The Origins of the Long-Playing (LP) Record
Columbia’s 1948 Launch: A New Era at the Waldorf Astoria
On June 21, 1948, Columbia Records unveiled a revolution in audio: the Long-Playing (LP) microgroove record at a press conference held in a suite of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Columbia’s president, Edward “Ted” Wallerstein, accompanied by CBS Labs engineer Dr. Peter Goldmark, introduced a 12-inch vinyl disc spinning at 33⅓ RPM that could play for over 20 minutes per side. This was a dramatic leap from the roughly 4-minute limit of the old 78 RPM shellac records.
In a demonstration, reporters heard an entire classical movement without interruption for the first time on a single record. A feat previously impossible on 78s. Wallerstein announced that Columbia was ready to release recordings in the new format immediately. Highlights included the LP’s ability to fit a 45-minute symphony on two sides of one disc. The event marked the birth of the modern “album” and set the stage for an audio revolution.
Size comparison of many analogue recording media for music. Left to right: shellac record 78 rpm, vinyl record 33 rpm, and 45 rpm | Shutterstock
The Tech Behind Columbia’s LP
The new Columbia LP introduced several key innovations. It was made of polyvinyl chloride plastic, a durable plastic invented by B.F. Goodrich was introduced in 1926, initially for industrial use, which was far lighter and less brittle than shellac. Columbia’s team developed ultra-fine “microgroove” spiral grooves (about 0.003 inches wide) cut with a precision stylus. These narrower grooves, with the slower 33⅓ RPM speed and a new high-precision cutting lathe, allowed the LP to hold 22 to 23 min. of music per side.
Record Size and Speed Reference Chart
The grooves were engineered for improved sound fidelity and lower surface noise, an issue that plagued earlier records. Columbia’s engineers, led by Dr. Goldmark, systematically tackled each technical hurdle, including lighter tonearms, finer groove cutting, new pickup designs, and equalization curves, to make the microgroove format a reality. Goldmark assigned individual researchers to specific problems, including cutting motor and stylus design, pickup design, turntable design, amplifier design, and equalization. The result was a format that not only extended playing time but also offered improved audio fidelity over 78 RPM records.
RCA’s Competing Developments and the “War of the Speeds”
Columbia’s innovation did not go unchallenged. Rival RCA Victor had its ideas about recorded music formats. In fact, tinkerers had attempted long-play discs before. In 1931, RCA introduced a 12-inch record that played at 33⅓ RPM using a vinyl-like material called Victrolac. These early long-play “Program Transcription” discs could hold an entire movement or more of music.
USA, Circa 1900s: His Master’s Voice Victor Record 78rpm Front Sleeve Variation Advertisement For Single Sided Disc | Shutterstock
Press reports at the time promised,
“No longer will you have to suffer the break in emotional response… A single disc will carry you to the end of the piece.”
However, the technology was ahead of its time. The heavy steel phonograph pickups of the 1930s gouged the delicate grooves. After several plays, the needle would cut through the material. Customer complaints were so terrific that RCA was forced to withdraw the LPs. Wallerstein, then an RCA executive, admitted as much.
Economic factors sealed that format’s fate: the Great Depression and lack of compatible players meant the 33⅓ RPM idea was shelved by 1933. Columbia itself had experimented with 10-inch 33⅓ RPM records in 1932, only to abandon them due to technical difficulties and low public uptake.
Fast-forward to the post-WWII 1940s: Columbia’s successful 1948 LP launch suddenly left RCA Victor scrambling. Rather than license Columbia’s microgroove system, RCA struck back with a format of its own. In early 1949, RCA Victor unveiled the 7-inch, 45 RPM “single,” a small vinyl record with a large center hole, typically holding one song per side. David Sarnoff, RCA’s chief, had secretly directed his engineers to develop this alternative to maintain RCA’s control of the home playback market.
The 45 RPM Response
The 45 RPM disc was RCA’s answer for shorter content: by using a rapid automatic record changer, listeners could stack a dozen 7-inch singles on a spindle, and one by one, each record would drop and play in succession. The idea was to simulate continuous play of an album’s worth of music, achieved not on one disc but via a sequence of little ones. The goal was the same, uninterrupted music, but with a different technology.
Playback Duration-By Record Speed Per Side
What ensued was famously dubbed the “War of the Speeds.” From 1948 to 1950, consumers and record retailers navigated a complex battle between Columbia’s 33⅓ RPM LPs and RCA’s 45 RPM singles, not to mention the old 78s still in production. Turntables suddenly needed three different speeds. Each company hyped its format with wild claims and counter-claims, and some bewildered music buyers gave up. One might have noted that self-respecting turntables were being asked to do triple duty, and many dealers retreated into their shells during this format chaos.
The Dual-Format Outcome
Ultimately, no single format emerged as the winner outright. Both did. By mid-1949, major labels such as Decca and Capitol had decided to adopt both the LP and the 45 to cover all bases. RCA’s 45 RPM system had advantages for hit singles and jukeboxes, so it persisted as the standard for single-song releases for decades. At the same time, Columbia’s LP became the dominant format for full albums. In early 1950, facing the reality of the LP’s rapid market acceptance and having lost an estimated $4.5 million during the battle, RCA Victor began producing 33⅓ RPM long-playing records of its own. Columbia, for its part, also started issuing 45 RPM singles by 1951.
The “battle of the speeds” thus ended in a truce: consumers got two new record formats, each with its role. LPs for albums and 45s for singles. This dual-format outcome still echoes today, as both “LP” and “single” remain part of the music vocabulary.
format evolution timeline graph
Voices of the Pioneers and Early Adopters
Edward Wallerstein’s reminiscence in an April 1976 High Fidelity article titled “Creating the LP Record” (as told to Ward Botsford). Wallerstein recalls:
“The pickups available at that time were so heavy they just cut through the material … The complaints from customers all over the U.S. were so terrific that we were forced to withdraw the LPs.”
When he revisited the idea at Columbia in the 1940s, it was with a clear mission: to address the earlier problems and provide listeners with a seamless musical experience. He believed passionately in delivering uninterrupted classical works, something that had long frustrated music lovers used to the limitations of 78s.
Peter Goldmark, Columbia’s lead engineer and the driving force behind the LP, later said something to the effect of “by 1948, the LP was ready to be introduced to the public. The records could hold much more music, an entire symphony, and produce better sound than a 78.”
Despite having no prior experience with audio recording when he started the project in 1945, Goldmark’s curiosity and commitment to problem-solving led to a breakthrough that merged chemistry, mechanical engineering, and acoustics.
At the Waldorf Astoria press event, Columbia demonstrated not only the new format but also its immediate availability. Milstein’s *Mendelssohn Violin Concerto* was in stores by the following week, and sales took off. Over 1.25 million LPs sold within a year, and by the early 1950s, Columbia was being hailed for leading music into a new era.
Artists and Critics Embrace the LP
Musicians and critics responded enthusiastically. Jazz artists found new freedom to record longer takes and improvisations. Classical performers like Arturo Toscanini and Bruno Walter saw the LP as an opportunity to preserve complete movements with fewer interruptions. One critic wrote in 1950,
“The convenience of long-playing records for symphonic and chamber music, and for opera, can hardly be exaggerated.”
In pop, the shift was slower but decisive. Frank Sinatra’s early work on Columbia helped establish the 10-inch LP as a format for themed collections, while producers began thinking in terms of mood and narrative, rather than just singles. The term “album,” once used for bound collections of 78s, now refers to the artistic whole contained on a single long-playing disc.
Critics and producers began describing the LP as a canvas. The change wasn’t just about length or fidelity; it was about giving artists room to breathe. As music historian Alan Cross has observed, the LP opened up new creative possibilities, giving artists room to explore longer compositions, develop thematic sequencing, and push musical boundaries (see his “Video explainer: The truth about vinyl”).
and ushered in a new kind of listening culture, one focused on albums as journeys rather than isolated tracks.
Changing Music Culture: The LP’s Impact on Albums and Listening Habits
The LP changed how music was distributed, fundamentally transforming how people listened. The 33⅓ RPM format offered roughly 45 minutes of playtime, split across two sides. This made it possible to experience a collection of songs as a cohesive whole, with intentional sequencing, thematic continuity, and emotional arc.
For listeners, the LP encouraged a more immersive experience. Sitting down with an album became a ritual. Instead of skipping from song to song, people dropped the needle and let the music play out. The act of flipping the record at the halfway point introduced a natural intermission, which artists could use to their creative advantage. A-sides and B-sides developed distinct personalities, often characterized by different moods or tones.
The Rise of the Album as Art
This shift in listening habits coincided with a surge in musical creativity. Artists began to conceive albums as complete statements. By the 1960s and 1970s, records like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, What’s Going On, and The Dark Side of the Moon used the LP format to build immersive, thematic experiences. These weren’t just collections of songs; they were deliberate artistic works.
Visual art also became part of the experience. The 12-inch album cover provided designers with ample room to create striking imagery. Liner notes offered backstory, lyrics, and commentary. The packaging became an extension of the album’s message, turning the LP into a multi-sensory experience.
Various LP album covers | Shutterstock
New Opportunities for Labels and Genres
For record labels, the LP created new marketing opportunities. Albums could be packaged, priced, and promoted differently from singles. Concept albums and boxed sets became viable products. The LP also supported more complex genres, including progressive rock, jazz fusion, and experimental electronic music, each of which benefited from longer track durations and uninterrupted playback.
In short, the LP helped define the Album Era, a time when music was experienced in full-length format, and when the artistic unit of meaning shifted from the single song to the entire record.
Early Reception and Little-Known Facts
The LP’s rollout was not just a technical triumph but a cultural moment. Columbia’s initial launch catalog included over 100 titles, spanning classical, Broadway, and popular genres.
Audiophile magazines began featuring reviews of playback equipment, and new record players quickly emerged that supported all three speeds: 78, 45, and 33⅓ RPM. Hi-fi culture began to take off.
Marketing Strategies and Format Evolution
There were also creative marketing strategies. Columbia priced the LP competitively, around $4.85 compared to $7.25 for the same content on 78s. RCA attempted to counter with 45 RPM singles pressed on color-coded vinyl to signal the genre: red for classical, blue for pop, and green for country. Though the 45s gained popularity, especially for jukebox use and Top 40 radio, they couldn’t match the LP’s depth and format flexibility.
Columbia even trademarked the term “LP,” though it quickly became generic through popular usage. Meanwhile, the term “album,” once referring to a collection of 78s housed in a book-like sleeve, evolved to describe a single disc containing a complete musical journey.
The LP’s Enduring Legacy
Even with the advent of cassettes, CDs, and eventually digital streaming, the LP has remained an iconic format. It not only shaped how music was recorded and listened to but also how it was produced, packaged, and conceptualized. Albums became cohesive statements rather than bundles of singles. For many artists, it was a canvas.
Today, vinyl has made a strong comeback. New generations of listeners appreciate its physicality, its sound profile, and its ability to slow down the listening process. In a digital age, the LP remains a symbol of intentionality and depth. It is both a technological innovation and a cultural touchstone, a quiet revolution whose impact is still felt.
