Long-playing record

A phonograph record format designed to hold substantially more music than a standard single, typically by using a 12-inch disc rotating at 33⅓ revolutions per minute.

Microgroove record: A phonograph record with narrow grooves that permit longer playing time than earlier coarse-groove discs. Its narrow grooves made the LP’s extended playing time practical.
Peter Goldmark: A Hungarian-American engineer who led Columbia Records’ development of the long-playing record. Goldmark directed the team that introduced Columbia’s LP format.
Album: A collection of recorded music released as a unified work or group of tracks. The LP’s capacity encouraged albums to function as substantial musical statements.
45 rpm record: A small phonograph disc format introduced by RCA Victor, usually carrying one song per side at 45 revolutions per minute. It offered a more convenient single-song format than the LP.
33⅓ rpm: A phonograph-record rotational speed of 33⅓ revolutions per minute. This became the standard speed for most LPs.
Columbia Records: An American record company that introduced the 33⅓-rpm microgroove LP in 1948. The company launched the format that established the modern LP.
Concept album: An album whose tracks are organized around a unifying theme, story, or idea. The LP’s continuous sides suited music designed to unfold across multiple tracks.
Extended play record: A phonograph record with more playing time than a single but less than a typical LP. The EP occupies the middle ground between a single and an LP.
Gramophone record: A disc-shaped medium that stores sound as a modulated groove for playback by a stylus. The LP is one format within the broader family of grooved sound discs.
78 rpm record: A shellac phonograph disc, usually played at 78 revolutions per minute, that typically holds only a few minutes per side. The LP was designed to replace the short sides and fragile material of 78s.

Linked from 12 pages