The quiet counter-revolution for physical format music: Appeal of CDs and vinyl recordings growing among a new generation of classical music fans

Since the arrival of streaming, physical music formats have been largely talked out of existence. Cars no longer have CD players and the smartphone has replaced the once-popular Walkman as the on-the-go music device of choice. 

But new data suggests all may not be as it seems. 

Research conducted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) asked a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults how they chose to enjoy recorded music. Whilst 29% of respondents said they preferred to stream music and 16% chose to pay for music downloads, physical music formats were also popular – and, for the first time in many years, the CD (17%) has overtaken the popularity of vinyl (15%) or audio cassettes (6%). 

Among the under 25 age group, CDs (23%), vinyl (18%) and cassettes (12%) were more popular than the national average. These physical formats of recorded music were also more popular among the under 25s than they were with the over 55 age group, dismissing notions that physical formats are just a nostalgic habit for older music fans.  

The rise of independent music shops in the high street and the popularity of charity shops for music recordings may also have played a part in driving the resurgent interest in enjoying music on physical formats. Nationally, 12% of under 25s that buy new CDs and vinyls also choose to buy albums from second hand music or charity shops. A further 15% have got into the album habit by exploring the record and CD collections of their parents and family members. 

This research comes ahead of the RPO and Vasily Petrenko’s third album release with the harmonia mundi label – An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall, the album brings the intensity of the concert hall to Strauss’s mountain portrait. The new album will be available in physical, download and streaming formats from Friday 30 October. 

Tom Philpott, Director of Artistic Planning and Partnerships at the RPO comments: “Despite the onward march of streaming and - more recently - AI, our research suggests many young people are going back to rediscover the magic of a physical album. This isn’t just about nostalgia, the return to people buying music directly supports artists and invests in future recordings. Among young people, the CD seems to have overtaken vinyl for the first time in many years and, for classical music enthusiasts, that is understandable. For many, the longer playing time of a CD works naturally for longer symphonic works. At the RPO, we have had a good reaction to our new album series with harmonia mundi; our last Mahler 3 release was popular across physical and digital formats – and we support music fans having a choice on how they enjoy their music.”

“Our research also suggests the digital elephant in the room may not be streaming sites but YouTube, which was very popular among classical music fans – and, based on our data, the coming years could even see the popularity YouTube overtake the streaming sites – whilst, at the other end of the spectrum, more people return to purchasing music in physical formats.” 

Reflecting on the new album release, Vasily Petrenko, Music Director at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, adds: “As we prepared the countdown to our 80th anniversary season, there was one journey that I was determined to make. Musicians sometimes talk about tackling the summits of the repertoire, and what musical peak is more spectacular than Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony? This colossal, single-movement work, premiered in 1915, is one of the most glorious feats of orchestration ever created and it represents not just a journey through the Alps, but the whole trajectory of our civilization, our culture. Whilst recordings made by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have been enjoyed by millions of people around the world for decades, this new album release with harmonia mundi represents a significant milestone; it shows the scale of creative ambition we have for our new recording partnership.”