LP's, Vinyls or Records

In 1948, thanks to Columbia Broadcasting System, we were introduced to the world’s first LP (Long Play) record. Created by Peter Goldmark, this vinyl record had a capacity of around 21 minutes per side and was 12 inches wide, playing at a speed of 33 1/3 RPM.

This was soon adopted as the new standard by the entire record industry.

This changed the face of the music industry to the album-centric format we all still abide by today. Shortly after, RCA Victor introduced their own LP, which turned at 45 RPM and was just 7 inches in size. 

Apart from a few relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound, it remained the standard format for record albums until its gradual replacement from the 1980s to the early 2000s, first by cassettes, then by compact discs, and then by music downloads and streaming. The LP has experienced a revival in popularity since about 2007.

Data from Wikipedia.