Editing Single (music) (section)

==Types of physical singles==
Singles have been issued in various formats, including {{convert|7|in|cm|0|adj=on}}, 10-inch and [[12-inch]] discs, usually playing at 45&nbsp;rpm; 10-inch shellac discs, playing at 78&nbsp;rpm; [[maxi single]]s; 7-inch plastic [[flexi disc]]s; [[cassette single|cassettes]]; {{convert|8|or|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} CD singles, and less commonly on  [[Digital Compact Cassette]] and many non-standard sizes of vinyl disc ({{convert|5|in|cm|abbr=on|disp=or}}, {{convert|8|in|cm|abbr=on|disp=or}}, etc.). Singles were also released on [[DVD single|DVD]] and [[Laserdisc]] [[video]] formats, which would additionally contain [[music videos]] to be watched on a display such as a [[television set]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Chris |date=2003-04-28 |title=MEDIA; Recalling 45's, Music Labels Push Market for DVD Singles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/business/media-recalling-45-s-music-labels-push-market-for-dvd-singles.html |access-date=2024-05-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==={{anchor|7-inch}}7-inch format===
[[File:140405 Wega-Dual-300-01.jpg|thumb|45 rpm EP on a turntable with a {{frac|1|1|2}}-inch hub, ready to be played]]

The most common form of the vinyl single is the ''45'' or ''7-inch''. The names are derived from its play speed, 45&nbsp;rpm, and the standard diameter, {{convert|7|in|cm|1}}. The 45&nbsp;rpm speed was chosen to allow a {{frac|5|1|2}} minute playing time from the 7-inch disc.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aes2.org/publications/par/num/ |title=Pro Audio Reference |at=45&nbsp;rpm record |access-date=2024-08-08}}</ref>

The 7-inch 45&nbsp;rpm record was released March 31, 1949, by [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]] as a smaller, more durable and higher-[[fidelity]] replacement for the [[78&nbsp;rpm]] shellac discs.<ref name=ffrsing>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H1tWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6991%2C6756292 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |agency=(''Los Angeles Daily News'') |last=Britt |first=Bruce |title=The 45-rpm single will soon be history |date=10 August 1989 |page=C4}}</ref> The first 45&nbsp;rpm records were [[monaural]], with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45&nbsp;rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s. [[Columbia Records]], which had released the {{frac|33|1|3}}&nbsp;rpm 12-inch [[vinyl LP]] in June 1948, also released {{frac|33|1|3}}&nbsp;rpm 7-inch vinyl singles in March 1949, but they were soon eclipsed by the RCA Victor 45. The first regular production 45&nbsp;rpm record pressed was "PeeWee the Piccolo": RCA Victor 47-0146 pressed December 7, 1948 at the Sherman Avenue plant in [[Indianapolis]]; R.O. Price, plant manager.<ref>Indiana State Museum ID no. 71.2010.098.0001</ref>

The claim made that 48-0001 by [[Eddy Arnold]] was the first 45 is evidently incorrect (even though 48-0000 has not turned up, 50-0000-Crudup, 51-0000-Meisel, and 52-0000 Goodman are out there) since all 45s were released simultaneously with the 45 player in March 1949. There was plenty of information leaked to the public about the new 45&nbsp;rpm system through front-page articles in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine on December 4, 1948, and again on January 8, 1949. RCA was trying to blunt the lead Columbia had established upon releasing their {{frac|33|1|3}}&nbsp; LP system in June 1948.<ref>Billboard</ref>
 
To compete with Columbia, RCA released albums as boxes of 45&nbsp;rpm seven-inch singles that could be played continuously like an LP on their record changer. RCA was also releasing 7-inch singles pressed in different colors for different genres, making it easy for customers to find their preferred music. The novelty of multicolored singles wore off soon: by 1952, all RCA singles were pressed in black vinyl.<ref>Spencer Drate ''45&nbsp;RPM: A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record'', Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, p.9</ref> The lowest recording numbers found (so far) for each genre of RCA 45s are: 47-0146 yellow, 47-2715 black, 48-0001 green, 49-0100 deep red, 50-0000 cerise, 51-0000 light blue. 52-0000 deep blue. What became of 48-0000 is not known, perhaps a copyright or other legal problem.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The lightweight and inexpensive 45 rpm discs introduced by RCA were quickly popular and in the early 1950s all major US labels had begun manufacturing seven-inch singles.<ref>Spencer Drate ''45&nbsp;RPM: A Visual History of the Seven-Inch Record'', Princeton Architectural Press, 2002, p.10</ref> In the decades that followed, the seven-inch single was the format that many major artists made their recording debut on and some recordings were exclusively released as vinyl 45s only. According to the ''[[New York Times]]'', the popularity of the seven-inch single reached a peak in 1974 when 200 million were sold. In the 1980s its popularity began to decline as [[jukebox]]es became fewer, consumers tended to prefer to buy albums and formats such as [[Cassette tape|cassette]]s and [[CD]]s was overtaking vinyl 45s. Despite its major decline, vinyl seven-inch singles has continued to released in the 2000s by [[Indie (music)|indie]] labels such as [[Sub Pop]] and [[Third Man Records]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/45-vinyl-singles-history-806441/ |title=How the 45 RPM Single Changed Music Forever |author=Browne, David |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=15 March 2019 }}</ref>

====Variations====
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}}
In some regions (e.g. US), the default hole size fitted the original RCA {{convert|1.5|in|cm|adj=on}} hub which, due to a [[format war]], was incompatible with the {{convert|0.25|in|adj=on}} spindle of a Columbia-system 33 1/3 RPM 12-inch LP player. In other regions (e.g. UK, Australia), the default was a small hole compatible with a multi-speed 0.25-inch spindle player, but with a ''knock out'' that could be removed for usage on a larger hub player.[[File:45-knock-out.png|thumb|In some regions (e.g. UK), 7-inch 45&nbsp;rpm records were sold for a quarter-inch spindle with a knock out for playing on a {{frac|1|1|2}}-inch hub]]

One could play a large-hole record on a player with a quarter-inch spindle by inserting a single ''puck'' or by using a [[45 rpm adapter|spindle adapter]].

[[File:Single-Puck 1.jpg|thumb|A single ''puck'' can be inserted in a large-hole single (US) to play a 45 on a 1/4-inch spindle]]

==={{anchor|12-inch}}12-inch format===
[[File:12 Inch Single BBQ Band.jpg|thumb|A twelve-inch [[gramophone]] record]]
{{Main|Twelve-inch single{{!}}12-inch single}}

Although 7 inches remained the standard size for vinyl singles, [[12-inch single]]s were introduced for use by DJs in [[discotheque|discos]] in the 1970s. The longer playing time of these singles allowed the inclusion of extended dance mixes of tracks. In addition, the larger surface area of the 12-inch discs allowed for wider grooves (larger amplitude) and greater separation between grooves, the latter of which results in less cross-talk. Consequently, they are less susceptible to wear and scratches. The 12-inch single is still considered a standard format for [[dance music]], though its popularity has declined in recent years.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

==={{anchor|10-inch}}10-inch format===
Before the 7-inch single was introduced, 78&nbsp;rpm 10-inch shellac records with around three minutes of music on them were the standard format.<ref name="WRD-20140711">{{cite magazine |last=Allain |first=Rhett |title=Why Are Songs on the Radio About the Same Length? |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/07/why-are-songs-on-the-radio-about-the-same-length/|date=11 July 2014 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=11 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140711190729/http://www.wired.com/2014/07/why-are-songs-on-the-radio-about-the-same-length/ |archive-date=11 July 2014 }}</ref> Later, 10-inch vinyl singles have commonly been released as limited edition collectors items, which sometimes includes rare tracks or special artwork.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freestyle-vinyl.com/blogs/news/size-matters-what-are-10-inch-vinyl-records-best-for |title=Size matters: What are 10-inch vinyl records best for |publisher=Freestyle Vinyl }}</ref>

===CD-singles===
{{Main|CD-single}}

===Cassette singles===
{{Main|Cassette single}}