CDs aren’t as cool as vinyls, but everyone’s collecting them anyway

For the Autumn edition of City AM The Magazine, Killian Faith-Kelly explores the CD revival and what it says about Gen Z listening habits

About a month ago, I read about some Lorde fans complaining that their CDs of her latest album weren’t working. And part of me thought, “That’s bad, these Lorde fans have paid money for those CDs, they should work.” But mostly, I thought, “Lorde fans are buying CDs?”

I’d assumed the CD had regressed to niche-within-niche status, the preserve of people who thought vinyl too mainstream , and maybe some old men in leather jackets who couldn’t find the 90s ambient electronica album they wanted as an LP. But Lorde fans? Buying a new album? Consider my world rocked. Who buys CDs in 2025?

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