compact discs
Laser-read music circles
Compact discs are plastic discs storing digital data readable by laser—the dominant format for music and computer data from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s.
Usually abbreviated CD: I still have boxes of CDs in the garage.
Largely supplanted by streaming and digital downloads, though some audiophiles and collectors prefer the format.
- CDsOptical storage media
- jewel caseContainer for precious stones
- CD-ROMOptical storage medium
- musicOrganized auditory art
- polycarbonateStrong transparent synthetic polymer
90s · storage · tracks · laser · skip · liner notes · album artwork · audio · CD-Rs · digital audio · album · stereo · CD-ROMs · audio equipment · burn · plastic · scratched · read error
- dying industriesprint newspapers, landlines, payphones, cassette tapes, VCRs
compact discsvinyl records
Analog audio discs
vinyl · cassette tapes · phonograph records · 78s · gramophone records
compact discsstreaming
Real-time digital delivery
digital downloads · MP3s · Spotify · Apple Music · streaming services
compact discsstreaming
Real-time digital delivery
cloud storage · solid-state drives · flash drives · SD cards · digital distribution
compact, disc, compacted, compactness, compacting, compactly, compactor, subcompact, ultracompact