CD Universe
 CD Universe logo | |
| Founded | April 1, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | June 2024 |
| Headquarters | Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Charles Beilman |
| Industry | Internet, online retailing |
| URL | cduniverse |
| Commercial | yes |
CD Universe was an e-commerce site that sells adult toys, adult DVDs, lingerie, and sexual wellness items. The original CD Universe was an online store that sold music CDs, mp3 downloads, movies, and video games worldwide until June 2024. CD Universe also offered a wide selection of miscellaneous items such as stuffed animals, jigsaw puzzles, board games, etc.[1]
History
CD Universe was created in 1996 by founder and CEO Charles Beilman in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. CD Universe listed over 940,000 physical products and over 6 million downloadable songs.
In 1999, CD Universe was sold by Charles Beilman to eUniverse.[2] Charles Beilman bought CD Universe back from eUniverse in October, 2000 after eUniverse decided they wanted to focus on their entertainment business (they eventually owned MySpace).[2]
In 2009, CD Universe began selling digital music in the DRM-free mp3 format, through their relationship with Neurotic Media.[3]
Beilman retired in January 2020.[4]
CD Universe closed its doors in June 2024. By 15. June the website was bought, the logo slightly changed and is used to sell sexual content.[5]
Charity work
In September 2014, CD Universe began an effort to raise money for the well known and fiscally responsible charity called Room to Read.[6] CD Universe supported Room to Read's goal of teaching every child to read and write, thus breaking the cycle of poverty.
CD Universe also supported The American Red Cross. Visitors that donated using the link on their website had their donations matched by CD Universe.[7]
Website security
CD Universe experienced a security breach in December 1999.[8][9] Although this security breach was a major setback for the company and its customers' trust, CD Universe was able to stay in business and proceeded with an investigation. The hacker, however, a Russian known only by the name of "Maxus", was never caught.[10]
References
- ^ "CD Universe Novelties". CD Universe. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ a b Hansell, Saul (17 December 2001). "Technology & Media; For Some Dot-Coms, There Are Real Profits". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Neurotic Media". Neurotic Media LLC. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ "Charles Beilman". LinkedIn.
- ^ "CD Universe: Premier Online Sex Store for Adult Products". web.archive.org. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ "Room to Read Charity". Room to Read. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ "American Red Cross". The American Red Cross. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ Wolverton, Troy (January 2, 2002). "AmEx, Discover forced to replace cards over security breach". CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
- ^ Markoff, John (10 January 2000). "Thief Reveals Credit Card Data When Web Extortion Plot Fails". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ Newton, Michael (2004). The Encyclopedia of High-tech Crime and Crime-fighting. Infobase Publishing.
Newton, Michael (2004). The Encyclopedia of High-tech Crime and Crime-fighting.