How long music cd

But there's a twist to this story. The real limit for CDs started at 72 minutes, not 74 minutes, since this was the maximum length of the U-Matic videotapes which were used for audio masters. See more Latest features. See more Browse by. Why is a CD 74 minutes long? It's because of Beethoven 3 May , Updated: 3 May , Latest features See more Latest features. More From ClassicFM. If you burn uncompressed songs like those on a normal audio CD, you can store around 80 minutes of music on a CD.

Assuming you have an average lossy , digital music library that contains songs with a typical playing time of three to five minutes, expect to store between and songs per music CD. How many songs you can put on a disc varies and depends on several factors. The main ones are:. MP3 CDs aren't only useful for playing music in your car or at home.

They are a good solution for backing up your music library. Your only limit is the disc's capacity. As time passes, fewer computers are shipping with CD drives. You may need to acquire a peripheral drive to access the archived music at some point in the future. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. The chance of silver corrosion from exposure to sulfur dioxide is less than the chance of aluminum oxidation caused by high humidity.

With proper storage, these discs will outlast the technology. R discs use a dye-based layer organic dye for recording data. The organic dye used in the data layer of R discs degrades naturally but slowly over time. High temperatures and humidity will accelerate the process. Prolonged exposure to UV light can degrade the dye properties and eventually make the data unreadable. Heat buildup within the disc, caused by sunlight or close proximity to heated light sources, will also accelerate dye degradation.

Still, it would be prudent, in light of these claims, to purchase new discs as they are needed rather than to order large quantities and stockpile them for future use. RW and RAM discs are generally not considered for long-term or archival use, and life expectancy tests are seldom done for this medium.

Rewritable discs use a phase-changing metal alloy film for recording data and aluminum for the reflective layer. The alloy film is not as stable as the dye used in R discs because the material normally degrades at a faster rate; however, these discs should still be stable enough to outlast the current CD or DVD technology.

The phase-changing film is affected primarily by heat, but ultraviolet UV light may also be a factor in the aging process. The combination of high temperature and UV light may further accelerate the aging process. The combination of high temperatures and high relative humidity will also most likely accelerate the aging process, just as it does with the organic dye used in R discs.

No lab test results are yet available on the effects of these environmental conditions on RW or RAM discs. The data on the phase-changing metal alloy film layer can be erased and rewritten to a limited number of times about 1, times for RW discs and about , times for RAM discs. This rewriting does, however, affect disc life expectancy; RW or RAM discs archived after the first recording should have a longer life expectancy than those that have undergone several erase-recording cycles.

Add to that multiple rewrites, and the life expectancy can be even less. Just as the life expectancy of the disc varies with rewriting, so, too, does the security of the information itself. Information on R discs is more secure precisely because it cannot be changed or rewritten. CLIR is an independent, nonprofit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning.