Anthony Missano, an executive at Sbarro, was looking for a way to attract teens to the pizza-and-pasta chain when a soft drink sales rep handed him a fountain drink with a mini music CD tucked inside the plastic lid.

FORBES: Pop Music

More formats would follow, including DAT, MINI-disc and DCC, but no physical medium would ever truly topple the ubiquitous CD.

ENGADGET: Primed: digital audio basics Mobile