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Opera singer joined company in 1950s and is credited with developing CD format in order to listen to Beethoven’s Ninth Norio Ohga, the former head of Sony who gave up a career as an opera singer to join the fledgling company in the 1950s and is credited with spearheading the development of the CD, has died. Ohga died on Saturday due to multiple organ failure at the age of 81, Sony said. He was the president of the company from 1982 until 1995 and became chairman until 2000. He is credited with leading its expansion from hardware into content, including the music, film and video games business. Ohga studied to be an opera singer at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before joining Sony, where it was recognised that his musical training and knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the firm. Later, his musical background led him to push for the 12cm CD format still in use today because it provided enough storage capacity for 75 minutes of music– he particularly wanted to enjoy Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on a single disc without interruption. Sony sold its first CD in 1982 and, within five years, sales of the format had overtaken those of LPs in Japan. Ohga’s specification has also shaped the format of subsequent home entertainment developments, including the MiniDisc and the DVD. Ohga also played a key role in Sony’s move into the music business with the acquisition of CBS Records, the 1989 deal to buy the Hollywood film studio Columbia Pictures, and the launch of Sony’s PlayStation videogames console. “By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed,” Howard Stinger, who took over as the Sony chairman in 2005, said in a statement. “It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony’s evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and games, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san’s foresight and vision.” Ohga remained a senior adviser to Sony at the time of his death. He was also the chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Sony Japan Jason Deans guardian.co.uk