The Compact Disc altered how computers and music devices stored, played back and read data, and unlike past cassette and floppy discs, added more storage memory for computer users. Originally created in the early 90s, CDs were designed to replace floppy drives and cassettes, and over a 10-year period, they not only replaced floppies and cassettes, but made them completely obsolete. Videos, music, data and even video games were all placed on a CD, which was used as a new, multi-purpose data storage item of the future. If it were not for the CD, music, software and even movies would not look the same.

Computers

During much of the 80s and 90s, floppy discs were widely utilized as the storage device of choice used to transfer data from one computer to the next. Before the 90s, many computers depended on floppy drives, but when CDs were introduced in the mid 90s, they became the sought after medium for transferring data from one computer to the next. CDs were light, compact, and much more resistant to damage than a floppy disc.

Music

Computers may have benefited from CDs the most, but the music business came in at a close second. No floppy or cassette tape could ever replicate the amount of memory a single CD had, which made the Compact Disc the preferred item for storing digital audio. CDs also made it feasible for listeners to get digitally recorded music from the Internet and place it onto a disc using the aid of a music burner. Pirating music is illegal, and while the federal government did aim to put an end to many of the popular P2P music programs, it didn’t hinder millions of users from placing thousands of songs onto CDs. No other music medium, including vinyl records and cassettes, gave shoppers the power to produce their own custom audio compilations.

Movies and Games

Since movies and video games usually need gigabytes worth of memory, CDs could keep all the audio and visual data on a single disc. The movie industry could bring about higher quality images and place them onto a CD, and when the introduction of Blu-ray players came about, newer discs with up to gigabytes worth of storage were used. The video game business no longer had to worry itself with less memory that cartridge-based games had and could place more information on one CD with ease.

Of course, vinyl albums and cassettes may no longer be used every day, but some shoppers collect these items as personal keepsakes or because of the rarity in the album or cassette. Some collectors may possess White Stripes vinyl records, while others may collect Beatles vinyl, and some of these LPs may earn upwards of thousands of dollars.