Compact Disc single facts for kids
A CD single is a type of compact disc that usually contains only one or a few songs. It's like a mini-album, but instead of a whole collection of songs, it focuses on a main track. These were very popular for releasing new songs before full albums came out. Sometimes, people just call them a CDS.
CD singles first appeared in the mid-1980s. But they really became popular in the early 1990s. Later, in the 2000s, people started downloading music online. This meant fewer people bought CD singles.
A CD single can have as few as two songs. These are often called an "A side" and a "B side," like old vinyl records. Some CD singles might have up to six songs, similar to an EP. They can also include different versions of a song, called remixes. Sometimes, they even came with a music video or a collectible poster!
Contents
History of CD Singles
Early Days and Growth
The very first CD single is thought to be "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits. It came out in the UK in 1985. This was a special release with four songs.
In 1987, CD singles could officially count towards the UK Singles Chart. The first song to reach number one on this chart as a CD single was "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston. This happened in May 1987.
There was also a smaller type of CD single called a Mini CD single. These were created in the late 1980s. They were more popular in Japan. They were even called "Pocket" CDs because they were small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. However, in the US, the regular 5-inch CD single quickly replaced them.
CD Singles in the 1990s
During the 1990s, it was common for music companies to release two types of CD singles. One might have just two songs. The other, often called a "maxi CD," would have more songs or remixes.
Record companies worried that CD singles were hurting sales of full CD albums. Albums cost more, so they made more money. Because of this, some countries changed how their music charts worked. Songs could chart based on how much they were played on the radio, even if no single was sold.
In the US, the Billboard Hot 100 chart changed in December 1998. After this, fewer CD singles were released there. But in the UK and other countries, charts still mainly counted physical single sales. By the end of the 1990s, the CD was the best-selling single format in the UK.
The Decline of CD Singles
With the rise of digital music, like online downloads, CD singles became less common. Most music charts now count digital downloads along with physical sales.
In Australia, a newspaper reported that the CD single was "set to become extinct." In 2009, a big music store called JB Hi-Fi stopped selling CD singles. This was because sales were so low. Other major stores like Kmart, Target, and Big W also stopped stocking new CD singles.
In China, CD singles were never very common. Music charts there often count radio play and digital downloads. This is partly because of a lot of online file sharing.
In Greece and Cyprus, the term "CD single" often means an extended play (EP). These EPs might have three to six different songs. They used to appear on the Greek Singles Chart.
In 2008, Woolworths Group, a big store in the UK, stopped selling CD singles. They said the format was in "terminal decline." This meant customers preferred buying single songs as digital downloads instead.
See also
In Spanish: Sencillo en CD para niños
