Culture and Technology of the Compact Disc as a Music Recording Medium

Abstract

The introduction of the compact disc (CD) in 1982 brought about a fundamental change in the music distribution media that had existed for more than 100 years since Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. In a short period of time, the CD replaced the LP record, which had been the predominant music distribution medium, not because of its superior sound quality, but rather because the CDs are much easier to handle. The reasons for the rapid spread of CDs and the physics and technology behind them will be explained.