The Compact Disc reached the market in late 1982 in Asia and early
the following year in other markets. This event is often seen
as the "Big Bang" of the digital audio revolution. The
new audio disc was enthusiastically received, especially in the
early-adopting classical music and audiophile communities and
its handling quality received particular praise. The far larger
popular and rock music industries were slower to adopt the new
format, especially in the huge consumer markets in Europe and
the United States.
The design of the CD was originally conceived
as an evolution of the gramophone record, rather than primarily
as a data storage medium. Only later did the concept of an 'audio
file' arise, and the generalising of this to any data file.
From its origins as a music format, Compact Disc has grown to
encompass other applications. In June 1985, the CD-ROM (read-only
memory) and, in 1990, CD-Recordable were introduced, also Developed
by Sony and Philips.
