Technology

Startup sells 99-dollar portable CD player as streaming fatigue grows

45 percent of Americans still listen to CDs and bonus tracks stay off the algorithms, 2026's most disruptive audio technology plays media from 1985

Images

Courtesy Nikki Brown Courtesy Nikki Brown nbcnews.com
Lola Portable CD Player Lola Portable CD Player nbcnews.com
The Lola CD Player includes a pair of polka-dotted headphones with an old-school 3.5mm jack.Courtesy Nikki Brown The Lola CD Player includes a pair of polka-dotted headphones with an old-school 3.5mm jack.Courtesy Nikki Brown nbcnews.com
We used it at home and on commutes, including on walks and while riding the subway.Courtesy Ashley Morris We used it at home and on commutes, including on walks and while riding the subway.Courtesy Ashley Morris nbcnews.com
The CD player has a sleek, silver design with red accents, and includes a display screen along with anti-skip and shuffle features.Courtesy Jem Alabi The CD player has a sleek, silver design with red accents, and includes a display screen along with anti-skip and shuffle features.Courtesy Jem Alabi nbcnews.com

A $99 portable CD player is the latest answer to a decade of streaming services that raise prices and delete catalogues overnight. The Lola player, sold by a small startup, comes with anti-skip protection, a micro SD card slot, USB-C charging and a claimed 48 hours of playback per charge. It has no Bluetooth and no wireless anything — just a 3.5mm headphone jack and a pair of polka-dot wired headphones in the box.

The demand is real. A 2025 Consumer Reports study found 45 percent of Americans still listen to CDs, and one in five still plays vinyl. Four NBC editors across three generations tested the player for two weeks at home, on commutes and on the subway, using it in place of streaming. The two who grew up on cassettes and Discmans liked the ritual; the Gen-Z tester pointed out something streaming platforms quietly removed — CDs often carry bonus tracks that never make it onto the algorithms.

The purchase logic is straightforward. A subscription grants access to a catalogue the platform can shrink, reprice or reorder at will, and the listener pays every month for the privilege. A disc is bought once and cannot be revoked. Streaming's own behaviour — the price hikes, the vanished albums, the pre-saved playlists that feel automated because they are — is doing the marketing for a machine that reads a 40-year-old format.

The editors' verdict: a fun way to change listening habits and a cute accessory, though not for anyone who prioritizes convenience. In 2026, the most disruptive audio technology on the market is a device that plays media from 1985.