Gone Analog: Why generations raised with streaming are paying to own physical media
Roughly half of Gen Z and millennial CD buyers don’t own a CD player, according to Luminate. And yet they’re buying CDs, along with millions of vinyl collectors, 4K movie fans, and graphic novel readers. After more than a decade of streaming everything, everywhere, Americans are paying extra for physical media they can actually hold.
So what’s driving it, and how are media companies cashing in?
What are the numbers?
Vinyl is still the headliner. In 2025, U.S. vinyl sales grew for the 19th straight year and passed $1 billion for the first time since 1983, according to the RIAA. For context…
The skinny
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