Some facts:
More than 200 billion CDs have been sold worldwide since then and it remains the dominant format despite the growth in digital downloads.
The CD was jointly developed by Philips and Sony and the disc has also become a key storage method for computer users.
The first CD produced was The Visitors by Abba.
The two companies began work on the format in 1979 and targetted a disc which could hold an hour of audio. The capacity was extended to 74 minutes, however, to accommodate a complete performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, forcing the disk to be made slightly larger.”
“The most advanced laser at the time had a lifespan of only 100 hours.”
He said the company had always planned on the format lasting at least 20 to 25 years.
The first CDs went on sale in November 1982 and were mainly classical recordings.
Classical music lovers were believed to be more affluent than pop and rock music fans, and Philips thought they would be more inclined to pay the price for the more expensive CDs and the very expensive CD-players,
The first models cost 2,000 Dutch guilders, about £1,000 at today’s rate, taking into account inflation.
“”The CD remained the most popular Christmas present in Britain last year. Despite the rise of downloading we expect that the CD will be here for many years to come.”
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WatchMojo NewsletterMax Roach, a well-respected and remarkable jazz drummer, passed away in his sleep at the age of 83 in New York. Roach is known for having been one of the developers of the bebop genre and has had the opportunity to work with Miles Davis, Nat King Cole and others, during his lifetime.
“Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach, best known for creating the fast-paced bebop style, has died in New York aged 83.
His record label, Blue Note, said it was saddened by the death of a man it described as “an unmistakable force on numerous classic recordings”.
Fellow musician Quincy Jones said: “Thank God he left a piece of his soul on his recordings so that we’ll always have a part of him with us.”
No cause of death was given for the star, who died in his sleep.
Born in North Carolina in 1924, Roach became the house drummer at the legendary New York club Monroe’s Uptown House in his teens.”
Read more about Roach’s death and his life’s events.
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