The compact disc was invented by James Russell in the late 1960s, but was later finalized in 1980 when Sony and Philips created the “Red Book” standard, which was a series of documents that outlined a 120mm diameter disc bearing music at a resolution of 16bit/44.1kHz. That resolution is the minimum rate needed to replicate all frequencies humans can theoretically hear. The first commercially available CD player, Sony CDP-101, was first offered in Japan in 1982. Nearly 100 years after the first phonograph player was established, the CDP-101 made its way to the US in 1983 and was priced as high as $1,000.
The creation of the compact disc affected the public positively and negatively. The positives were that compact discs revolutionized the way people listened to music. The compact discs were almost indestructible, and the sound was as good on the 1,000th hearing as it was on the first hearing. The discs could store nearly 75 minutes of music, which was far more than a conventional album as well as a vinyl record.
The negatives were that compact discs killed the record industry. Since nothing but light touches the compact disc, the listener doesn’t hear the hissing, crackling, and distortion that often accompanies the playing of vinyl records. Another negative was that the money that compact disc’s sales have brought companies began to fade away because of growing apps like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, etc. With compact discs, in order for people to listen to music, they would have to be put in a boom box, a computer, or any place with a CD insertion. People are buying less compact discs because they can listen to music at their own convenience; they can pull their phone out of their pocket, press play, and they get instant music.
I remember listening to music on a boom box, then an MP3 player, an iPod touch, an iPod, and now I have an iPhone where I can buy songs on iTunes or other music streaming apps. Technology is continuously adapting. The first invention that allowed people to listen to music was the phonograph, then the gramophone, LP’s, multitrack recording, cassette tapes, a cassette tape player (also known as a Walkman), and then the compact disc. The technology used to listen to music continued to evolve after the creation of the compact disc to the discman, recordable CD’s, the MP3 player, NAPSTER, the iPod, iTunes, and now other music streaming apps such as Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora. I believe that technology needs to constantly be updated in order for people to purchase the products and for companies to make money.
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