No. 1 · All physical retail
BREAK EVEN
ILLIT · BHI
No. 1 · Independent record stores
PERFECTH
Queens of the Stone Age · Matador
Total U.S. physical music sales reached 1.26 million units in Week 44 (ending Nov. 5, 2026), holding flat compared with 2025 driven by 697,800 vinyl album sales and 556,000 CD albums. Modeled sales across independent record stores totaled 381,039 units in Week 44 versus 347,663 units in the same tracking week of 2025, marking a +9.6% year-over-year expansion.
A +3.0% increase in CD volume (556,000 units) offset the modest contraction in vinyl (-2.7%, to 697,800 units). Storefront traffic remained the critical catalyst across independent retailers, with top frontline and catalog titles generating more than 90% of their Indie volume directly over the counter.
▲ +9.6% YoY vs. 347.7K in 2025
▼ -2.7% YoY vs. 2025
▲ +3.0% YoY vs. 2025
ILLIT's BREAK EVEN seized the No. 1 overall physical position in Week 44 with 32,172 total physical units, all on CD (8,564 online/23,608 storefront), generating 73.4% of its volume over retail counters.
Michael Jackson's THRILLER surged to No. 1 overall on the Vinyl chart with 18,618 vinyl albums (12,090 online/6,528 storefront), while placing No. 3 overall physical across all retail configurations with 21,832 total physical units. The catalog title was propelled by its Oct. 30 release on Red & Black Marble vinyl, the first time the album has been available in that edition. Across independent record stores, the release placed No. 2 on the Indie Physical chart with 3,554 copies sold, including 2,446 units on vinyl.
Queens of the Stone Age's PERFECTH bowed at No. 2 overall physical with 21,875 total units (11,596 online/10,279 storefront). The release drove 15,906 vinyl albums to debut at No. 2 on the Vinyl chart and 5,969 CDs sold for No. 6 on the CD chart. At independent retail, the album swept No. 1 on the Indie Physical chart with 10,400 copies sold (9,913 storefront/487 online), including 7,835 units on vinyl and 2,565 CDs sold.
Frontline vinyl entries and catalog titles paced the upper tiers of the Vinyl chart: $uicideboy$' STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS debuted at No. 3 with 8,040 vinyl albums (5,052 online/2,988 storefront), followed by Blink-182's TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET at No. 4 with 7,610 vinyl albums (112 online/7,498 storefront). My Chemical Romance's THE BLACK PARADE held No. 5 with 7,227 vinyl albums (14,857 total physical units) and took No. 3 at Indie shops with 2,620 copies sold (1,433 on vinyl/897 CDs). Mariah Carey's GLITTER debuted at No. 6 on vinyl with 6,993 copies, while Vince Guaraldi Trio's A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS kicked off holiday retail momentum at No. 7 on vinyl with 4,490 copies (5,872 total physical sales).
On the overall CD chart, IVE's LOOKS CAN KILL debuted at No. 2 with 9,999 CDs sold (4,870 online/5,129 storefront). Stray Kids' THIS & THAT held No. 3 with 7,905 CDs sold (551 online/7,354 storefront), generating 93.0% of its CD volume over retail counters, followed by My Chemical Romance's THE BLACK PARADE at No. 4 with 7,101 CDs sold and Nickelback's EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN at No. 5 with 6,554 CDs sold (9,169 total physical sales).
Across independent record stores, Fontaines D.C.'s DOPAMINE CHAMBER held No. 4 on the Indie Physical chart with 1,906 units (1,282 on vinyl), followed by Phoebe Bridgers' LOST WEEKEND at No. 5 with 1,621 units (1,286 on vinyl). On the Indie CD chart, The Who's THE WHO BY NUMBERS placed No. 4 with 712 CDs sold, followed by Nickelback's EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN with 695 units and My Chemical Romance's THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE with 591 units.
Breakdown for tracking week ending Nov. 5, 2026:
Through Week 44, overall physical album channel distribution continues to be anchored by independent record stores at 20.7 million units (32.2% of total sales). Mass Market retail moved 18.2 million units (28.4% of sales, up +18.4% YoY), while E-Commerce generated 16.4 million units (25.5% of sales, up +0.4% YoY). Direct to Consumer contributed 6.8 million units (10.6% of sales, down -27.1% YoY) due to comparison distortion following Taylor Swift's 2025 release cycle.
Physical sales by format, YTD
Through Nov. 5, 2026, vs. same period 2025 (unadjusted)
Source: Luminate. Year to date through Nov. 5, 2026 vs. same period 2025.
Physical sales by channel, YTD
Share of all 64.2M physical units and change vs. 2025
Source: Luminate. Year to date through Nov. 5, 2026 vs. same period 2025.
YTD channel totals & share
Market-leading 32.2% share of physical
Surged +18.4% YoY | 28.4% share
Up +0.4% YoY | 25.5% share
10.6% share | down -27.1% YoY
~3.3% share across specialty retail
Overall U.S. physical album sales continue to hold positive year-over-year territory through Week 44, totaling 64.2 million units across all formats, compared with 63.9 million units in the same period of 2025 (up +0.4% YoY unadjusted). When adjusting for the massive 2025 Taylor Swift debut release baseline (The Life of a Showgirl), underlying YTD total physical album sales show a robust +5.8% YoY growth rate across the broader physical market.
Across the Top 5 physical genres — accounting for 53.94 million units year to date — retail channels exhibit distinct format and audience profiles. Independent record stores serve as the core distribution backbone for Rock (41.5% share) and R&B/Hip-Hop (40.2% share). Conversely, Mass Market retail serves as the primary engine for Pop (41.7%) and leads K-pop with a 73.1% share. Country music demonstrates balanced omni-channel consumption, paced by E-Commerce at 32.4% share.
Top 5 genres: total YTD physical sales
Volume in millions of units, through Nov. 5, 2026
Source: Luminate. Year to date through Nov. 5, 2026.
Channel distribution share per genre
Each genre's YTD physical sales split across channels (100%)
Source: Luminate. Year to date through Nov. 5, 2026.
Top 5 genres by store strata, YTD units and share
| Genre | YTD total | Independent | Mass Market | E-Commerce | Direct to Consumer | Venue / Non-Trad | Storefront tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock | 28,211,369 | 11,707,11341.5% | 5,953,03421.1% | 7,528,14126.7% | 2,442,1028.7% | 580,9792.1% | 61.6% Storefront |
| Pop | 9,605,844 | 1,800,27418.7% | 4,004,04741.7% | 1,889,98819.7% | 1,674,43517.4% | 237,1002.5% | 54.7% Storefront |
| R&B/Hip-Hop | 8,086,085 | 3,246,50640.2% | 2,107,79526.1% | 1,787,58022.1% | 815,77910.1% | 128,4251.6% | 64.2% Storefront |
| K-pop | 4,279,357 | 226,3105.3% | 3,126,41873.1% | 185,9344.3% | 278,3546.5% | 462,34110.8% | 75.8% Storefront |
| Country | 3,755,960 | 806,26121.5% | 1,046,49227.9% | 1,217,88132.4% | 498,96713.3% | 186,3595.0% | 50.7% Online |
| Top 5 total | 53,938,615 | 17,786,46433.0% | 16,237,78630.1% | 12,609,52423.4% | 5,709,63710.6% | 1,595,2043.0% | 61.0% Storefront |
Share of Queens of the Stone Age's No. 1 indie sales of Perfecth purchased over the counter at brick-and-mortar stores (9,913 of 10,400 units)
Vinyl copies of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold in Week 44, enough to take No. 1 on the national Vinyl chart following its first release on Red & Black Marble vinyl
This digest highlights physical retail metrics. Luminate subscribers can access granular artist, album and store-level analytics inside CONNECT.
Request a DemoSource: Luminate; weekly figures cover tracking week Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2026; year-to-date figures run through Nov. 5; independent store totals reflect modeled figures and core reporting panel data
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