Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site angband.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!mordor!angband!sjc
From: sjc@angband.UUCP (Steve Correll)
Newsgroups: net.audio
Subject: Record speeds
Message-ID: <19@angband.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Oct-84 02:15:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: angband.19
Posted: Thu Oct  4 02:15:50 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Sep-84 04:53:27 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: S-1 Project, LLNL
Lines: 34

The following information comes from two books, "The Fabulous Phonograph" by
Roland Gelatt (Appleton-Century 1965), and "Revolution in Sound" by C.A.
Schicke (Little, Brown 1974):

1. Emil Berliner's early hand-cranked phonographs ran at 70rpm (plus or
minus the tolerance of the cranker's arm!) and Edison's belatedly
introduced disk phonographs ran at 80rpm. Between 1900 and 1925, speeds
varied from 74 to 82rpm depending on the vendor. When 3600rpm
synchronous electric motors became cheap enough to use in consumer
equipment, manufacturers used 46:1 gear ratios to obtain 78.26rpm,
which became standard.

2. In 1931, RCA Victor introduced a long-playing record system using
33-1/3rpm on 12 inch disks; that speed had previously been employed
with 16 inch disks for radio broadcast transcriptions and with early
attempts to synchronize disks with motion pictures. The system flopped
because its technology wasn't very good, and because players weren't
cheap enough to induce the public to risk changing standards.

3. In June, 1948 Columbia introduced the 12 inch 33-1/3 rpm microgroove
record, today's standard. Some years before that, the company began
keeping a duplicate copy of each release, engraved using the 33-1/3rpm
broadcast transcription equipment, in anticipation of developing
commercially feasible long-playing consumer equipment.  It immediately
promoted a cheap player that would attach to many existing phonographs.
RCA rebuffed overtures from Columbia and within a year announced the 7
inch 45rpm disk. When, by 1950, the response from other vendors and from
consumers made it clear that Columbia's system had won the classical
record market, RCA concentrated its marketing on jukebox manufacturers
and the popular music market. Eventually RCA conceded defeat and adopted
the Columbia system.
-- 
                                                           --Steve Correll
sjc@s1-c.ARPA, ...!decvax!decwrl!mordor!sjc, or ...!ucbvax!dual!mordor!sjc