How to Collect CDs

如何收藏 CD

When I started collecting physical media in 2009 at 13 years old, CDs still dominated the market. Big-box retail stores had music sections with rows and rows of sealed jewel cases, and it was normal to spend $25 on a deluxe album or a box set. 2009 年，当我 13 岁开始收藏实体唱片时，CD 依然统治着市场。大型零售店里设有专门的音乐区，货架上摆满了密封的塑料盒装 CD，花 25 美元买一张豪华版专辑或套装是很平常的事。

Less than a decade later, streaming had taken over. Vinyl records outsold CDs for the first time in 2022. The Compact Disc began to feel like an afterthought. 不到十年后，流媒体便占据了主导地位。2022 年，黑胶唱片的销量首次超过了 CD。光盘（Compact Disc）开始变得像是一个被遗忘的角落。

But now the CD is enjoying a surge in popularity thanks to cultural shifts like the rise in K-pop, the backlash against the streaming platforms’ policies, and Gen-Zers driving hand-me-down cars without Bluetooth connectivity. When I walked into a record store in July and found a deluxe CD for Madonna’s new album, Confessions II, on sale for $34, more expensive than some of the vinyl pressings, it finally felt like the format was officially back. (And yes, I bought it.) 但如今，得益于 K-pop 的兴起、人们对流媒体平台政策的抵制，以及 Z 世代驾驶着没有蓝牙连接功能的二手车等文化转变，CD 正在经历人气激增。今年 7 月，当我走进一家唱片店，发现麦当娜新专辑《Confessions II》的豪华版 CD 售价为 34 美元，甚至比一些黑胶唱片还要贵时，我终于感觉到这种格式正式回归了。（没错，我买了。）

According to 2026 data from the entertainment industry research firm Luminate, K-pop groups like BTS, Enhypen, and ATEEZ contributed to an overall 16 percent increase in CD sales so far this year, thanks to collectible editions that encouraged fans to buy multiple copies of the groups’ albums. This seems to be the major shift between the old way of buying music and the new normal: CDs are looked at more as merch—collectibles that support the artist—than as necessities to hear the songs. According to the same Luminate report, if K-pop were taken out of the data, disc sales would’ve still increased 6.7 percent. 根据娱乐行业研究公司 Luminate 2026 年的数据，BTS、Enhypen 和 ATEEZ 等 K-pop 组合推动了今年迄今为止 CD 总销量 16% 的增长，这要归功于鼓励粉丝购买多张专辑的收藏版设计。这似乎是旧式音乐购买方式与新常态之间的重大转变：CD 现在更多地被视为周边商品——即支持艺术家的收藏品——而非聆听歌曲的必需品。同一份 Luminate 报告显示，如果剔除 K-pop 数据，光盘销量仍增长了 6.7%。

Though the numbers show solid growth, CDs are nowhere near as hot as they used to be. The music industry sold 16.3 million discs in the first half of this year, a paltry number compared to the CD’s heyday around the turn of the millennium, when annual sales topped 900 million. Still, their collectible physicality has brought them back into fashion. 尽管数据呈现出稳健的增长，但 CD 的热度远不及从前。今年上半年，音乐行业售出了 1630 万张光盘，与千禧年之交 CD 全盛时期年销量超过 9 亿张的数字相比，这只是九牛一毛。不过，其作为收藏品的实体属性确实让它们重新流行了起来。

There really is no right or wrong way to collect CDs. If you keep a CD in its packaging, it will be protected for years to come. But here are some tips if you want to elevate your collecting experience and get more out of your collection, whether you’re new to the format or rescuing an old box of discs from the garage. 收藏 CD 其实并没有对错之分。如果你将 CD 保存在包装盒中，它可以在未来多年内得到保护。但如果你想提升收藏体验并从你的收藏中获得更多乐趣，无论你是刚接触这种格式，还是正在从车库里抢救出一箱旧光盘，以下是一些建议。

Get a CD Player

准备一台 CD 播放器

It might seem that owning a CD player is the obvious first step to collecting CDs. But according to Luminate’s report, only half of millennials and Gen-Zers that collect CDs have a player. Luckily, finding a good CD player is easier and more budget-friendly than buying a record player. 拥有一台 CD 播放器似乎是收藏 CD 的第一步。但根据 Luminate 的报告，在收藏 CD 的千禧一代和 Z 世代中，只有一半人拥有播放器。幸运的是，寻找一台好的 CD 播放器比购买黑胶唱机更容易，也更经济实惠。

You might even have a CD player without knowing it; a Blu-ray player hooked up to a nice sound bar is a convenient set up to play CDs, since most Blu-ray and DVD players can handle audio discs. Even your Xbox can play them, though the disc drives on Sony PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles weirdly cannot play CDs. 你可能在不知不觉中已经拥有了一台 CD 播放器；将蓝光播放器连接到不错的条形音箱上，就是一种便捷的 CD 播放方案，因为大多数蓝光和 DVD 播放器都能读取音频光盘。甚至你的 Xbox 也可以播放，尽管索尼 PlayStation 4 和 5 的光驱奇怪地无法播放 CD。

If you need a CD player, the first thing to consider is what kind you want. A personal portable player lets you take your music anywhere. If your record player setup includes a stereo receiver, chances are it has a CD input that you can use to hook up a hi-fi player for at-home listening. This will give you the best audio from your discs. These component players can still be found at big-box retail stores or online music shops like Turntable Lab or RETROSPEKT that specialize in hi-fi systems. 如果你需要一台 CD 播放器，首先要考虑你想要哪种类型。便携式播放器让你随时随地都能听音乐。如果你的黑胶唱机系统包含立体声接收器，它很可能配有 CD 输入接口，你可以连接一台高保真（Hi-Fi）播放器在家中聆听，这将为你提供最佳的音质。这些组件式播放器仍然可以在大型零售店或 Turntable Lab、RETROSPEKT 等专门经营高保真系统的在线音乐商店中找到。

Del Bravo Record Shop, one of the oldest record stores in Texas, has seen an increase in demand for personal CD players that it ships out of its San Antonio store. “They’ve been flying off the shelves,” says Jessica Campa, Del Bravo’s sales associate and social media manager. “We’ve also had about a 12.6 percent increase in CD sales so far this year.” 德克萨斯州历史最悠久的唱片店之一 Del Bravo Record Shop，已经观察到其圣安东尼奥门店发出的个人 CD 播放器需求有所增加。“它们卖得非常快，”Del Bravo 的销售助理兼社交媒体经理 Jessica Campa 说，“今年到目前为止，我们的 CD 销量也增长了约 12.6%。”

Bluetooth CD Players are the latest advancement; they let you connect wireless headphones or speakers. If you love the hunt, a thrift store or flea market can be a great place to find a CD player at a great price. Just be sure to test that it works before paying for it. Record stores sometimes keep a variety of used or new CD players as well, depending on their specialty. 蓝牙 CD 播放器是最新进展；它们允许你连接无线耳机或扬声器。如果你喜欢“寻宝”，二手店或跳蚤市场是寻找高性价比 CD 播放器的好地方。只是在付款前一定要确保它能正常工作。根据经营特色，唱片店有时也会储备各种二手或全新的 CD 播放器。

The Record Store Is Still Your Friend

唱片店依然是你的好伙伴

Independent record stores are the go-to place to get exclusive vinyl, and many of them still carry CDs. While online shops like Amazon seem like a convenient way to buy these small discs, record stores often receive promotional goodies like posters or stickers that they throw in for free along with your purchase. Oftentimes indie stores will get autographed albums during an artist’s release week to encourage shoppers to come into the store to buy the disc. These are often sold at the regular retail price and not up-charged. 独立唱片店是获取独家黑胶唱片的首选之地，而且许多店也依然销售 CD。虽然像亚马逊这样的在线商店购买这些小光盘看起来很方便，但唱片店经常会收到海报或贴纸等促销赠品，并随你的购买免费赠送。独立唱片店通常会在艺人新专辑发布周获得签名专辑，以鼓励顾客进店购买。这些专辑通常按正常零售价出售，不会加价。

Of course, record stores are great places to buy used discs, and most of the time, the discs are inspected by the staff and you can expect them to play properly and without skips. Stores sometimes even have listening stations so you can preview the used discs. 当然，唱片店也是购买二手光盘的好地方，大多数情况下，光盘都经过店员检查，你可以放心它们能正常播放且不会跳音。有些店甚至设有试听台，方便你预览二手光盘。

Track Your Collection

记录你的收藏

Knowing what music you already have is a great way to prevent accidentally acquiring doubles when you’re out shopping. Thankfully, you don’t need to rely on an Excel spreadsheet. Discogs, an online marketplace and music database for collectors, is well known among vinyl aficionados, but it’s just as helpful as a tool to keep track of your CDs. Not only does the free mobile app feature a barcode scanner that will show you the exact pressing of a CD, it will also show you the current market value of it, in case you come across a rare find in the wild or something that could be overpriced. You can also look up different versions of a CD to find that rare version, like the Japanese pressing with the extra tracks. Discogs will show you a list of the users who own that particular disc who’d be willing to sell it to you for a fair offer. 了解自己已经拥有的音乐是防止在外购物时意外买到重复唱片的好方法。幸运的是，你不需要依赖 Excel 表格。Discogs 是一个面向收藏家的在线市场和音乐数据库，在黑胶发烧友中非常出名，但它作为追踪 CD 的工具同样有用。其免费移动应用程序不仅具有条形码扫描功能，可以显示 CD 的确切版本，还能显示其当前的市场价值，以防你在野外淘到稀有品或遇到定价过高的商品。你还可以查找 CD 的不同版本，找到那些稀有版本，例如带有额外曲目的日本版。Discogs 会为你列出拥有该特定光盘的用户名单，他们可能愿意以合理的价格将其卖给你。

Inspect Thrifted and Stored CDs

检查二手和存放已久的 CD

Found that box of old CDs in the garage? Scored a 75-cent copy of Santana’s Abraxas at the thrift store? Be sure to not only check if the disc is actually in the case, but inspect the bottom of the disc—CDs are read by a laser that moves underneath the disc. 在车库里找到了那箱旧 CD？在二手店以 75 美分淘到了 Santana 的《Abraxas》？请务必不仅要检查光盘是否真的在盒子里，还要检查光盘的底部——CD 是通过在光盘下方移动的激光来读取的。