When did vinyl records replace shellac?

1901 – 10-inch 78rpm disc record is made from shellac. 1910 – 78rpm becomes the standardized speed for all records. 1925 – Electrical recording takes over acoustic recording. 1948 – 33rpm LPs are released by Columbia Records made of vinyl.

When was vinyl first introduced and began to replace shellac as the primary material in record production?

Wax cylinders were replaced by flat shellac discs. Shellac however was hard, heavy, and, worse, breakable. Vinyl, the more flexible compound still used for records today, was introduced in the 1930s.

When was vinyl first used for records?

In 1931, RCA Victor launched the first commercially available vinyl long-playing record, marketed as program-transcription discs. These revolutionary discs were designed for playback at 331⁄3 rpm and pressed on a 30 cm diameter flexible plastic disc, with a duration of about ten minutes playing time per side.

What did vinyl records replace?

Since 2007, vinyl records have enjoyed renewed popularity in the West and in East Asia. The analogue format made of polyvinyl chloride had been the main vehicle for the commercial distribution of pop music from the 1950s until the 1980s and 1990s when it was largely replaced by the compact disc (CD).

What is shellac vinyl?

Shellac records were mostly made out of shellac and powdered slate, so imagine the sound of tapping a piece of slate… There are 45s made of styrene, which is inflexible, lighter and less durable than vinyl. There are also styrene LPs but it was mainly used for 45s, beginning in the early 60s.

How was shellac discovered?

In 1856 an English chemist named Henry Perkin succeeded in synthesizing a mauve-colored dye from an aniline derivative of coal tar. His discovery forever changed the future course of the shellac industry. As the demand for natural lac dye declined, the demand for shellac varnish began to increase.

Are old vinyls worth anything?

When it comes to a vinyl record’s value, condition is paramount, and worn copies of a record usually sell for modest amounts of money except in the cases of items that are rare to the point of being unique.

What is a shellac record?

Any flat disc record, made between about 1898 and the late 1950s and playing at a speed around 78 revolutions per minute is called a “78” by collectors. Generally 78s are made of a brittle material which uses a shellac resin (thus their other name is shellac records).

How were records made in the 1920s?

1920s popular music was shared through sheet music, piano rolls, and live shows. Prior to the creation of the recorded music industry, popular music was shared through sheet music, piano rolls, and live shows. The second influential technology that helped to create the modern music industry was commercial radio.

When did vinyl records make a comeback?

In 2007, 1 million vinyl records were sold in the U.S. In 2020, that number rose to 27.5 million. In the first half of 2021, 19.2 million were sold. After returning from the dead, this will be the 16th consecutive year that vinyl sales have grown.

How can you identify a shellac record?

Shellac is know to be heavier, harder, colder and more rigid. Hold it up by an edge and knock on it. It should almost resonate in a kind of a way. Generally a lot thicker than regular vinyl, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.

When did vinyl become the new shellac?

As shellac was essentially phased out, vinyl took the spotlight. It had longer playing times, was lighter, and simply became the new “thing.” Earliest speeds of rotation varied widely, but by 1910 most records were recorded at about 78 to 80 rpm.

Why are 78 rpm records pressed in vinyl instead of wax?

During and after World War II when shellac supplies were extremely limited, some 78 rpm records were pressed in vinyl instead of shellac (wax), particularly the six-minute 12″ 78 rpm records produced by V-Disc for distribution to US troops in World War II.

Is record shellac the same as shellac?

Whatever a record material is compounded of, it must be both hard and smooth in the cold state, and capable of melting or softening to the proper degree with heat. Pure shellac would never do. It would be as brittle as so much thin glass. Yes, record shellac is indeed the same material as the shellac we find in the familiar varnish.

Why are records not made on vinyl anymore?

The earliest records invented were made from shellac, so these would technically just be records, and not vinyl records. However, those shellac records are not made anymore. Records started being pressed more frequently on vinyl partly due to less available shellac for record production during World War II.