France Vinyl Sales Rise 5.8% in H1 2026 as CD Falls 14.4%

France's recorded-music market grew 3.5% to €449 million in the first half of 2026, according to SNEP, the country's recorded-music trade body, in a half-year review published on 8 September 2026. Vinyl revenue rose 5.8% over the same six months and kept its place as France's leading physical format by value, while CD revenue fell 14.4%.

The physical market as a whole still shrank 3.4% in H1 2026, because the CD's steep drop outweighs vinyl's gain in the mix. Streaming subscriptions remain the market's real engine: up 7.5% to €291.5 million, now 65% of total revenue.

The French market in the first half of 2026

SNEP's figures cover trade revenue (before tax) for January to June 2026, compared with the same period in 2025:

Digital revenue overall grew 5.2%, a rate SNEP linked partly to softer advertising income on video platforms rather than to any weakness in subscriptions, which are still climbing faster than the market average.

Vinyl confirmed as France's top physical format by value

SNEP's own language leaves little room for debate: vinyl "confirms its status as the leading physical format by value" (premier support physique en valeur) in France. That is a formal statement from the body that tracks the market, not a media interpretation, and it lines up with what has been building for several years: CD revenue keeps falling faster than vinyl grows, so the gap between the two, in euros, keeps widening.

This mirrors SNEP's full-year 2025 report, published on 18 March 2026, which valued French vinyl revenue at about €113 million, up roughly 15% on 2024, within a €205 million physical market that had its best year in 25 years outside the post-Covid rebound. SNEP said at the time that vinyl's lead over CD in value "is now widening" — a call the first-half 2026 figures back up directly.

How France compares with Spain and Germany

Vinyl is not gaining ground in France alone. Two other markets Sleevewise has tracked for the same first half of 2026 show the same direction, at different speeds and from different starting points:

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France's growth rate is the most modest of the three, but it is also the only one of the three where vinyl already leads the entire physical category by value, CD included — Spain and Germany are still catching vinyl up to that point.

What steady growth means for collectors and disquaires

A physical format that keeps growing, in a market where CD is retreating fast, means disquaires and second-hand stalls have every reason to keep giving vinyl more shelf space and to keep stocking new pressings and reissues alongside used stock. For a collector, that also means more choice between formats and pressings of the same title, and more reasons to check exactly which version is in your hands before buying or selling.

Sleevewise catalogues each record against its Discogs release, grades media and sleeve on the Goldmine scale, and tracks a collection's value from Discogs Marketplace listings, so a growing shelf stays easy to price and to organise as it grows.

Frequently asked questions

01Is vinyl bigger than CD in France?

By value, yes. SNEP's first-half 2026 report describes vinyl as France's leading physical format, while CD revenue fell 14.4% over the same six months. SNEP's release does not break the comparison down by unit volume.

02How big is the French vinyl market?

SNEP valued French vinyl revenue at about €113 million for the full year 2025, up roughly 15% on 2024, and reported a further 5.8% rise in revenue for the first half of 2026.

03Why did France's physical music market shrink if vinyl is growing?

CD revenue fell 14.4% in the first half of 2026, a steeper drop in value than vinyl's 5.8% gain could offset, so the CD segment's decline outweighed vinyl's growth and overall physical revenue slipped 3.4%.

Keeping track of a growing collection

None of this changes how any single record should be valued — that still comes down to the specific pressing, its condition and what buyers are actually paying for it. But a market where vinyl keeps taking share from CD, in France and elsewhere, is one where knowing what your records are worth and keeping half an eye on collection value is worth doing regularly rather than once.

Sources

• Musique enregistrée : Bilan du marché français au 1er semestre 2026 — SNEP, 8 September 2026.
• Bilan du marché français de la musique enregistrée au 1er semestre 2026 — Musiques Actuelles, 11 September 2026.
• Bilan 2025 du marché de la musique enregistrée — SNEP, 18 March 2026.