The dawn of the digital music era arrived, with the release of Billy Joel’s “52nd Street” on Compact Disc. Manufactured jointly by Sony and Philips, the CD promised superior audio fidelity thanks to its 16-bit audio resolution and a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The format’s success stemmed from its crystal-clear sound, durability, and the convenience of skipping tracks instantly – a significant leap forward from vinyl records and cassette tapes.
Fun Fact: The length of a CD (74 minutes) was reportedly chosen so that it could hold Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in its entirety!