Editing Compact disc (section)

=== ReWritable CD ===
{{Main|CD-RW}}
[[CD-RW]] is a re-recordable medium that uses a metallic alloy instead of a dye. The write laser, in this case, is used to heat and alter the properties (amorphous vs. crystalline) of the alloy, and hence change its reflectivity. A CD-RW does not have as great a difference in reflectivity as a pressed CD or a CD-R, and so many earlier CD audio players cannot read CD-RW discs, although most later CD audio players and stand-alone [[DVD]] players can. CD-RWs follow the ''Orange Book'' standard.

The ReWritable Audio CD is designed to be used in a consumer audio CD recorder, which will not (without modification) accept standard CD-RW discs. These consumer audio CD recorders use the [[Serial Copy Management System]] (SCMS), an early form of [[digital rights management]] (DRM), to conform to the United States' [[Audio Home Recording Act]] (AHRA). The ReWritable Audio CD is typically somewhat more expensive than CD-R due to (a) lower volume and (b) a 3 percent [[Audio Home Recording Act#AHRA royalties|AHRA royalty]] used to compensate the music industry for the making of a copy.<ref name="McFadden"/>