Gen Z fuels CD comeback at Calgary record stores as Canadian sales rise

CALGARY — Compact discs (CDs) are making a comeback and finding a new generation of buyers and connoisseurs across Canada as teenagers and young adults turn to the once-declining format to find an affordable way to own music.According to Luminate’s 2026 mid-year report, Canadians are consuming more music across the board this year, with all formats seeing a rise compared with 2025. Physical album sales were up 4.2% to 1.7 million units.In Calgary, local retailers are saying that demand for CDs has climbed rapidly over the past few years, reflecting the broader demand for physical media among Gen Z and younger generations..Eddie Dalrymple, co-owner of Melodiya Records and Hot Wax Records, estimated that CD sales at his stores have increased by between 50% and 100% in the last two years.“I’d say probably 50%, maybe even 100%, maybe even double what we were doing two years ago with CDs,” Dalrymple told the Western Standard, adding that interest in CDs has doubled, turning what used to be a niche part of the business into a meaningful source of revenue.Dalrymple estimated that roughly 60% of CD customers are teenagers or people in their early to mid-20s, while the remaining 40% are older buyers.“It's predominantly young people, I'd say teenagers to mid-twenties, but there are still a lot of people in their mid-thirties to fifties who are either rebuilding a collection or rejecting streaming and building a collection for the first time,” he said.He attributed the growth among younger consumers to a desire to own physical copies of music and, in some cases, a rejection of streaming services.Price is also a major factor.Used CDs at the Calgary shops generally sell for between $5 and $15, while a vinyl copy of the same album can cost $50 or more.“It’s such a cheap way to build a collection,” Dalrymple said.He added that many young customers are buying the alternative rock and metal their parents listened to. .The Strokes, Deftones, Cocteau Twins, Nickelback and the Smashing Pumpkins are among the acts attracting renewed interest.The demand for CDs has increased so steadily that Hot Wax Records recently renovated its basement to create a dedicated CD section.“[CD sales are] increasing for sure, but it’s hard to say if they’ll keep going or plateau,” Shayne Saskoley, co-owner of Hot Wax Records, said.“It’s one of the only affordable ways to buy physical media right now. You can buy a CD for five bucks... I think people just want something tangible again when it comes to music.”Saskoley said Hot Wax doesn’t stock newly released CDs but instead buys and sells used products. He added that punk, metal, hip-hop and 1990s alternative rock, are currently selling well.John Schultz, an employee at Recordland Limited, one of Calgary’s oldest record stores, established in 1978, reported a similar change in CD sales. He said the store’s sales balance has shifted from roughly 10 vinyl records for every CD sold to an almost even split between the formats..“Records are quite expensive, and you can't play a record in the car, obviously,” he said.“A lot of people like a physical product, and CDs are, are very easy to take care of, and they don't take up as much space as an LP collection.”Schultz also pointed to social media platforms such as TikTok and online trends as factors that are exposing teenagers and young adults to CDs and helping drive up sales revenue.“It's just whatever the kids want,” he told the Western Standard.“Bands that they seem to really like are Radiohead, The Cure, and The Smiths, stuff like that... They're really selling faster than we can restock.”Whether CDs follow vinyl into a sustained — and potentially more expensive — collectors’ market remains uncertain.Dalrymple said the format could produce increasingly rare and valuable releases, or it could retain its appeal as an inexpensive entry point for people who want to build physical music collections.“We'll see how far that pans out. We always compare it to vinyl, or we compare it to when cassettes were popular for a little bit six or seven years ago,” he said.“We'll see if that drives certain CDs into becoming rare, [causing] a lot of people to start looking for and be willing to pay for things that are incredibly hard to find. [It remains to be seen] if it plays into that or if it just maintains this $5-to-$15 cheap way to build a collection.”

Gen Z fuels CD comeback at Calgary record stores as Canadian sales rise

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