Profile America: First L.P. Record


Thursday, June 21st. One man’s devotion to classical music led to a major advance in the music recording industry. Dr. Peter Goldmark of CBS Labs was fed up with the frequent record disc flips and swaps required to play a symphony in the then-current 78-rpm format, which held only three to five minutes per side. So he developed the 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record — first shown to the public on this date in 1948, and becoming the standard for decades to follow.

The vinyl LP still clings to a small market share that actually grew 9 percent last year. Whatever the medium, the market for music is great enough to sustain 1,700 sound recording studios in the nation.

You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online here.

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