Ongoing History of New Music

Ongoing History Daily: The size wars

Since more and more people are getting into old-school vinyl these days, here’s a little more history about the format.

Like I said last time, the 10-inch record rules for almost 50 years–from the very early 1900s to the introduction of the 12-inch long-playing album in 1948. But the standards weren’t as rigid as you might think.

As early as 1904, a company called Neophone was releasing music on discs that were–wait for it–21 inches across. In the 1930s, there was something called “transcription discs” that were 16 inches across. They were used mainly by radio stations and radio networks.

But even after the 12-inch album came out in 1948, there were still those who insisted on releasing albums that were 10-inches across. In other words, the industry and consumers have always had a hard time figuring out just what it is they should be doing when it comes to recorded music.

Yesterday’s Ongoing History Daily was The WWII record shortage

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39178 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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