Record Size | Vinyl Records
Record sizes have generally come in two sizes. These are 7 inch and 12 inch.
7 inch records traditionally are for singles, that is a song which is released in the pop charts. The record has grooves on both sides so that two songs can be stored on one record. The chart song is known as the 'A' side, but there would usually be a 'B' side which is another song released by the artist.
When an artist released an album it would be on a 12 inch record which could store 6 or 7 songs on each side depending upon the length of each song.
Sometimes a 12 inch would be released by an artist but would only have one song on it. This would be an extended version of the chart single, and due to the lenth of the extended song, would no be able to fit onto a 7 inch single.
The 12 inch single is still going strong and is used mainly by night club DJs. The ability to put a needle on the record and for the DJ to put their fingers on the vinyl itself and spin the record at various speeds, gives them more flexibility than a CD or MP3.