LP record
Sign in to saveAlso known as longplay record, 33 RPM, full-length album, 12" LP record, vinyl LP, LP
longplay record
Key facts
- Media type
- Audio playback
- Encoding
- Analog groove modulation
- Capacity
- Originally 23 minutes per side, later increased by several minutes, much longer possible with very low signal level
- Read mechanism
- Microgroove stylus (maximum tip radius 0.001 in or 25 μm)
- Developed by
- Columbia Records
- Dimensions
- 12 inches (30 cm), 10 inches (25 cm), 90–240 g (3.2–8.5 oz)
- Usage
- Audio storage
- Released
- 1948 ; 78 years ago ( 1948 )
via Wikipedia infobox
~13 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by a speed of 33+1⁄3 rpm, a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter, use of the "microgroove" groove specification, and a black vinyl (a copolymer of vinyl chloride acetate) composition disk. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire US record industry and, apart from a few relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound in 1957, it remained the standard format for record albums during a period in popular music known as the "album era". LP was originally a trademark of Columbia and competed against the smaller 7-inch sized "45" or "single" format by RCA Victor, eventually ending up on top. Today in the vinyl revival era, a large majority of records are based on the LP format, and hence the LP name continues to be in use today to refer to new records.
Format advantages
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “LP record” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.