The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 1979–1982
The CD won audio by Philips and Sony agreeing to one joint standard in 1979
Philips and Sony settled on a single 120mm, 16-bit, 74-minute Red Book disc, and the world adopted one format.
Philips · Sony · Polygram
the move
In the late 1970s Philips and Sony each had a laser-audio project, and competing formats risked a replay of the cassette/VHS wars.
They signed a 1979 agreement to build one system jointly, then published the 1980 Red Book setting the disc at 120mm, 16-bit, 44.1kHz and about 74 minutes.
The deal was a compromise: Sony pushed the bigger capacity and Philips owned Polygram, one of the largest record distributors, so one format had the content and the hardware on its side.
By cross-licensing the Red Book to other manufacturers, Philips and Sony made adoption a one-format decision for the whole music industry.
why it works
- One joint standard removed the consumer risk of backing a losing format.
- The Philips/Sony agreement unified the hardware and the content supply.
- The Red Book gave every manufacturer the same blueprint to build players and discs.
- Cross-licensing let the format spread rather than stay proprietary.
what transfers
When a format war hurts everyone, the winning move is often to settle on one standard and open it rather than fight for a bigger slice.
what came after
The first CD was pressed in August 1982 and CD audio rapidly replaced vinyl and cassette; the Red Book remained the reference for CD audio and later CD-ROM.
references
- The Story of How Beethoven Helped Make It So That CDs Could Play 74 Minutes of Music
- CD celebrates 25th anniversary
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