CD Players and Compact Discs Experience a Retro Renaissance in UK Christmas Shopping Lists
CD players and compact discs have made a notable comeback on UK Christmas shopping lists, with John Lewis reporting a 74% increase in CD player sales over the past year.
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl CD editions, priced at £12 and cheaper than vinyl, along with deluxe releases, have contributed to driving demand.
Meanwhile, Pink Floyd’s 50th-anniversary Wish You Were Here box set, costing £215 and including two CDs, caters to dedicated fans.
CD sales peaked at 162 million in 2004 but declined to about 10.5 million in 2024, with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) expected to publish 2025 sales figures soon.
According to Neil Gibbons of Key Production Group, CD orders are up 15% year on year, highlighting the CD as a robust format even as vinyl declines.
Generation Z buying patterns reveal that they have purchased more CDs in the last 12 months than older generations; about half of Generation Alpha listen to physical music and many know how to use a CD player.
Secondhand CD activity is also rising, with eBay UK noting more searches and MusicMagpie listing a top 20 of bestselling secondhand CDs for 2025.
