The 45

How many of the current generation have actually seen a 45 rpm vinyl record? This was the format for release of new music to radio before 1970. It's simply called the "45." CDs and iPods have long since replaced the records that we used to listen to for hours on record players.

After the fall of the phonograph cylinder, the record was the uncontested sound medium for decades. The number of available recordings mushroomed and the number of companies pressing records skyrocketed. These were 78 r.p.m., double-sided, ten-inch shellac discs, with about 4 minutes of recording time on each side.

Growth in the recorded sound industries was stunted by the Great Depression and World War II, when the country was hamstrung by a dearth of raw materials. By the time World War II ended, the economy began to grow again. Classical music (which was a large portion of 78 releases) was slowly edgesd into a minority status by the influx of popular and new music.

The introduction of both the 33 1/3 r.p.m. 12-inch LP record and the 7-inch 45 rpm record, coming into the market around 1949/1950 provided advances in both storage and quality. These also featured vinyl replacing the previous shellac materials. Further groups of small labels came into existence with the dawning of the rock and roll era in the early to middle 1950s, and the market among post-war teenagers with disposable income to spend on 45 rpm singles. Some of these labels, such as Atlantic Records, actually turned into mainstream major record labels later on in the 1960s.

The pop music scene changed forever in January 1964 with the arrival of The Beatles in the United States. In their wake, thousands of musical bands inspired by their fresh, lively take on rock music with a sharp British sensibility, picked up guitars, and many released records. Many of these acolytes released 45 records in small batches to sell at local concerts and to their friends and families. Due to their relatively small pressings, these obscure local records became highly prized and valuable.

With the introduction of the compact disc in the middle 1980s, the vinyl records disappearedvery quickly.