THE STORY BEHIND THE COMPACT DISC THAT CHANGED THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, YouTube…the number of music streaming services currently available almost seems unlimited. But before these streaming options existed, there was the CD. CDs and CD players were once the most popular way of listening to music. They advanced the world of audio and even led to discoveries outside of the musical realm: they became perfect ways for storing and transferring computer data, and they led directly to the DVD format. So let’s take a look at the story behind this thin, shiny disc!

WHAT IS A CD AND A CD PLAYER?

First, what is a CD? Well, a CD (or Compact Disc) is a portable storage medium that holds and plays digital audio recordings. In simple terms then, a CD player is a unit that plays CDs.

If you want to get a little more complicated, a CD player is comprised of two main components: a transport and a digital to analog converter (DAC). The transport holds, spins, and reads the disc using a laser that scans the data. The DAC converts the disc’s digital data to an analog audio signal.

INVENTION OF THE CD

The true origin of the CD is difficult to pinpoint. First, there were sampling theorems regarding the conversion of audio into digital format. Then there was experimentation involving the rudimentary video disc by Antonia Rubbiani in 1957. Then in the late 70s, research on laser and optical disc technology became the focus of Sony and Philips.

But it wasn’t until 1979 that the first prototype CD was revealed and Philips and Sony announced that the two companies were to team up to begin working on CDs for the public. Philips concentrated on the physical design of the disc and Sony concentrated on the digital technology.

Finally, in 1982, CDs were made available to the public. These discs could hold about 80 minutes of music and could be put in a CD player to easily play their tracks. CDs quickly became the most efficient way of storing music.

Fun Fact! The first CD pressed at the Royal Philips Electronics factory in Germany was the 1982 album The Visitors by Abba.

GROWTH OF THE CD

Twenty-five years after their first public release, it’s estimated that 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. Their rapid growth was due largely to the improvements made over previous music mediums, like vinyl and cassette tapes.

Vinyl records were a lot bigger than CDs, making them harder to store and transport. They were also easy to break. Cassette tapes were smaller, but they used magnetic tape and made it difficult to easily skip directly to whichever track you wanted to listen to. CDs, however, are small, compact, easy to store and transport, and make skipping songs a breeze.

Plus, portable CD players quickly became the norm. Whether it was a Sony Discman, a personal jogging CD player, or a boombox, listening to CDs while on the go made CD popularity skyrocket.

DECLINE OF THE CD

In 2001, Apple launched iTunes, and for the first time people could buy individual songs online instead of needing to buy the entire album. iTunes also meant the introduction of storing songs in playlists on a computer or an iPod. iPods soon took the listening world by storm and CDs began to slowly fade into the background.

Then in 2008 Spotify was launched, allowing subscribers to listen to unlimited music for a monthly fee. Since then, CD sales have fallen by 10 million every year.

SUMMARY

Streaming services are currently the most popular way of listening to music, but CDs are still being bought and sold; CD players are even still being manufactured!

CDs also have higher sound quality than iPhones and Androids thanks to their bitrate. Bitrate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time. Streaming services typically use a bitrate of 160-320 kbps, while CDs produce a bitrate of 1,411 kbps.

Plus, with the ever increasing costs of subscriptions and the fickle nature of the content available on streaming services, many people are missing the nostalgia of CDs. While they’re not making the same comeback as vinyl, CDs are still a great way to indulge in nostalgia without breaking the bank. So the next time you find yourself reaching for your phone to play music, pause and consider digging out some of your old CDs instead.

Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in shopping our wide selection of refurbished CD players, you can check what we have available here.

https://spencertified.com/collections/refurbished-compact-disc-cd-players

BONUS JOKE: What's a pirate's favorite CD?

A CD-R.