12-inch single

The 12-inch single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. As the songs became much longer than the average pop song but the DJ in the club wanted a sufficient sound level, the format had to be changed from the 175 mm (7 in) single. Since production costs for 175 mm (7 in), 250 mm (10 in), and 30 cm (12 in) records were about the same by this time, there was no real motivation to use the smaller formats.

Related Topics:
Gramophone record - Disco music - 1970s - DJ - Club

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Record producers sought a loud recording level to compensate for the poor signal-to-noise ratio, apparent when simply turning the volume up during playback with 7-inch singles. A loud recording level requires more space as the grooves' excursions (especially in the low-end so important for dance music) become much greater.

Related Topics:
Record producer - Signal-to-noise ratio - 7-inch single - Dance music

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At first, these special versions were only available as promotional copies to DJs. By 1976, with the release of "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, the new format was sold to the general public.

Related Topics:
1976 - Double Exposure

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Later music styles took advantage of this new format and recording levels on vinyl 30 cm (12 in) maxis have steadily increased, culminating in the extremely loud (or "hot") cuts of drum and bass records of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Related Topics:
Drum and bass - 1990s - 2000s

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Many record labels produced only 12 inch singles (in addition to albums) during the 1980s, such as Factory Records. A Factory artist, New Order, produced the highest-selling 12 inch record ever, Blue Monday, somewhat helped by the lack of 7 inch versions of the track.

Related Topics:
1980s - Factory Records - New Order - Blue Monday

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