Music retailers say carmakers' CD ban is letting down 7m music fans

26 September 2024 - Press release

Music retailers say carmakers' CD ban is letting down 7m music fans as Taylor Swift's latest CD outsells UK's three biggest-selling cars combined

 

"Car manufacturers should listen to the Swifties and give the CD another chance"

UK carmakers are turning their backs on 7m music fans by removing CD players from new cars, says digital entertainment and retail association ERA.

Commenting on new data from Which? reporting that no new cars in the UK now include a CD player, ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, "With 15% of the UK adult population reporting that they listen to CDs in their cars, this is a remarkably short-sighted move by carmakers to stop fans listening to the music they love."

In the latest edition of ERA's long-term consumer tracking study conducted by Fly Research 15% of the UK adult population reported that they listen to music on CD in their cars, slightly fewer than the 16.6% of people who listen to CDs at home. While these numbers are down on five years ago (2019: 27.6% in-car and 31.2% in-home), they amount to around 7m individuals.

That equates to around 20% of the 34.5m people with active driving licenses.

Ironically, while CD sales have been on a sharp slide for the past 20 years – down to 11.4m in 2023 from their 2004 high point of 170m – recent years have shown signs of a rebound – just as with vinyl which after a similar collapse in the Nineties is currently enjoying its 18th successive year of growth.

"Carmakers seem to be looking through the rear-view mirror when it comes to CD," says Bayley. "The lesson of vinyl is you should never write off a music format. Even today 50% more people say they listen to music on CD as on vinyl.

"Taylor Swift is leading the way. The 172,000 CDs sold in the UK this year of her latest album 'The Tortured Poets Department' is more than the three biggest-selling cars in the UK last year combined. Car manufacturers should listen to the Swifties and give the CD another chance".