CD single
A CD single is a
Commercially released CD singles can vary in length from two songs (an
History and sales
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
The
During the 1990s, CD single releases became less common in certain countries and were often released in smaller editions, as the major record labels feared they were cannibalizing the sales of higher-profit-margin CD albums.[citation needed]
United States
It was common in the 1990s for US record companies to release both a two-track CD and a multi-track (usually "remix") maxi CD.
Pressure from record labels made singles charts in some countries become song charts, allowing album cuts to chart based only on airplay, without a single ever being released. In the US, the Billboard Hot 100 made this change in December 1998,[6] after which very few songs were released in the CD single format in the US, but they remained extremely popular in other countries, where charts were still based solely on single sales and not radio airplay.[citation needed]
In the year 2000, the RIAA reported that CD single sales fell by 39%, with internet downloading service Napster being blamed.[7] In October 2001, Target which was the fourth largest music retailer in the United States, announced that it will stop selling CD singles in many of its stores due to a fall in demand.[8]
United Kingdom
CD singles were first made eligible for the
Smaller 3-inch CDs were made mostly in a small square case/cover form only, some including a 5-inch CD adapter to use in normal compact disc players. Although the format was not widely available in the United Kingdom, several artists have released singles in the format.[citation needed]
Sales figures
Period | Sales | Percentage | Other sales |
---|---|---|---|
January–December 1999 | 34.3 million[10] | Probably 95%+ | |
January–December 2004[11] | Less than 50% | DL: more than 50% | |
January–June 2006[12] | 19% |
DL: ?/76.7% | |
January–June 2007[12] | 8.1% |
DL: ?/88.9% | |
January–December 2007[11] | 8 million | DL: 72.6 million | |
January–December 2008[13] | 4.6 million | DL: 110.3 million | |
January–1 October 2009[14] | Less than 1.6 million | Less than 1.4% | DL: 115.4 million |
January - September 2021 | 60,000[15] |
At Q4 1996, there were 24.2 million CD singles shipped in the country. At Q4 1999 CDs made up 74.6% of single sales, with
In July 2009, The Guardian reported that
'Bad Habits' by Ed Sheeran was the best-selling CD single as of September 2021 with 11,000 copies.[21]
Elsewhere
In Australia, the , having resisted the decline for longer than the other major outlets, has also ceased selling CD singles.
In Germany, CD singles continue to be regularly issued by all major and some minor labels, and both of domestic and foreign artists.[citation needed]
In China and South Korea, CD single releases have been rare ever since the format was introduced, due of the amount of infringement and illegal file sharing over the internet, and most of the time singles have generally been album cuts chart based only on airplay, but with the advent of digital music the charts have also occasionally included digital download counts.[citation needed]
In Greece and Cyprus, the term "CD single" is used to describe an extended play (EP) in which there may be anywhere from three to six different tracks. These releases charted on the Greek Singles Chart (before it abandoned tracking altogether) with songs released as singles.
Mini CD (CD3)
centimeters (3.1 inches) | |
Usage | Audio storage |
---|---|
Released | 1987[4] |
The original CD single (sometimes mini CD single or 3-inch CD or CD3 in the US) is a
The format was first released in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, West Germany, and Hong Kong in 1987 as the replacement for the 7-inch single.[23] While mini CDs quickly fell out of popularity among most major record labels (partly due to their incompatibility with many slot-loading CD players), they lasted longer as a popular, low cost way for independent musicians and groups to release music.[4]
Capable of holding up to 20 minutes of music, most mini CD singles contain at least two tracks, often consisting of a single edit and an instrumental version in the same way as 7-inch vinyl singles.[24]
From a technical standpoint, a 3-inch CD is the same as a standard CD (
Japan
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
In Japan, 8 cm (3 in) CD singles were initially released in a long flip-out sleeve snap-packs (Japanese: 短冊; tanzaku). The plastic inserts in the sleeves could be snapped in half and folded into a small 8 cm (3 in) square, rather than the original 15 cm × 8 cm (6 in × 3 in) length when originally sold.
Beginning in 1999 some labels began to package mini CDs in 12 cm (5 in) slimline cases. As the tanzaku sleeves slowly morphed into the use of slimline jewel cases, the mini CD single was halted from production in the early 2000s.
As popularity diminished, one of the last Japanese 8 cm CD single released was a reissue and repackaging of "
Most were sold at around ¥1,000 (£6 or $9) at the time of release during the late 1980s, early 2000s to the present day.
However, there has been a small revival in the mini CD single with Japanese artists such as Hibari Misora with a reissue of her 1989 single "Kawa no Nagare no Yoni" in May 2019 in original long tanzaku form, by the record company Nippon Columbia.[25]
United States
US versions were often packaged in cardboard slipcases, either 3-inch square or 6-inch by 3-inch gatefold. Others were released in 5-inch slimline single cases, which allowed an adapter to be included with the CD. At the time of first release in 1987, their retail price was between $4 and $6, at least $3 less than even the least-expensive 5-inch discs. Delos Records, a small, independent label, issued the first commercially available 3-inch CDs in 1987 with 20 classical and jazz titles. The Massachusetts-based Rykodisc issued Frank Zappa's “Peaches en Regalia” the first pop 3-inch CD. Initially when released, 300,000 of the discs were shipped to retail outlets.[4] Noted oldies label Rhino had a series of over 60 3-inch CDs released throughout 1988 entitled "Lil' Bit Of Gold".[citation needed]
Longevity
In the United States and United Kingdom, the format barely lasted into the early 1990s, partly due to inconvenience of needing to attach an adapter on every disc (very few packages were issued with one) before playing. Sony remained in support of the 3-inch CD having had plans to launch a 3-inch CD player for the Japanese market in 1988.[24]
Among major labels, it was largely replaced by putting less music on a regular full-size CD. The full-size discs are a more standard manufacturing process and so ended up being cheaper to press. The CD single format continued until 2000 for Japanese releases. Despite the unpopularity it survived with publishers adopting the 3-inch CD as an inexpensive way of presenting bonus material with books.[26]
Technical specifications
- Data: 185–210MiB (compared to 650–703MiB on a 12 cm CD)
- Audio: 21–24 minutes (compared to 74–80 minutes on a 12 cm CD)[27][28]
The slim
See also
References
- ^ "Cdとは - It用語辞典".
- ^ Gallo, Phil (2005-10-04). "Music fans burn CD biz". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ a b "End of the CD single". The Telegraph. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ a b c d e 3-inch Compact Discs Aim At Singles Market - August 06, 1988|By Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ a b "CD News" by Pete Howard for Rolling Stone magazine, 14–28 December 1989, page 216
- ^ Trust, Gary (2018-05-30). "In 1998, 'Iris,' 'Torn,' & Other Radio Smashes Hit the Hot 100 at Last After a Key Rule Change". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ "Napster blamed for CD singles slump". 2001-02-26. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ "Target signals the death of the single in the USA". 2001-10-28. Archived from the original on 2001-10-28. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
- ^ "CD single sales surge in the UK as Ed Sheeran, ABBA, Coldplay and more return to the format". Official Charts. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "CD single sales surge in the UK as Ed Sheeran, ABBA, Coldplay and more return to the format". Official Charts. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Wallop, Harry (26 May 2008). "CD singles off the shelves at Woolworths". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ^ a b Dangerfield, Andy (23 July 2007). "Can the CD single be saved?". BBC News. London. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ Sean Michaels (8 January 2009). "UK singles sales hit record high in 2008". the Guardian.
- ^ Khan, Urmee (23 October 2009). "Sales of music singles hit record levels thanks to internet downloads". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "CD single sales surge in the UK as Ed Sheeran, ABBA, Coldplay and more return to the format". Official Charts. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/2000/Music-Week-2000-02-26.pdf.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Independent.co.uk. 17 August 2003.
- ^ Ruki Sayid (26 May 2008). "CD singles to be axed as sales fall". mirror.
- ^ metrowebukmetro (25 March 2011). "Arcade Fire's label Mercury Records abolishes physical CD singles - Metro News". Metro.
- ^ Rosie Swash (15 July 2009). "A chart hit with 64 sales?". the Guardian.
- ^ "CD single sales surge in the UK as Ed Sheeran, ABBA, Coldplay and more return to the format". Official Charts. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Adams, Cameron (2 July 2009). "JB HiFi stops selling CD singles because of declining sales". Herald Sun. News.com.au. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Thompson, Dave. The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting". "CD-3s Good Things Don’t Always Come In Small Packages".
- ^ a b The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting - By Dave Thompson
- ^ Kawa no Nagare no Yoni 8cm CD by Hibari Misora. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Dave. The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting.
- ^ "80 mm CD: Minus size - plus portability - ExtensivelyReviewed". www.pricenfees.com.
- Red Book (CD standard)