Compact Disc (CD) Collection

Here's something to consider. The notion of a physical music collection may seem antiquated. The artists playing on the records may seem out of fashion. The storage space they occupy might arguably be put to another use. And sometimes the old CD player to put them on has been thrown out to be replaced by other media devices, or it just no longer works. So why collect music CD's? Well one argument for collecting this form of music storage media, would be, that many people are fans of the artist, and owning a CD brings a closer connection to the music.... Find here, an eclectic mix of old and collectable compact discs: ready and available to browse on this music web site, and comprising several, original CD releases, together with a number of reissues, compilations and remastered items.

About the Compact Disc

History of the CD

The commercial production of compact discs (CDs) began in 1982 with a 1979 recording of waltzes by Chopin. The Visitors on the Polydor label was the first Abba CD on the market, mastered for the CD medium. CD sales overtook vinyl in 1988 and cassettes in 1991. CD sales in the USA were running at over 900 million per annum in 1999 (sales would start to drop in the next decade). The peak year for CD single sales in the USA was 1997, while the biggest year for CD single sales in the UK was 1999, when 34.3 million were sold. The 12 cm optical disc became the biggest money-spinner the music industry had ever seen, or will ever be likely to see. The CD offered for the time impressive storage capacity of up to 80 minutes of music. As legacy music was re-released double and triple albums and box set were issued to allow comprehensive overviews of artists and genres. Early CD releases where followed later by remastered versions. In the interim dynamic range compression was used in mastering CD's to add loudness. It has been argued that the remastering added loudness and this was not for the better. Sales reached their peak in 2000. They then nearly halved up to 2007, which is when smartphones and the first music streaming services emerged. Streaming revenue from services like Spotify and Pandora overtook CD sales in 2014. The rock band Dire Straits released their 5th album in May 1985. The CD format was looking like legacy technology less than 20 years after their Brothers in Arms CD: a release widely seen as heralding the CD era.

Playing an Audio CD

Typically compact discs were played on a CD player as part of Hi-Fi unit. In the 1980's and 1990's, Ownership of a CD player as part of a Hi-Fi unit was an indication of upward mobility. They offered convenience as music could be played with the simple push of a button. Portable CD players have enjoyed a vogue of their own. Although CD's last a long time, as technology has progressed, the playback medium for them has often been junked or put into storage. The mechanical and electronic components may be in need of attention, which may involve repair costs. CD's can also be played through a computer with an optical drive. Sound quality will depend on the parameters of the output device specified by the computer.

Audio Quality

The arrival of the compact disc format, introduced a new storage medium with notable technical differences e.g. CD's have more than 10 times the dynamic range of LP's. The digital technology used meant that they could capture the sound with greater accuracy. There is debate, over the extent to which the difference is noticeable.

The Artwork and Packaging

The Jewel Case came out in 1982. The first Jewel Cases weighed 100 grams, had thick walls and did not break. However, due to severe competition manufacturers reduced its weight to 68 grams. These were fragile. Subsequently breakages happened easily if care was not taken when handling them. More recent CD's may have a digipak which is a gate-fold card CD sleeve with plastic inner tray fixed in. Or they may have a card slipcase. CD booklets often include extensive liner notes, detailed track list and rare photos.