Photos from Spotify
Luminate’s latest midyear report shows that compact discs (CDs) are experiencing a resurgence in the United States, with K-pop artists dominating physical album sales.
While listeners can stream millions of songs with a single tap, fans are still lining up at retailers like Target and Walmart to bring home CDs from their favorite artists, turning physical albums into one of the year’s biggest music success stories.
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Overall, CD sales in the US have climbed 16 percent compared to the same period last year. K-pop releases accounted for nearly 10 percent of all CDs sold.
Top 10 albums
At the center of that momentum is BTS. Their album “Arirang” became the country’s best-selling CD of the first half of 2026 after selling 567,000 copies.
The release also topped Luminate’s vinyl sales rankings.
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Enhypen followed in second place with “THE SIN : VANISH,” which sold around 286,000 copies. ATEEZ claimed both the third and fourth spots, with “Golden Hour : Part 4” reaching 263,000 copies and “Golden Hour: Part 5” selling 212,000.
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Rounding out the Top Five was Cortis, whose “GreenGreen” recorded 169,000 copies sold.
The rest of the Top 10 paints a similar picture of K-pop’s strong presence in the physical market. Stray Kids’ “Do It” ranked sixth with 141,000 copies sold, while Tomorrow X Together’s “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” followed with 123,000.
Three Western pop artists rounded out the Top 10. Harry Styles’ “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” sold 121,000 copies to place eighth, while Olivia Rodrigo’s “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” landed ninth with 114,000 copies. KATSEYE completed the list as “SIS (Soft Is Strong)” sold 106,000 copies.
CDs as collectibles
The report also reveals an interesting shift in how younger fans view physical albums. About half of Gen Z and millennial consumers who buy CDs no longer own a CD player. Rather than purchasing them for everyday listening, many see them as collectibles to display on a shelf, complete a collection or remember a favorite era of an artist.
That mindset is especially common in K-pop, where albums often include exclusive photo cards, photobooks, posters and other limited-edition inclusions that make every release feel like more than just a music purchase.
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