Happy Birthday, Compact Disc!

30 years ago today the first CD player and commercial CD recording were released.  The CD player was by Sony and the CD was 52nd Street, by Billy Joel, also a Sony release.
52nd Street was originally issued as an LP in 1978 and proved to be a big seller for Sony.  Hit songs included "Big Shot," "Honesty," and "My Life."

The CD was meant to be indestructable, at least compared to the LP, which was easily scratched or warped.  As music librarians have come to learn, that promise was exaggerated just a bit, but it's true that it has proven to be a very durable format for recordings.  The Ball State Music Collection has over 17,000 CD titles, representing well over 20,000 individual discs.  Unlike many other formats that have come and gone, you can still borrow a CD and listen to it at the library or at home.  Use the keywords "and compact" with any other search terms, or select "Compact Disc, audio" as the format in Advanced Search in CardCat.

Read more in The Atlantic Monthly.