Peter ohFounder & Product Lead K-Pop City Connect, K-Pop City Connect (KCC) · Founder @ kpopphotocard.com | Building the Price Engine for the K-pop Photocard Market (KCC) | Data, AI, and Market Infrastructure

Why your K-pop collection needs more CDs #kpop #collection

3 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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U.S. CD sales jumped 16% in the first half of 2026 to 16.3 million units, with K-pop driving much of the growth through collectible packaging and photocard inserts. Half of Gen Z and millennial buyers don't own CD players, treating albums as affordable merchandise and display pieces rather than music to play.

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CD sales are rising again, but many buyers aren't buying them to play. US CD sales reached 16.3 million in 2026's first half, up 16%. Even without K-pop, sales still grew 6.7%. K-pop helped drive the surge through collectible packaging, Multiple versions and fan-focused extras. About half of Gen Z and millennial CD buyers don't even own a CD player. For many younger fans, the CD is now affordable merchandise— ownership, display, and artist support. That supports photocard-first discovery because the collectible can drive the purchase before playback. But CD growth doesn't guarantee card value. Version quality, member demand, and supply still matter. If this helped your collecting, please support the channel and subscribe for more.