VINTON, Va. — For years, compact discs seemed destined to follow cassette tapes into the background as streaming became the way most people listened to music. Now, CDs are finding their way back into record stores, resale shops and personal collections.
New figures from the Recording Industry Association of America show a sharp increase in physical music sales during the first half of 2026. U.S. recorded music revenue rose 6.9% compared with the same period a year earlier, reaching $6 billion. Physical music revenue climbed 25.9%, with CD revenue up 58.6% and vinyl revenue increasing 17.7%.
Streaming still accounts for the overwhelming majority of music revenue, but the numbers suggest there is plenty of life left in physical formats.
That is good news for The Vintage Reseller, a Vinton business that buys and sells CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, video games and other older media.
The shop, located at 521 Hardy Road in Vinton, regularly purchases individual collections, large accumulations and estate collections. Owner interest is especially strong in music from the 1990s and 2000s, a period that is becoming increasingly nostalgic for collectors who grew up buying albums at record stores, malls and music chains.
Among the more desirable genres are heavy metal, rock, punk, alternative, grunge and hip-hop, along with harder-to-find, obscure and out-of-print releases.
Not every old CD is valuable, of course. Millions of copies were produced of many mainstream albums, and condition, rarity, artist, pressing and demand all play a role in resale value. But collections containing less common titles, underground releases, certain metal and punk albums, early hip-hop, imports or music that was never widely reissued can be worth taking a closer look at.
For collectors, part of the appeal is simple: a CD is something you can actually own.
Streaming services have made music easier to access than ever, but albums can disappear from platforms, licensing agreements can change and specific versions of songs are not always available. A physical copy stays on the shelf until the owner decides otherwise.
There is also a generation of buyers who remembers the experience of purchasing an album, opening the jewel case, reading the liner notes and listening to the record from beginning to end. For younger buyers, CDs can feel almost novel — an affordable physical format from before music became primarily digital.
The same shift in interest is starting to show up with other media.
DVDs and VHS tapes, once routinely donated or thrown away, have developed their own collector markets. Horror movies, cult films, discontinued releases, unusual box sets and movies that are difficult to find on streaming platforms can attract buyers. Video games and older gaming media remain another major part of the vintage and resale market.
The Vintage Reseller deals in all of those categories.
The business buys CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, video games and other vintage entertainment items, and purchases can be arranged throughout the year even when the retail shop is operating on a limited seasonal schedule.
The Vinton storefront is scheduled to return to regular public hours beginning October 1, when its fall and winter season begins.
For people cleaning out a house, settling an estate or simply trying to clear shelves that have not been touched in years, the resurgence in physical media means it may be worth checking those boxes before sending them to the trash.
A stack of old CDs from the late 1990s or early 2000s may not look like much at first glance, but the right collection can still have a market — particularly when it contains rock, metal, punk, alternative, hip-hop or harder-to-find releases.
The Vintage Reseller is located at 521 Hardy Road in Vinton, Virginia and is available year-round to purchase collections.
The shop is scheduled to reopen for regular fall and winter business hours on October 1.
For anyone with old music or media sitting in a basement, attic, garage or spare room, the message is simple: take a look before you throw it away.