Project

We’re interested in learning more about the people and processes involved in manufacturing CDs, from their development in the 1980s to their ongoing use today.

How do you get from a simple piece of plastic to a disc full of music that can be played, played with and shared? We hope to reveal the untold stories of UK CD producers, from large-scale pressing plants to bespoke small-run specialists.

From November 2022 to June 2023 we’ll be speaking to the people with hands-on knowledge and uncovering the day-to-day operations that first brought us digital music.

If you’d like to be involved, please email us.

The ‘CD at 40’ research project is funded by a Durham University Research Impact Grant. The Lead Investigator is Dr Eamonn Bell at the Department of Computer Science, Durham University.