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'''Revolutions per minute''', usually abbreviated '''rpm''', refers to the speed at which record albums are played.
'''Revolutions per minute''', usually abbreviated '''rpm''', refers to the speed at which record albums are played.
The four standard speeds are 16-2/3, 33-1/3, 45, and 78 rpm. 16-2/3 rpm was mainly used in recordings of [[book]]s made for the [[blind]], and otherwise not much used (it was also used in an ill-fated "Highway Hi-Fi" system marketed 1956-1959 by [[Chrysler]] which played 16-2/3 rpm records in [[automobile]]s). 78 rpm was the standard speed for records made before and during [[World War II]]. Immediately following WWII, the 78 rpm standard was discontinued and replaced by two new speeds, 33-1/3 rpm and 45 rpm. 33-1/3 rpm records were used for albums, usually 12 inches in [[diameter]], containing multiple songs, while 45 rpm was used for singles, usually 7 inches in diameter, containing one song on each side. Despite its discontinuation, 78 rpm continued to be available as a selection on turntables well into the 1960s and 1970s so people who had them could continue to play them.
The four standard speeds are 16-2/3, 33-1/3, 45, and 78 rpm. The first two are often just referred to as "16" and "33". 16-2/3 rpm was mainly used in recordings of [[book]]s made for the [[blind]], and otherwise not much used (it was also used in an ill-fated "Highway Hi-Fi" system marketed 1956-1959 by [[Chrysler]] which played 16-2/3 rpm records in [[automobile]]s). 78 rpm was the standard speed for records made before and during [[World War II]]. Immediately following WWII, the 78 rpm standard was discontinued and replaced by two new speeds, 33-1/3 rpm and 45 rpm. 33-1/3 rpm records were used for albums, usually 12 inches in [[diameter]], containing multiple songs, while 45 rpm was used for singles, usually 7 inches in diameter, containing one song on each side. Despite its discontinuation, 78 rpm continued to be available as a selection on turntables well into the 1960s and 1970s so people who had them could continue to play them.
[[Compact disc]]s, and more recently [[MP3]] and other digital files have largely replaced most of the market for vinyl records, but a small market in both 33-1/3 and 45 rpm records continues to exist.
[[Compact disc]]s, and more recently [[MP3]] and other digital files have largely replaced most of the market for vinyl records, but a small market in both 33-1/3 and 45 rpm records continues to exist.
[[Category:Media]]
[[Category:Media]]