Speed of sound: from disc to download

1950s

The first format battle was over as the "war of the speeds" between Victor and Columbia ended with 12-inch LPs, that span at 33 1/3rpm, and 45rpm seven-inch singles. One casualty was the old style 78s that rapidly began to disappear. Singles fuelled the jukebox craze and became the basis for the first pop charts. The craze for rock 'n' roll music swept all before it, with stars like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly building international fan bases.

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1960s

The musical landscape was transformed with the arrival from Japan of Sony's first transistor radio small enough to fit in the pocket. In the home, record players became more sophisticated. Transistors replaced valves and stereo sound became a reality for those able to afford it. In 1963, Philips created the first compact audio cassette while in the US the first 8-tracks were fitted to cars. Pirate radio broke the broadcasting mould in the UK and the BBC fought back by creating Radio 1. Live music fans flocked to the first free festivals.

1970s

Stereo sound came of age and bands responded with ever more lustrously produced albums. In 1973 Pink Floyd set a new standard for quality with Dark Side of the Moon, produced by Alan Parsons who mixed saxophone, with complex vocal tracks, guitars and synthesisers. It spent 591 consecutive weeks on the US Billboard charts. Punk was a bold reaction to such polished sounds and audiences turned their back on high technology fixes in favour of live performance and primitive recordings from the new crop of bands.

1980s

The Sony Walkman changed the way people listened to music and resulted in a boom in cassette sales. Despite a rash of imitations, the Walkman became the generic term. Two years later, the compact disc marked the most dramatic change in the industry. The format came of age in 1985 with the release of Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms. The first Discman appeared in 1984 and the cost of the discs and players fell rapidly with CDs finally outselling vinyl by 1988.

1990s

As record sales, most notably the single began to decline, and the cassette virtually disappeared, the digital revolution had arrived. The first digital radio appeared in Canada in 1990, while by the middle of the decade, compressed digital music files known as MP3s began to appear on the rapidly emerging Internet. In the home DVDs began to replace video cassettes and by the end of the decade Philips and TiVo announced the first personal TV system.

2000s

In 2001, Apple Computer wowed the public with the creation of its iPod portable player. At the launch, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs described it as a way to put "1,000 songs in your pocket". The world was convinced and the iPod dominates the market despite a rash of imitators. It also gave its name to a generation that has become highly sought after by advertisers and politicians alike. Elsewhere, fears over peer-to-peer MP3 file sharing led to speculation the music industry was doomed. However, bands such as the Arctic Monkeys, which built followings on the Internet before going mainstream, have shown the web can be a vital marketing tool for record companies. After years of trying to fight it, the major labels have belatedly embraced the idea.