Are CDs really making a comeback? Or are we reading something wrong?

You’ve probably seen stories about how CDs are making a comeback after years of decline. The most dramatic report came from technical crisis who wrote breathlessly “CD sales are on the rise again unexpectedly amid the retro technology boom,” pointing to a claimed 60 percent increase in sales in the US, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. It’s not just a boom. It was a nuclear explosion.

Rolling Stones a little more reserved, using statistics from Luminate, an observer of all things related to music consumption, cited an approximately 16 percent increase in CD sales. It’s still very healthy.

So on the surface, this seems like a repeat of the vinyl revival where vinyl records and turntables once again became must-have items for music fans. Another physical format is back! The revolution against the existence of all-virtual, all-digital, intangible and non-physical music is getting stronger? Are people buying CDs like they used to in the 90s when HMV had the famous “buy 10 and get one free” regular shopper card? Is the music coming from passing cars coming from a CD playing on the dashboard? Are stereo stores stocking up on CD players this Christmas?

Not too. This is one of the situations that falls under Mark Twain’s statement about “lies, falsehoods, and statistics.” Let’s deconstruct things. Here’s the truth behind the hype for the return of the compact disc.

Yes, people are getting back into physical media, and younger generations are experiencing nostalgia for an era that existed before they were born. Physical media (LPs, CDs, and even cassettes) are purchased as collectibles, not something to listen to. When they can afford it, they buy vinyl. If you can’t, a CD will suffice.

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This record collecting trend is driven by some sneaky tactics by artists and record labels. They did this by releasing several versions of the album that were different enough from each other that die-hard fans wanted to own them all. Take for example BTS’s latest album, AHAPPY. It is available in 11 different CD versions. In the past, a fan would buy one copy and be happy. Now that they’ve bought 11 copies, Paul McCartney is playing the game with a six-CD version of his last album, The’s the Boy from Dungeon Lane. Madonna’s Confession II iavailable in four versions. Rolling Stones. Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande and others have employed similar tactics over the past few years.

Fans have responded. Buying the same album several times. And what was the result? The album debuted at number one on the Top 200. It was a PR coup and bragging rights – albeit hollow because of all the manipulation involved.

In his newsletter, Bob Lefsetz show that all this hype focuses on percentage increases, which are different from raw numbers. Luminate’s reported 16 percent increase represents 16.3 million units. That’s nothing. He also pointed out that if you remove K-pop sales, the sales increase was 6.7 percent.

See what I said? Young people do not immediately open their eyes to physical music media. They became serious collectors of material from their favorite artists and didn’t walk out of the record store with a bunch of CDs from different artists. INC.com also connects the same dots. Take K-pop out of the equation and you have a very different story. What does nostalgia have to do with it? There isn’t anything.

Consider this too. Even if the CD sounds good, you can reply to it better sound via a streaming music service that offers lossless streaming. If high-resolution audio is as important to you as the convenience that comes with streaming, then you have plenty of options from Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, to–almost any streaming company.

This is a good time to point out that in Canada, the number of CDs is not that astonishing. In fact, we don’t see any explosions at all. even with multi-CD steps. Although the CD death spiral has slowed considerably – there was an eight-week stretch earlier this year when sales in Canada tended to increase – we’re not exactly seeing new CD factories opening on the plains bearing fruit.

Luminate reports that for the week ending September 3, Canadians purchased 1,044,052 CDs so far this year, which is 0.8 percent less at this point last year. Vinyl is still by far the best-selling physical music format in this country and several other countries around the world. Yes, vinyl sales are also targeted with multiple versions of the method, but that’s only part of the story. People also buy a lot of vinyl records from different artists.

So be careful of the hype. Compact discs haven’t gone anywhere, but if someone tries to convince you that CDs have entered a second innings like we saw with vinyl. But if you like collecting, fill your boots. Enjoy.

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