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For a long time Battelle was unable to interest anyone else in ODR. Eventually Sony and Philips licensed it, established a proprietary ODR format for audio called “Compact Disc” (CD), and delivered a commercial product in 1982, followed in 1985 with a related ODR format for data called CD-ROM. Sony and Philips call these their “inventions”, misleading many into seeing Sony and Philips as visionary. They are often given sole credit for this revolutionary technology. In actuality, their contribution was to bring Russell’s system to market, and only after taking two decades to recognize its value.

James Russell invented the compact disc in 1965. James Russell was granted a total of 22 patents for various elements of his compact disc system. However, the compact disk did not become popular until it was mass manufactured by Philips in 1980.             The first working prototype was produced in 1979. At the time of the technology's introduction it had more capacity than computer hard drives common at the time. The reverse is now true, with hard drives far exceeding the capacity of CDs.

n 1979, Philips and Sony got together to manufacture the compact disc.

It was Philips Industries, a Dutch-based electronics giant (known in the music world as owner of the PolyGram labels), that made the first announcement, on May 17, 1978. Working with Japan's Sony Corporation, Philips announced that they would have a marketable compact disc and appropriate hardware ready "in the early 1980s." That promise was kept on October 1, 1982, when the compact disc was introduced in Japan by CBS/Sony, with 112 different CD titles and a CD player (Sony's CDP-101). The last few months of 1982 were hectic, with Sony selling over 20,000 CD players and Hitachi also posting sales in the 6,000 per month range for their player. Prices for these initial players ran from about $700 to about $1000. The discs themselves, priced at about $15-20, could not be pressed fast enough to meet demand. Sony's research on who was buying the discs in Japan indicated it was young (20s, early 30s) men with a particular interest in sound quality. Perhaps it was this research that led others to believe, as the rest of the world looked on in curiosity to what was happening in Japan, that CDs would fill a niche for high quality sound enthusiasts and little else. By the end of 1982, CBS/Sony and Epic/Sony had issued 122 CD titles.

The stories about compact discs published in Billboard during early 1983 are fascinating. The lead story on January 29 has PolyGram mulling over how to package the CD in the US when it's released later in 1983, leaning toward the (in retrospect, ill-fated) "long box," the 6"x12" cardboard box which they convinced the industry to adopt at the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) meeting the next week. (Many at the meeting were considering a 12"x12" box!)

In February, Sony announced a "firm" suggested retail price of $1000 for their CD player and $16.98 for discs when they would be introduced later that year in the US. February 23, 1983 marked the debut of the compact disc in Europe, with PolyGram's Hans Gout noting that, "The sooner the Compact Disc replaces the conventional black vinyl LP, the better." By early March, Sony and CBS Records in the US were supplying free compact disc players and discs to selected radio stations here, mostly with Classical and Album-Oriented Rock formats. The March 12 issue of Billboard also notes that Capitol Record Shop, a Hartford, Connecticut, record store, had begun importing CDs from Japan and Europe, with 24 titles at a price tag of $24.95 each. At the time the owner was interviewed, he had only sold a total of one disc.

History of the Compact Disc Starting in the mid 1980's, compact discs (CD) began to take over both the audio and computer program market. Much of this can be attributed to a general acceptance of certain specifications regarding compact discs, known as the "Color Books." Originally designed and developed by both Sony and Phillips, the concept of the Color Books was patented and standards were developed. These are a collection of five books that describe the specifications and standards CD technology follows. This led eventually to the current audio CD technology (Figure 1).

The first book, written in 1980, was named the "Red Book" and outlined the specifications regarding CD Digital Audio. This was the common CD used in stereo systems, and was capable of holding up to 99 tracks, for a total of roughly 74 minutes of audio information.