wjm@whuxk.UUCP (07/12/83)
16 (actually 16 2/3) rpm first came into being for use for "talking books"
for the blind, where the Library of Congress wanted to minimize the number
of LP's required to contain a literary work. Now "talking books" have been
transferred to a more compact medium - the cassette but they still use half
speed - 15/16 ips for them.
45 rpm got its start when RCA was looking for a medium to compete with
CBS (Columbia)'s 33 1/3 rpm LP (which would not involve infringing any of
CBS's patents - by the way "LP" was (and to the best of my knowledge still
is) a trademark of CBS. Only CBS can produce an "LP". Market forces made the
one popular format for records the 12" 33 1/3 rpm version, relegating the
10" record and the 45 to the dustbin of history for albums and classical
recordings, but the 45 found its niche as an excellent medium for pop singles
in something which became quite popular at that time (the late 1940's) - the
jukebox - and that's where it survives today, as a medium for single pop songs.
Bill Mitchell
(whuxk!wjm)