Look what's almost 30 years old. Barely made it (and hasn't quite yet). The compact disc was released commercially in October of 1982. A optical digital audio disc had been in the works since the early 70s with Sony and Philips leading the charge. Sony demonstrated their first generation "compact disc" in September 1978, while Philips unveiled theirs in March 1979. The two companies decided to join forces an re-develop a disc and the neccesary player together. The first test CD was manufactured in Germany and contained Richard Strauss's "Eine Alpensinfonie," with a public demonstration following on a BBC program, playing the album "Living Eyes" by the BeeGees. ABBA's "The Visitors" was the first album to be mass manufactured, although Billy Joel's "52nd Street" was the first CD actually for sale, with a release date the same as Sony's first CD player on October 1, 1982. After being on the market for a few years and the player went down in price, it became the main format music was released on, peaking from 1992-2000. But, the CD got swallowed up in the digital media boom that they started. From their peak in 2000 to 2007, sales have dropped by almost half as people turn to digital downloads, streaming and satellite radio for their music needs. The first CD I ever got was Pearl Jam's "Versus" for my 13th birthday, the last one being the new Down By Law album "Champions At Heart" at their gig last week, but before that... no idea.
The compact disc was supposed to replace the LP (long play record) which had been the industry standard since 1948 (and record in some form have existed since before the turn of the 1900s). But you can't keep good quality down, as LPs have had a resurgence in the last few years, I think because they were tired of having music and having nothing with it. There is something about the packaging, inserts, artwork in its full intended size that make it feel like something special (even if it isn't). Not to mention the warmth of the sound. I got to go halfsies with my dad record collection with my sister, and scored some classics, and I love scratches... Makes the sound even better, unlike CDs where if it get scratched, not only does it not play but it won't eject and you have to go at it with a butter knife to extract the CD. The problem with records is the size, which is also the best part. Weird how that works.. My grandfather used to own a car dealership, and one of the mechanics actually designed a way to play 45s (no LPs) in his vehicle with a spring loaded kind of contraption that hung under neath the dash. No report on whether it worked worth a damn. First record I bought, that was not acquired from my dad, was Strung Out's "Twisted By Design" and the last one was King Crimson's "Beat" off of eBay.
So since records couldn't be moved to a car, another format had to be introduced. Since they recorded on big 3-4 inch tape in the studio, a brain wave came along to have a miniature tape and a tiny little spool with lots of moving mechanical parts. The first one was, in my opinion, a disaster. It was the 8 track, developed by a slew of companies, including General Motors and Ford. Mostly a North American phenomenon, no one in Europe really adopted the format. It would jam when it was too hot out, or would spit the tape out at you (while the cartridge itself remained in the player) when it was cold out. Could play when they got dirty and there was definate head alignment issues. The 8 track was phased out of stores in the fall and winter of 1982 and were made available on as mail orders or in "tape clubs" through a couple labels like RCA and Columbia. Apparently, Kurt Cobain wanted Nirvana's third and final studio album "In Utero" to be put out on 8 track, as well as the standard (in 1993) CD and cassette versions. I only have one 8 track. Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" for 10 cents at a yard sale.
During around the same time as the invention of the 8 track, there was also an audio cassette (cassette, tape), which had a lousier resolution than that of a (properly working) 8 track, and was semi-popular, particularily among bootleggers, but really took off at the start of the 1980s with the introduction of the Sony Walkman and by the late 80s cassette outsold the LP and the CD. The demise of the cassette coincided with the drop in prices in CDs and the players, offering much better sound quality (even though the audio quality of early CDs is debatable) for a slightly higher prices and once CD became the default media in cars it all but put the nail in the cassettes coffin. The first album anyone got for me was a cassette my dad gave me on my 8th or 9th birthday, what every kid needs, Def Leppard's "Hysteria." Awesome. The most recent one was found at a Salvation Army. Doughboys' "Crush" for 50 cents. I don't have a cassette player, and I have it on MP3 and CD so I probably won't listen to it, but whatever, someone should have it.
So digital downloads are winning right now.
That's all. If you would like to read about more audio formats then ask that google guy. He knows everything. Have a good night kids!
