-CD.jpg)
ACD single is amusic single in the form of acompact disc (CD). Originally theCD single standard (as defined in theRed Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (CD3);[1] later on the term referred to any single recorded onto a CD of any size, particularly the 12 cm (5-inch) "full-size" disc (CD5). From a technical viewpoint, a CD single is identical to any otheraudio CD. The format started gaining popularity in the early 1990s, but quickly declined in the early and mid 2000s, in favor ofdigital downloaded singles and CDalbums.[2][3]
Commercially released CD singles can vary in length from two songs (anA side and B side, in the tradition of 7-inch 45-rpmrecords) up to six songs like anEP, which would be marketed as amaxi single in some regions. Some contain multiple mixes of one or more songs (known asremixes), in the tradition of12-inch vinyl singles, and in some cases, they may also contain amusic video for the single itself (this is anenhanced CD) as well as occasionally aposter. Depending on the nation, there may be limits on the number of songs and total length for sales to count in singles charts.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Mini CD single CD3 format was originally created for use for singles in the late 1980s, but met with limited success, particularly in the US.[4][5] The smaller CDs were more successful in Japan[6] and had a resurgence in Europe early this century, marketed as "Pock it" CDs, being small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. By 1989, the CD3 was in decline in the US (replaced by the 5-inch CD single, called CD5).[6]
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]
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 onairplay, without a single ever being released. In the US, theBillboard Hot 100 made this change in December 1998,[7] 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 serviceNapster being blamed.[8] 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.[9]
CD singles were first made eligible for theUK Singles Chart in 1987, and the first number 1 available on the format in that country was "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" byWhitney Houston in May 1987.[10] At the end of the 1990s, the CD was the biggest-selling single format in the UK. Record companies would also release two CDs but, usually, these consisted of three tracks or more each.[citation needed]
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]
| Period | Sales | Percentage | Other sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| January–December 1999 | 34.3 million[11] | Probably 95%+ | |
| January–December 2004[12] | Less than 50% | DL: more than 50% | |
| January–June 2006[13] | 19% | DL: ?/76.7% | |
| January–June 2007[13] | 8.1% | DL: ?/88.9% | |
| January–December 2007[12] | 8 million | DL: 72.6 million | |
| January–December 2008[14] | 4.6 million | DL: 110.3 million | |
| January–1 October 2009[15] | Less than 1.6 million | Less than 1.4% | DL: 115.4 million |
| January - September 2021 | 60,000[16] |
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, withcassingle in second place and12" singles in third place.[17] By 2003, CD singles had significantly dropped from its peak while albums reached an all-time high. This was in part by an increase in the price of singles, which was about £4 and provided worse value for money compared to an album for £10.[18]
Asda stopped selling CD singles in 2007.[3]Woolworths Group, which previously accounted for one third of all CD sales in the country, stopped selling CD singles in August 2008, citing the "terminal decline" of the format as customers moved to digital downloads as their preferred method of purchasing single tracks[12][19] (the Woolworths chain itself would collapse the following November). In March 2011,Mercury Records announced that they were to stop manufacturing CD singles for lack of demand and loss of money on the format in 2010.[20]
In July 2009,The Guardian reported thatFlorence + The Machine's single 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)' sold a CD and 7 inch vinyl combined total of 64 copies, where it reached number 16 in the Mid-Week Chart.[21]
'Bad Habits' byEd Sheeran was the best-selling CD single as of September 2021 with 11,000 copies.[22]
In Australia, theHerald Sun reported the CD single is "set to become extinct". In early July 2009, leading music storeJB Hi-Fi ceased stocking CD singles because of declining sales, with copies of the week's No. 1 single often selling as few as only 350 copies across all their stores nationwide.[23] While CD singles no longer maintain their own section of the store, copies are still distributed but placed with the artist's albums. That is predominantly the case for popular Australian artists such asJessica Mauboy,Kylie Minogue and, most recently,Delta Goodrem, whose then-recent singles ("What Happened to Us", "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" and "Sitting on Top of the World" respectively) were released on CD in limited quantities. TheARIA Singles Chart is now "predominantly compiled from legal downloads", andARIA also stopped compiling their physical singles sales chart. "On a Mission" byGabriella Cilmi was the last CD single to be stocked inKmart,Target andBig W, who then concluded stocking newly released singles.Sanity Entertainment, having resisted the decline for longer than the other major outlets, has also ceased selling CD singles.
InGermany, CD singles continue to be regularly issued by all major and some minor labels, and both of domestic and foreign artists.[citation needed]
InChina andSouth Korea, CD single releases have been rare ever since the format was introduced, due to 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]
InGreece andCyprus, the term "CD single" is used to describe anextended play (EP) in which there may be anywhere from three to six different tracks. These releases charted on theGreek Singles Chart (before it abandoned tracking altogether) with songs released assingles.
 A Japanese "Mini CD" single | |
| Media type | Optical disc |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 80 mm holds up to 24 minutes of music, or 210 MB (210 × 220 bytes) of data. |
| Standard | Red Book |
| Dimensions | 8centimeters (3.1inches) |
| Usage | Audio storage |
| Released | 1987; 38 years ago (1987)[24][5] |
The originalCD single (sometimesmini CD single or3-inch CD orCD3 in the US) is amusic single released on amini Compact Disc that measures 8 cm (3.1 in) in diameter, rather than the standard 12 cm (4.7 in). They are manufactured using the same methods as standard full-size CDs, and can be played in most standard audioCD players andCD-ROMdisc drives.[5]
The format was first released in theUnited States,United Kingdom,Japan,France,West Germany, andHong Kong in 1987 as the replacement for the 7-inch single.[25] 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.[5]
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 aninstrumental version in the same way as 7-inchvinyl singles.[26]
From a technical standpoint, a 3-inch CD is the same as a standard CD (Red Book standard for CD digital audio) with the major difference being the smaller physical size of the disc allowing fewer data sectors, meaning the disc can store less audio. The majority of audio CD players and CD-ROM drives have a smaller circular indentation in the CD tray for holding these discs. Most slot-loading drives, such as those found in some car CD players, are unable to manipulate the smaller discs or their adapters. Laptop drives generally only require the centre hole to hold the disc so the smaller diameter is irrelevant.[citation needed]
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(August 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In Japan, 8 cm (3 in) 3"CD singles were initially released commercially in 1988 in a long flip-out sleeve snap-packs (Japanese:短冊;tanzaku).[27] 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.
| 3"CD Production of Recorded Music Trend of Recorded Music Production[28] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Units | |
| 1988 | 25,557 | |
| 1989 | 47,094 | |
| 1990 | 61,820 | |
| 1991 | 88,776 | |
| 1992 | 110,559 | |
| 1993 | 153,795 | |
| 1994 | 138,271 | |
| 1995 | 164,581 | |
| 1996 | 166,294 | |
| 1997 | 167,827 | |
| 1998 | 154,260 | |
| 1999 | 86,333 | |
| 2000 | 33,124 | |
| 2001 | 9,788 | |
| 2002 | 7,967 | |
| 2022 | 34 | |
| 2023 | 186 | |
Beginning in 1989 some labels began to package mini CDs in 12 cm (5 in) slimline cases. As thetanzaku 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 "I Was Born to Love You" byQueen in 2004. Many of the artists who released 8 cm CDs are from that era, includingWink,Madonna,Phil Collins,Michael Jackson,Queen,U2,Prince,Metallica,Bros,Huey Lewis and the News,Bon Jovi,Kylie Minogue,Falco andGeorge Michael. Some singles packaged in 12 cm single jewel cases contained a 12 cm CD adapter.
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 as limited edition mini CD singles with Japanese artists such asHibari Misora with a reissue of her 1989 single "Kawa no Nagare no Yoni" in May 2019 in original longtanzaku form, by the record companyNippon Columbia[29] and in July 2024 with girl group Wink Music Service releasing To Rome with Love.[30]
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-basedRykodisc 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.[5] Noted oldies labelRhino had a series of over 60 3-inch CDs released throughout 1988 entitled "Lil' Bit Of Gold".[citation needed]
In theUnited States andUnited 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.[31]
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 in larger production until the early 2000s with forJapanese releases, but continued to the present day in much smaller numbers.[32] Despite the unpopularity it survived with publishers adopting the 3-inch CD as an inexpensive way of presenting bonus material with books.[33]
The slimjewel boxes used for 3-inch CDs are nearly the same size as 3.5-inchfloppy disks, making storage boxes for 3.5-inch floppies usable for 3-inch CDs as well.
| Discs | |
|---|---|
| Technology | |
| Hardware/software/content | |
| Court cases | |
| Lists | |
| Variants based on CD | |
| See also | |
