With vinyl records making a powerful comeback, we take the time to follow the journey of this media format, now seemingly reborn for younger generations. From Edison and RCA, right through to recently released figures, a musical timeline.
1877 – Thomas Edison creates first phonograph to record and play sound.
1881 – Charles Tainter makes first lateral-cut records.
1888 – Emile Berliner invents gramophone to play 7- inch discs.
1906 – The Victor Talking Machine Company introduces ‘Victrola’,an upright playing machine.
1921 – Popularity of radio causes a dip in record sales.
1921 – Independent record companies can now make their own lateral cut records.
1930 – Bing Crosby releases ‘I Remember Dear’.
1939 – Magnetic tape to record sound is invented.
1940 – Vinyl is now used to make records, not shellac.
1951 – The first jukebox playing 7-inch 45 rpm records.
1963 – The first compact audio cassette.
1975 – The scratch is invented.
1980s– 12- inch disco records contribute to the rise of House
1982- The first digital CD discs are marketed.
1988 – For the first time, CDs outsell records. CDs and cassettes become dominant musical formats.
2001 – The turntable is formally recognised as an instrument.
It is now 2016 – The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) releases figures showing vinyl sales earned the record industry £2.4m in week 48 of 2016 with downloads only producing £2.1m.
