The Land Where the CD Never Died

Though CDs are an artifact of the musical past in most places, they remain shockingly popular in Japan. This week we try to understand why.

Each year, we get industry reports from music organizations like the RIAA, the IFPI, and Luminate. The top line numbers for 2023 are worth celebrating. According to the IFPI, total recorded music revenues crossed $28.6 billion in 2023, up 10.5% from 2022 and 58.7% from 2019. Of course, much of this was driven by the global proliferation of streaming, bu…