science · 10 January 1949 · 75 years ago
In 1949, RCA introduced the “single,” the 7-inch diameter 45 rpm record in the U.S. A single could play eight minutes of sound per side. Columbia had introduced the 12" long-playing vinyl 33 rpm as a new format the previous year. These formats greatly improved upon the 78 rpm records, which were limited to only 5 minutes per side on a 12" disk. Vinyl records were less fragile, and had a lower level of surface noise, but needed new playing equipment. RCA subsequently manufactured a record-player with a wide-diameter spindle to automatically play a stack of singles. The 45 rpm 7" record was favoured by the young, and became successful with the onset of rock and roll. In the UK sales of 45s overtook 78s early in 1958.
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