Hey, Compact Disc, happy belated birthday! Philips demonstrated its CD prototype on March 8, 1979, soon forming a joint venture with Sony to develop the new audio technology. Together, the companies invested millions during an economic downturn, seeing the opportunity to expand their business. Such innovation and determination is worth noting as companies once again faces similar instability.

Of course, commercial CDs weren’t made available to consumers until 1982—Billy Joel’s 52nd Street was the first title released. However slowly, the aluminum army began its invasion of homes here and abroad. And today, 240 billion CDs have been sold worldwide.

The first CD I purchased was Madonna’s Like A Prayer, worth noting not just because of its special designation in my collection, but that I didn’t own or have access to a CD player at the time. My sister and I had devised a plot to land a player at our house, the first step of which was stockpiling a few CDs; because then we’d have to have some way to listen to them, right? (Because our parents had quickly embraced new technology before—from cassettes to computers—we figured the unplayable stack would nudge them into purchasing a new stereo system.)

So my sister and I signed up for the BMG Music Service and got our 6 discs for a penny (whatever the terms were, they were better than what Columbia House was offering at the time). Yes, there were other CDs besides Like A Prayer in the intital welcome package, but that was the one that mattered to me. The purchase of the CD player followed a few months later (a joint venture between my sister and me, as Mom and Dad proved wholly unphased by our ploy). I’ve remained a BMG member in the 20 years since.

In December, however, the mail-order CD service stopped taking new members, and today I received this announcement via email: BMG Music Service is ceasing operations on June 30. Current members are invited to migrate over to their sister operation, YourMusic.com, where all single CDs are $6.99 with free shipping (one purchase a month is required). I’ve been a YourMusic member since its debut, often finding it a better deal than its big brother, so I surely share some blame.

But the shift is just one more example of tough times for the 30-year-old CD. The digital format that vanquished vinyl (sort of) and killed cassettes (mostly) now is itself challenged by changing technology. While I do the MP3 thing (or AAC via iTunes), I know I’m not alone in my preference for the physical (which offers better sound). But with CD availability becoming more of an online-only model every month, I’m less convinced that the compact disc has anything like a prayer.