1st CD 💿 Released 43 years ago 💿

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

The first commercial Compact Disc was created 43 years ago, today.
Nearly 1 billion CDs were shipped per year in early 2000's
By Mark Tyson published 19 hours ago

CDs are still popular with some music fans, despite the rise of digital streaming platforms.

Today marks 43 years since the first commercial Compact Disc (CD) pressing.

Polygram in Germany is credited with pressing the first copies of Abba's The Visitors on this date, back in 1982. The CD format would take off in a direction which would have been highly unexpected at the time, ending up as a foundation of the Multimedia PC age.

However, CDs didn’t kill the audiophile thirst for vinyl, and, on the flip side, some artists are still releasing CDs, even in the 5G and fiber digital streaming age...

 

...The first CD album released in the U.S. is thought to be Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A., released in September 1984.

According to Statista, CD album sales peaked in the year 2000, with around 943 million sold in the U.S., alone. The format’s fall from grace has been pretty fast since then, but things have recovered a little since the 2020 low.

 

Full Article: 
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/the-first-commercial-compact-disc-was-created-43-years-ago-today-nearly-one-billion-cds-were-shipped-per-year-in-early-2000s
 

[LeolaRootStew]

Wow. That is not that long ago...am I old?

[Sheep]

12 minutes ago, LeolaRootStew said:

Wow. That is not that long ago...am I old?

 

You've got to be kidding me! Do you mean to say you remember when CDs first came out? Well, I was around on this planet when we first heard of CDs, and I think I may still have one of the first ones ever made. But you...? I just don't remember you looking that old. (I'm not going to ask how old...)

[LeolaRootStew]

4 minutes ago, Sheep said:

 

You've got to be kidding me! Do you mean to say you remember when CDs first came out? Well, I was around on this planet when we first heard of CDs, and I think I may still have one of the first ones ever made. But you...? I just don't remember you looking that old. (I'm not going to ask how old...)

 

I'm only 35 - it just seems like not that long ago.

[Hope]

I remember records, reel-to-reel (my Dad had one), 8-track, cassette, CD, mini-CD, and now streaming. I'm old.

 

I miss having hard copies of music and movies.. but cars don't even have CD players anymore, so.. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Sheep]

1 minute ago, Hope said:

I'm old.

 

Well, maybe. But I'm definitely older than you! And, yeah, I remember all those things you mention there, but... I didn't even know cars don't have CD players anymore! (I don't have a car anymore...)

[minister159]

8 minutes ago, Hope said:

I remember records, reel-to-reel (my Dad had one), 8-track, cassette, CD, mini-CD, and now streaming. I'm old.

 

I miss having hard copies of music and movies.. but cars don't even have CD players anymore, so.. 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

I not only remember them, I still have them; vinyl records, cassettes and CD's. My car only has apple play and android audio besides FM radio, but I subscribe to XM satellite radio and listen to that almost exclusively, since I hate commercials!  

[Hope]

I listen to Spotify, my downloaded Kingdom talks & music, and two local public radio stations- which are supreme: KMHD.FM Jazz Radio and KQAC.FM Portland's All Classical station.

 

However, I miss simply throwing a CD in the player and listening to that on repeat. Streaming is not as handy for that.

[jdcarlson]

I am so old I remember 78 RPM records.

 

But, my audio preferences have changed since then.

 

I am in the camp of those who love analog sources (LPs, vinyl, etc.).

 

I admit to haveing 1200+ CDs (most of them "ripped" to computer hard drive), but I prefer digital sources with more definition than CDs. CDs are recorded at 44.1khz (kilo-hertz) at 16 bit depth (degree of loudness between zero sound and highest volume). 

 

I have recorded several LPs at 192khz at 24 bit depth to my computer hard drive. To me these have smoother sound than normal "red book" CDs.

 

What I especially love are LPs from Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. They have re-issued several LPs going back to the companies who made the originally made the recordings, borrowed their master tapes, played the tapes back at half speed (thus increasing high frequency signal clarity and reducing inherent tape noise) and cut master discs at half speed. When play back at normal speed (33 1/3 RPM) the clarity and lower noise is immediately apparent.

 

My music preferences are for "classic jazz" and orchestral music.

 

My car has a CD player, but the car is 24 years old and the CD player does not always work. In the car I listen to local NPR FM stations (WUWF in Pensacola & WHIL in Mobile).

 

I agree with those who are not enamored with "streaming" music. Somehow my preference for listening at any moment do not align with what is streamed at that moment.

 

Historically I have been overly interested in "high end" audio, and had acquired several "high end" audio pieces of gear (mostly McIntosh components, made in Binghamton, New York).  Since my wife and I have moved to a retirement facility, I have had to (because of space limitations) liquidate most of my prior audio system.  

 

CDs were successful because record players most people had were plagued with rumble noise, so the background level was too high on LPs. For "entry level" audio equipment, CDs were an inexpensive way to overcome the difficulties with analog sound. 

 

True quality in analog sources (LPs, tape, etc.) can only be achieved with very "high end" components. Most people did not want to make the investment in playback equipment to get the best sound from analog sources. The CDs allowed less expensive machines to make clearer sound with lower background noise threshold.

 

I think I have all of the audio music CDs issued by the Society, and even have two sets of the LPs they put out in the 1970s.

 

So much music to hear - so little time ☺️!

 

Thanks,

 

Jim