The compact disc (CD) was introduced.

October 1, 1982 The compact disc (CD) introduced.

American physicist James Russell was an avid music listener. He was frustrated with how the stylus on a record player caused wear and tear on vinyl records. He realized he could eliminate the contact between the stylus and the record by using a light to read the music without actually touching the disk. He patented the first digital-to-optical recording and playback system in 1970. He could not, however, find any investors interested in developing it for the consumer market. HC In 1975, Phillips Electronics representatives visited Russell’s lab and determined that his equipment would work for data storage, but not audio or video. They had just released a laser disc video player and were convinced it could only be done via analog technology. HC However, by the late 1970s both Phillips and Sony were focused on developing new technology which would allow the digital storage and playback of audio and video. By 1979, they announced that they would jointly work to develop what would become the compact disc, or CD. Phillips focused on the physical design of the disc while Sony focused on how to convert analogue recordings to digital. The compact disc was first manufactured in August 1982 and released in October 1982 in Japan. The standard CD was 4.7 inches in diameter and held up to 74 minutes of music. The length came about because of Sony’s insistence that Beethoven’s entire 9th symphony – which ran 74 minutes – should fit on a CD. DW The first CD ever created was The Visitors by Abba. Billy Joel’s 52nd Street was the first commercially available CD album. DW In the United States, the first disc players were available in the United States for about a thousand dollars. DT By 1988, the CD overtook vinyl in sales, DT thanks to its smaller size, durability, and portability. By 1991, it had bested the cassette tape as well DT because of the ease with which one could jump back and forth between tracks. The CD would eventually become the music format of choice, reaching peak sales in 2008 before being overtaken by technology such as mp3s, iTunes, and Spotify. For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” AB ABC Science “Introducing the Amazing Compact Disc | 1982 | Retro vintage 80s technology” DT DigitalTrends.com (2/7/2018). “The Life and Times of the Late, Great CD” by Ryan Waniata DW DiscWizards.com “The history and evolution of the compact disc (CD)” HC History-Computer.com (7/28/2023). “Compact Disc Explained – Everything You Need to Know” by Lisha Pace WK Wikipedia.org “Compact Disc” First posted 9/29/2023.