In the not-too-distant past of 2001, music lovers would spend hours choosing between the albums they could buy that month in their local music shop. Limp Bizkit or Radiohead? R.E.M. or Travis? Maybe Jamiroquai's 'Funk Odyssey' instead of Michael Jackson's 'Invincible'?
Back then, few could have imagined that you would have almost any song ever written at the touch of your fingertips for such a low monthly cost. 22 years later though, more and more music fanatics have invested in physical formats to satisfy their musical desires.
As a result, revenue from CD sales increased in the UK for the first time since 2001.
Although the actual volume of CD units sold decreased by 7% (the lowest rate of decline since 2015), trade group, ERA, say that dedicated music fans are keen to buy their favourite artists in multiple and deluxe formats. That means, despite the decline in the volume of units sold, sales of CDs rose by 2 per cent!
Not only this, but ERA have seen a rise in the number of Gen Z and Millennials buying CDs. It's not just mums buying the latest 'Take That' album in the supermarket anymore!
As a result, ERA expects that the number of CDs being sold will stabilise, or even increase, as retailers become aware of the CD boom amid improved demand.
Phil Halliday, managing director of music retail chain, HMV, commented, "they want something they can put on their shelf that says they like Joy Division or Nirvana, and they don’t want to spend what a record costs. A CD has got a lot of the same as a vinyl album – like liner notes.”
Artists like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Harry Styles were some of 2023's hottest albums in the UK Charts. Swift's album, 'Midnights', is available on a whopping FIVE CD variants!
DMS has personally seen a rise in deluxe CD packages being ordered over the last year, as bands work hard to monetise their craft and create irresistible merch for their fans. It just goes to show that you can't forget to go all out on your CD orders!