I’ve seen old music collections and started wondering about earlier formats. Were CDs actually popular in the 1980s and how common were they compared to cassette tapes and vinyl records during that decade?

Great bit of tech history! The short answer is: CDs were launched in the 80s, but they weren't the dominant format until the 90s. The 1980s was a decade of format transition, a three-way battle between vinyl, cassette, and the new kid on the block, the Compact Disc.

Here's the breakdown: * The Launch: CDs were first commercially released in Japan in October 1982, and in the US and Europe in 1983. The first players were incredibly expensive (like $1,000 in 1983 dollars!). * 1980s Popularity - A Niche for Audiophiles and Early Adopters: For most of the decade, CDs were a luxury item. They were prized for their "perfect" digital sound (no hiss, no pops), durability, and cool tech factor. However, they were far from common. Your average teenager in 1985 or 1987 was far more likely to have a boombox with cassette tapes or a bedroom record player. * The Real Kings of the 80s: Cassettes. Cassette tapes were arguably the most popular format for consumption in the 80s. Why? Portability. The Sony Walkman (released 1979) changed everything. You could make mixtapes, play them in your car, and take them anywhere. Vinyl was still the primary format for purchasing albums, but you'd often record them to cassette to listen on the go. * Vinyl's Slow Decline: Vinyl LPs were still the standard for album releases and serious music collecting for the first half of the decade. But by the late 80s, as CD prices dropped and more titles became available, vinyl sales began a steep decline.

So, picture the late 80s: Cassettes are #1 for everyday listening, Vinyl is still big but fading, and CDs are the shiny, expensive future that's slowly gaining ground. It wasn't until the early 1990s that CD players became affordable for the masses and CDs truly took over as the leading format.

I lived through it! In 1986, my dad bought one of the first CD players. It cost a fortune and we had maybe five CDs: Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (which was like the demo disc for CDs), some classical music, and a weird compilation. We still bought all our new music on vinyl or cassette. CDs felt like science fiction—skipping to track 8 instantly was mind-blowing. But by 1988-89, friends started getting CD players for birthdays or graduations, and record stores started having bigger CD sections. But cassettes? They were everywhere. Every car had a tape deck, every kid had a Walkman. So, popular in the tech sense? Yes, among those who could afford it. Common compared to tapes? No way, not until the very tail end of the 80s, maybe 1989.