CD-ROM Today

CD-ROM Today

CD-ROM Today was a monthly American computer magazine focused on multimedia software and optical media during the 1990s personal computing era. The magazine covered hardware, software, game titles, authoring tools, and industry developments related to compact disc technology, serving readers interested in multimedia production, interactive titles, and emerging standards. It sat alongside contemporaries in the publishing and technology sectors, addressing the same consumer and professional audiences reached by magazines, trade shows, and developer communities.

Overview

CD-ROM Today addressed topics spanning consumer multimedia, interactive entertainment, educational titles, and professional authoring for platforms such as Microsoft Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Macintosh System 7, Mac OS, and early Linux distributions. Articles examined optical media standards like Compact Disc Digital Audio, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory, and later formats influenced by the DVD initiative and the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 codecs. The magazine often reviewed titles produced by publishers such as Sierra Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment Company, Electronic Arts, Activision, and Brøderbund, and discussed hardware from companies like Sony Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Creative Technology, and Apple Inc..

History

CD-ROM Today's inception coincided with broader industry events including the consumer uptake around the Netscape Navigator era, the expansion of AOL services, and multimedia push by firms such as Microsoft Corporation and IBM. The magazine emerged during the 1990s dot-com boom and intersected with trade shows and conferences such as COMDEX, the SIGGRAPH conference, and the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Editorial staff included writers with backgrounds at competing titles such as PC Magazine, Macworld, GamePro, and Computer Gaming World, while corporate ownership and consolidation trends linked it with publishers like Ziff Davis, IDG, and Future plc through distribution partnerships and advertising ecosystems. Market pressures from the rise of online services, shifting advertising revenues, and format transitions—mirrored in events like the adoption of DVD Forum recommendations—contributed to changes in publication frequency and ultimate discontinuation as print trade dynamics evolved.

Content and Features

Typical issues contained reviews, how-to tutorials, developer interviews, and cover-mounted media compilations highlighting titles from houses such as Microsoft Games, The Learning Company, Maxis, Origin Systems, and Interplay Entertainment. Features explored authoring tools like Macromedia Director, Authorware, Roxio Easy CD Creator, and early multimedia toolchains associated with QuickTime and RealNetworks technologies. Coverage also extended to educational initiatives exemplified by partnerships with organizations such as The Smithsonian Institution, BBC Multimedia, and The British Library when cultural heritage projects were released on CD-ROM. Regular columns addressed system performance on hardware from vendors including Intel Corporation, AMD, Sound Blaster, and multimedia accelerators from companies like 3dfx Interactive and NVIDIA Corporation during their early product launches.

Production and Distribution

Production workflows for the magazine mirrored publishing practices at companies such as Hearst Communications, Meredith Corporation, and Condé Nast, relying on editorial departments, advertising sales teams, and printer partnerships. Physical distribution used channels shared with periodicals like Time Magazine and Newsweek through national distributors and retail chains including Barnes & Noble, Tower Records, and electronics retailers such as Best Buy and CompUSA. Cover discs and bundled CD-ROMs required coordination with CD replication facilities, logistics providers, and licensors like Warner Bros., Disney, and music labels from groups such as Universal Music Group for licensed multimedia content. Advertising calendars featured hardware OEMs, software publishers, and service providers active in the Silicon Valley and global markets.

Reception and Legacy

Contemporaneous reception placed CD-ROM Today among niche publications documenting the transition from analogue media to interactive digital formats, alongside periodicals like Wired (magazine), Byte (magazine), and PC World. Critics and readers compared its editorial voice and reviews to those of Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly for gaming coverage, while educators and cultural institutions noted its role in promoting multimedia learning resources developed by entities such as The Smithsonian Institution and PBS. The legacy includes influencing archival practices, early multimedia preservation discussions involving institutions like the Library of Congress, and informing subsequent online communities on platforms such as Usenet and early Slashdot discussions. Archival issues remain of interest to historians of computing, media scholars studying the Dot-com bubble, and collectors following the histories of companies like Imagine Publishing and successor corporate structures in the magazine industry.

Category:Defunct computer magazines Category:1990s in computing