Since it uses physical elements, in this case the grooves, there is a physical space limitation to how deep the grooves can be and how wide they can be. Vinyl is an analog medium (defined by Webster here) which means it uses physical quantities to produce a result. They have a set capacity of how much sound data they can store and hold. This is because CDs are a digital format. Why CDs Have A Set Capacity Limit But Vinyl Can ChangeĪ standard compact disc can hold 74 minutes of music, which is much more than a vinyl record will safely hold. This is just an example of how the limits of the medium can be pushed from time to time in certain situations. This is most common with 7″ and 10″ size formats.įor example, it was common back in the day for punk bands to release a 7″ with six songs on it (3 per side) because 7″ records were so much cheaper to press.īecause of the punk aesthetic, it was not a big deal that the sound was not great.
Major labels and big artists can get better pricing because the record industry is just like other industries where the larger the order, the lower the cost per unit.Īrtists with lower budgets like independent bands with no label support or small indie labels will sometimes push the limit on capacity a bit to fit more songs on a disc. This is not a perfect estimate, and it varies depending on jacket style, whether it is colored or black vinyl, the weight of the vinyl, and other factors. The range of how much it costs to press a 12″ LP is from $1200 to $2200 for a short run of 1,000 LPs. You should definitely read about it sometime, but for our purposes here, it is sufficient to say that budget rules the roost when pressing vinyl. This is a large and interesting topic, but we don’t have time to go into detail here. Pressing vinyl is not cheap, and it relies on many different suppliers to make it happen. You may be wondering (since vinyl collectors all seem to be obsessed with sound quality) “why doesn’t every artist release 2 disc sets and have a way better sounding release?” Well, as with most things in the record industry, it all comes down to money.Ĭapacity Is Sometimes Pushed When It Should Not Be The remastered anniversary edition is a 45 RPM 2 disc set, which increases the fidelity because each groove can take up more space on the physical surface.įewer songs per side and a faster rotation equals more space for each groove, which comes out to a noticeably better sounding record. That is the reason, some popular remastered LPs come out with a 2 LP set of an original which was just one record when it was first pressed.įor example, I just got the anniversary edition of Beggar’s Banquet by the Rolling Stones which was originally released as a single LP. However, it is not a limit any popular artists, labels, producers, or manufacturers even want to hit.īecause of the physics of how records work, the faster the record spins and the lower the number of grooves (the less ‘time’) the better it sounds.
Vinyl Record Capacity Changes Based On Fidelityīecause records have a limited surface area in which grooves can be cut, there is a hard limit to how much sound they can hold. The point here is that it is technically possible to fit 30 minutes, or even more, on a side, but nobody would want to listen to it due to the terrible sound quality. Most will allow up to 25, with the disclaimer that the mastering engineer may need to do some extra equalization. In fact, even though a 12″ could theoretically hold much more music, most manufacturers will refuse to press a record with as much as 30 minutes per side. This is not a rule, and it changes depending on the release, the budget, and the artist. Most record manufacturers try to keep to the standard, which is about 23 minutes for a 12″ LP and 5 minutes per side for a 7″ single. Why There Is No Set Amount Of Music A Vinyl Record Can Hold That’s shockingly little considering how expensive vinyl records are. This comes with some caveats, however (explanation coming).Ī 7″ record can hold about 5 minutes per side (again, this can change based on some other factors). There is no real set limit to how much music a record can hold, however there are standards.Ī vinyl record can safely hold roughly 23 minutes per side for a 12″ record, if it complies with the industry standard. 2 Amount Of Music On A Vinyl Record: Final Thoughts.1.5 The Weight Of The Vinyl Makes A Difference.
1.4 Why CDs Have A Set Capacity Limit But Vinyl Can Change.1.3 Capacity Is Sometimes Pushed When It Should Not Be.1.2 Vinyl Record Capacity Changes Based On Fidelity.1.1 Why There Is No Set Amount Of Music A Vinyl Record Can Hold.1 How Many Songs Fit On A Vinyl Record?.
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