How the 45 RPM Single Changed Music Forever

When it arrived 70 years ago today, the 45 rpm single, a format that would revolutionize pop music, seemed less radical than simply confusing. The number of jukeboxes in the country declined, boomer rock fans increasingly gravitated toward albums, and the cassette format (and even the wasteful “cassette single” and “mini-CD” format) began overtaking vinyl 45s. Continuing his attachment to vinyl formats, Jack White revived the 45 on his Third Man label, starting with a Dead Weather single a decade ago.

Source: www.rollingstone.com