45rpm

Today in Music History: February 1

45mph might seem more familiar than 45rpm with that determination, of course, being dependent upon in which era you grew up. From about 1949 - 1990, the former "LP" (Long Play) records replaced by a smaller size format allowed for longer playing time in jukeboxes because they took up less space.  More records. More music.

RCA 7-inch 45 rpm fine-grooved vinyl record

The 45 had the same smaller-sized groove as the LP, and the center hole was larger. 45s became popular in jukeboxes, which had previously used 78s, because 45s took up less space and you could fit more songs in the box. Suddenly jukes went from offering 24 or 40 songs on 78s to having 100 to 200 songs on 45s. 45s are also made of vinyl rather than shellac, and can hold up to about 5 minutes of music on each side. 45s are still being made in limited quantities for jukebox operators who have not upgraded to newer CD jukeboxes, so you can still get some of the latest releases on 45. [Source: history-of-rock.com]

On this day in...

1949 RCA Records issued the first ever 45rpm single, the invention of this size record made jukeboxes of the 20th century possible.

Initially playing music recorded on wax cylinders, the shellac 78 rpm record dominated jukeboxes in the early part of the 20th century. The Seeburg Corporation introduced an all 45 rpm vinyl record jukebox in 1950, leading to the 45 rpm record becoming the dominant jukebox media for the last half of the 20th century. 33⅓-R.P.M., C.D.s, and videos on DVDs were all introduced and used in the last decades of the century. MP3 downloads, and Internet-connected media players came in at the start of the 21st century. The jukebox's history has followed the wave of technological improvements in music reproduction and distribution.

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times...