CD Player

Hello. I’m a CD Player. I am a special box that makes beautiful music. My best friends are shiny, round discs called CDs. They shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow when you hold them in the light. When you put a CD inside me and close my door, I use a little light to read it. It’s like I’m reading a secret story on the disc, but the story is a song. Before I came along, music sometimes sounded a little fuzzy or scratchy. But I was made to play songs so clearly that it felt like the singer was right in the room with you. I was so excited to share my music with the world.

I was born from a very clever idea. Two big teams of smart inventors worked together to make me. One team was named Philips, and the other was named Sony. They wanted to find a new way for everyone to listen to their favorite songs. My birthday is on October 1st, 1982. That was the very first day one of me was ready to play music for someone. How do I do it. It’s like magic. I have a tiny laser beam, which is like a magic finger of light. As the shiny CD spins around inside me, my light gently touches all the teeny-tiny bumps on it. Those bumps tell me what notes to play, and I turn them into beautiful music without any scratchy sounds.

I made so many people happy. With just the push of a button, you could skip right to your favorite song on a CD. You didn’t have to wait. As I got older, I also got smaller. Soon, you could carry me in your backpack and listen to music on the bus or at the park. I am very proud that I helped music travel everywhere. My ideas even helped other smart people invent the new ways you listen to songs today.