CD revenue rose 58.6% to $171.1 million in the first half of 2026, while sales reached 17.5 million units, up 45.7% from roughly 12 million in the same period of 2025, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reported this week. The recovery follows a 2025 decline, when annual CD revenue fell 7.8% from $338.9 million in 2024 to $312.4 million, and unit sales dropped 11.6% from 33.3 million to 29.5 million. The RIAA changed its revenue methodology in 2025, moving from estimated retail value to wholesale value, so the 2024 and 2025 dollar figures are not directly comparable. Unit data, which were unaffected, still showed a decline before the 2026 rebound. The renewed interest in CDs is part of a broader appetite for simpler technology, including dumbphones, digital cameras, typewriters, landlines and physical media. The trend has attracted startups such as Tin Can, Ooma and Pinwheel in landlines, as well as Light, Dumb Co, Minimal and the soon-to-launch BlackBerry-like Clicks in non-smartphones. Gen Z consumers are also buying older devices through thrift stores, eBay and Retrospekt, reflecting interest in technology with fewer notifications, addictive apps and algorithmic features. The RIAA figures may understate the broader CD revival because they exclude used-disc purchases from thrift stores and garage sales, as well as CDs passed from Gen X parents to their children. Physical media revenue rose 25.9% to $731.5 million in the first half of 2026, supported by the CD increase and a 17.7% rise in vinyl revenue.