Music news: CDs, cassettes and vinyl enjoying a resurgence in a digital world

For years, it seemed like streaming had dealt the final blow to physical music. Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube put nearly every song ever recorded directly into our pockets.

Songs became instantly accessible, endlessly scrollable, and available for less than the cost of a single CD.

Vinyl racks were pushed to the back corners of thrift stores, cassettes were considered retro curiosities, and CDs collected dust in glove compartments.

Convenience, it seemed, had won.

But in 2025, the story looks very different. Sales of vinyl records are at their highest in decades.

Cassettes, once left for dead, are popping up on merch tables at indie shows.

Even CDs, long dismissed as outdated, are enjoying a quiet resurgence.

Far from being relics, physical formats are thriving. And their comeback tells us a lot about culture, community, and why music is about more than just listening.

Music News Blitz writer Anna Ferraz delves deeper into this phenomenon and why physical music has made such a powerful comeback.

The power of tangibility

At the heart of physical music’s revival is something digital can’t replicate: touch.

In an era when most of our interactions with art happen behind a glass screen, holding a record, cassette, or CD feels almost radical.

The heft of vinyl, the click of a jewel case, the mechanical whir of a tape deck - all of these small sensory experiences make music feel more real.

Album artwork, too, gets to stretch its legs again. A 12-inch vinyl sleeve isn’t just about packaging, but it’s become part of the art.

Fans flip through gatefold booklets, admire cover design, or proudly display records like trophies on a shelf.

Physical music offers not just sound, but an object - a piece of culture that can be seen, touched, and cherished.

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Collectability and the fandom economy

Physical formats have also become deeply entwined with fandom. Limited edition vinyl in neon splatter designs, cassettes in pastel cases, or CDs with bonus photo books have become collectibles, especially amongst Gen Z.

Owning them signals identity, taste, and belonging to a particular community.

For many fans, especially younger ones, collecting physical music has become a way to participate in culture.

Major pop stars, indie bands, and even niche electronic producers are leaning into this, offering exclusive variants, signed copies, or “secret” drops that ignite excitement online.

Platforms like TikTok have turned unboxing records or showing off collections into viral trends.

In short: music merch isn’t just T-shirts and tote bags anymore, it’s now the album itself.

Nostalgia with a modern spin

Of course, nostalgia plays a big role. Vinyl brings a sense of ritual to listening that recalls parents’ or grandparents’ record collections.

Cassettes nod to the DIY mixtape era of the ’80s and ’90s.

Even CDs now spark fond memories for millennials who grew up ripping tracks and flipping through liner notes.

But this isn’t simply about looking backward. Today’s fans aren’t rejecting streaming, they’re layering nostalgia on top of it.

Playlists might rule the weekday commute, but weekends call for spinning vinyl with friends.

Physical and digital don’t compete so much as they coexist.

Streaming fatigue and fan support

Some may argue that there is another factor in the mix: streaming fatigue. While digital platforms remain dominant, their endless scroll can feel impersonal, even overwhelming.

Albums disappear into algorithms, and payouts to artists are notoriously tiny. Buying a record or cassette, on the other hand, feels like a direct vote of support.

It’s tangible proof that you value an artist’s work enough to invest in it.

And for musicians, physical sales matter. They’re a revenue stream that bypasses some of the murkiness of streaming royalties.

At concerts, fans proudly scoop up vinyl and cassettes not just as souvenirs, but as acts of solidarity with the artists they love.

Physical music as cultural statement

The resurgence of physical formats is more than just nostalgia, novelty, or sound quality (though vinyl’s warm analog crackle remains a selling point). It’s about identity.

Collecting physical music is a way to slow down, to be intentional, to resist the disposable speed of digital culture.

Owning a physical album says: This matters to me. It’s a statement, a badge of fandom, and a way to participate in a global community of listeners who still value music as art, not just content.

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Stars leading the vinyl revival

The vinyl comeback isn’t just happening in dusty record shops, it’s being powered by some of the world’s biggest stars.

Taylor Swift has arguably become the face of vinyl’s resurgence.

With each new release, she offers multiple collectible variants in different colors, exclusive artwork, even hidden bonus tracks.

Her fans don’t just buy them; they hunt them like treasure, sending her albums straight to the top of vinyl sales charts year after year.

Harry Styles turned Harry’s House into a vinyl-era staple, offering colorful pressings and making the format a centerpiece of his rollout. His Gen Z fans embraced it as both a listening experience and a statement piece.

Billie Eilish brings an eco-conscious twist, pressing records on recycled materials while still releasing striking limited-edition designs. For her, vinyl is part of a larger aesthetic vision that extends beyond sound.

Beyoncé elevated Renaissance into a cultural artifact, pairing the music with bold, luxurious vinyl packaging that doubled as art.

Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo have also leaned heavily into vinyl culture, with exclusive colorways and indie-store-only editions that sell out almost instantly.

The future: Side by side

Physical music isn’t replacing streaming - nor should it. Digital convenience will always dominate when it comes to accessibility.

But the resurgence of vinyl, cassettes, and CDs shows that listeners crave more than convenience.

They want ritual, beauty, connection, and the sense of being part of something bigger than themselves.

So yes, streaming may rule the charts, but physical music has carved out its own corner of culture that is alive, vibrant, and deeply human.

And as long as people want to hear music not just with their ears but with their hands and hearts, the turntables, tape decks, and CD players aren’t going anywhere.

Because sometimes, the future of music sounds best when it spins back to the past.

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