Thirty Years of Compact Discs

A very happy birthday to the compact disc, which turned 30 this week (march 8^th). In the past few decades the CD has remained the standard digital data storage medium, and only until recently has it begun to loose its glimmer.

The CD was first introduced as a prototype as "Philips Introduce Compact Disc" at a technology press conference in the Netherlands in 1979. The combination of economic recession and Mp3 / other digital music files have caused a serious drop in compact disc sales. In 2008, it was reported that CD sales dropped by a devastating 20%.

Since its first demo on March 8th, 1979, the CD has gone on to sell 240 billion discs.

The first recorded CD was Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss.

The first CD was actually manufactured on August 17, 1982.

First band to sell a Million CDs? Dire Straits.

Royal Philips received the EEE Milestone Award for its part in creating the compact disc.

CDs make great coasters. Hang on to them.