At Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie, store manager Gary Austin has watched music trends come and go over the store’s 43 years in business.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — While vinyl records have been on the comeback for years thanks to nostalgic fans, CDs are making a resurgence of their own for many of the same reasons plus a few added advantages.
At Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie, store manager Gary Austin has watched music trends come and go over the store’s 43 years in business. He says one of the biggest surprises lately has been the growing popularity of CDs.
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“It started last year with cassettes,” Austin said. “Then it turned to CDs and now CDs are selling more than cassettes.”
Data company Luminate reports compact disc sales are up 16% in the first half of 2026, far outpacing the sales of vinyl.
Customers we spoke with at Forever Young say there’s plenty of allure to buying a CD as opposed to paying for a music subscription service.
“I like to look at everything written on them,” said customer Ron Kress. “You don’t get that when you download.”
Just as classic album cover art and vintage sound fueled a vinyl revival, the same factors attract those hunting for CDs but with the added benefit of being a smaller, cleaner and easier to maintain medium.
“One thing they like about CDs, you just put it in and let it play,” Austin said. “You don’t have to flip it or anything.”
And while music apps offer a vast library of music, subscription fatigue and the ability to own the music with one purchase helps drive listeners back to the discs.
Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie is located at 2955 TX-360, Grand Prairie, TX 75052.