#Roommates, apparently music lovers are currently in a serious throwback phase, as new reports reveal that the way they consume music is surprisingly from the pre-digital era. It was just confirmed that for the first time in 17 years, CD sales have increased—which is the latest signal that the younger generation is all about experiencing things that were popular before they were even born.
From the looks of last year’s sales figures, younger music fans have rediscovered the CD and caused a massive increase in profits. @Billboard reports, based on recent data from MRC, CD (or compact disc) sales in 2021 rose considerably from 40.16 million units in 2020 to 40.59 million last year—which is the first notable increase for CD sales since way back in 2004. If you’re wondering where this sudden spike in physical CDs came from, well a handful of artists are responsible.
Adele, BTS and Taylor Swift were the top three artists whose music drove CD sales higher within the last year with their current projects. Adele’s album ’30,’ sold 898,000 CDs in 2021 and Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’ sold 263,000 and 237,000 CDs respectively. Additionally, massively popular K-Pop group BTS’ album ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ and ‘Be’ sold 210,000 and 187,000 copies. Country star Carrie Underwood and pop newcomer Olivia Rodrigo also racked up impressive album sales courtesy of CDs.
However, it should be noted that while Adele, Taylor Swift, and BTS accounted for 7.1 percent of all 2021 sales, this is largely due to their CD packaging that includes a physical copy of the album along with exclusive tracks and collectible items like tees, photo cards, and posters.
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