Physical album shipments in the U.S. 1999-2021

In 2021, a total of 46.6 million physical CDs were shipped in the United States. However, this figure marks a decrease from 31.6 million in the previous, the lowest total in decades. More than 900 million CDs were shipped in the United States in 2000, but the product has experienced a large decline in popularity in general since.

Physical music sales

Seen as the successor to vinyl records and cassette tapes, compact discs or CDs were one of the most popular prerecorded music formats for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. Competition, first in the form of digital music formats and then streaming, has led to a massive decline in total album sales, with the CD format being hit particularly hard. As of 2022, only 25 percent of people stated that they had used physical music such as CDs within the past year. In 2021, music streaming revenue accounted for around 83 percent of total industry revenue partially thanks to the ability of these platforms to provide users with instant access to an endless online library of music which can be enjoyed via any device at any time. While most physical album sales have suffered, vinyl albums have experienced a resurgence in recent years. The format’s total sales figures increased significantly in each year since 2010.