On October 1, 1982, Billy Joel's sixth studio album, "52nd Street", became the first commercially released CD album. It was released in Japan. Looking back at the first release, it means that CDs are now at least 39 years old (1982–2021).

A group of U.S. industry music producers said that with the first commercial release a major shift in the way fans consumed music took place. It was a change that had a worldwide lasting effect in the decades that followed. A very big result was that the Joel's 1982 music CD album set off a fresh torrent of profits for the entire record industry.

Billy Joel‘s "52nd Street" album was a multi-platinum hit after its original release in 1978. Time Magazine pointed out that "52nd Street" wasn’t technically the first CD to be produced. Some original technology had been tested when Richard Strauss’ "Eine Alpensinfonie" was made, and the first batch of CD discs were manufactured during the making of ABBA’s "The Visitors". However, these CD items, which had been made, didn’t arrive in retail stores until after "52nd Street" was publicly being sold.

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