模可能比 RIAA 的数据所显示的还要大，因为这些数据不包括二手 CD 的销售（例如从旧货箱或车库拍卖中购买的唱片），也没有统计有多少 CD 现在正由 X 世代的父母传给他们的孩子。
We should note there’s one caveat to the trend here. The RIAA changed how it calculates dollar figures in 2025, switching from estimated retail value to wholesale value. That means the 2024 and 2025 revenue numbers aren’t directly comparable. But unit sales, which aren’t affected by that change, tell the same fundamental story: 29.5 million CDs sold in 2025, down from 33.3 million in 2024. So CDs were still declining before this year’s unexpected rebound. 我们需要指出该趋势的一个注意事项。RIAA 在 2025 年更改了金额计算方式，从预估零售价值改为批发价值。这意味着 2024 年和 2025 年的收入数据无法直接比较。但不受此变化影响的销量数据说明了同样的基本事实：2025 年 CD 销量为 2950 万张，低于 2024 年的 3330 万张。因此，在今年意外反弹之前，CD 确实仍处于下滑趋势。
Vinyl sales continue to grow, too. In fact, so-called physical media revenue in the first half of 2026 jumped 25.9% to $731.5 million, driven not only by the 58.6% increase in CD revenue but also by a 17.7% increase in vinyl revenue. 黑胶唱片的销量也在持续增长。事实上，2026 年上半年所谓的“实体媒介”收入增长了 25.9%，达到 7.315 亿美元，这不仅得益于 CD 收入 58.6% 的增长，还得益于黑胶唱片收入 17.7% 的增长。