Industry responds as no new cars will be sold with CD players

It has been revealed that car manufacturers will no longer be including CD players in their new car models in the UK.

The entertainment system has been available in cars for the past 40 years and now – after Subaru, who offered a recent car model with the system has discontinued its availability – all new models from different car brands will now be solely using streaming services instead.

According to data from the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), CD sales saw a year-on-year increase of 3.2 per cent in the first half of 2024, meaning that not everyone is happy for the demise of the in-car CD player.

“With 15 per cent 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,” said the CEO of the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association, Kim Bayley, while commenting on new data from Which?.

Earlier this summer, it was revealed that the renewed interest in physical music collections had reached new heights, leading to that 3.2 per cent increase within the first six months of the year. It marked the first time the sector experienced an increase since 2004 when a shift to digital music consumption and streaming began.

“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,” Bayley added.

According to the latest edition of the ERA’s long-term consumer tracking study conducted by Fly Research, 15 per cent of the UK adult population had reported that they listen to music on CD in their cars which is slightly less than the 16.6 per cent who reported that they listen to CDs at home (as per Music Week).

Though the latest numbers on CD listening have gone down in the last five years (2019: 27.6 per cent in-car and 31.2 per cent in-home, as per Music Week), it is still roughly seven million people, which equates to around 20 per cent of the 34.5million people with active driving licenses.

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

Drivers have already made complaints about not being able to play their CD in their new cars. According to the latest annual Which? Car Reliability Survey, drivers were asked what is the most frustrating thing about their car to which many responded with the lack of a CD player.

According to customers (as per This is Money UK), one Ford Focus Estate owner shared: “Very disappointed that there was no option to have a CD player fitted,” while a Dacia Sandero driver said: “I bemoan the lack of a CD player.” Other car owners simply exclaimed: “No CD player!”

Elsewhere, news of the increased popularity of physical music also follows news that the number of independent record shops in the UK hit a 10-year high, and that sales of vinyl records in the UK had hit their highest level since 1990.

According to the BPI’s analysis, the “ever-rising demand for vinyl albums and other music releases on physical format” reflects a “thriving market for music on the high street”. It also cited the popularity of independent record stores and the success of shops like HMV, which reopened its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street last year. The movement has also seen iconic UK music store Our Price relaunch, 20 years after it was forced to close its doors.

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