Who invented the LP — the contributions of three key figures and how to read their conflicting accounts
Who invented the LP?
Question answered on this page: Who invented the LP (33⅓ rpm long-playing record)? Why are multiple names associated with its invention?
Answer: there was no single "inventor"
The development of the LP was not the work of a lone genius but an organizational project in which multiple individuals played distinct roles. Three figures made especially important contributions.
Peter Goldmark (CBS Laboratories)
An engineer at CBS Laboratories, Goldmark is best known as the head of the LP project. He was also the developer of a color television system and titled his autobiography Maverick Inventor. He is the person most commonly credited as the inventor of the LP and the most recognized "face" of its development.
Behind CBS's investment in LP development lay the relationship between the parent company CBS and its subsidiary Columbia Records. When Columbia Records initially declined to undertake the project, CBS headquarters allocated the development budget, stating that if the project succeeded and Columbia Records adopted the format, the development costs would be billed to them (whether the bill was actually submitted is unknown).
William Bachman (Director of Research, Columbia Records)
Director of the electronics and research division at Columbia Records. Officially, the LP was a project headed by Goldmark, but according to Bachman's own interview, Goldmark was so heavily involved in television development that the day-to-day management of the LP project was entrusted to Bachman. In other words, Bachman may have exercised the de facto technical leadership.
Bachman worked alongside Jim Hunter (who contributed primarily to the development of the vinyl compound), Ike Rodman (who contributed to the transfer system from safety masters to LP masters, described below), and René Snepvangers (who contributed primarily to improvements in lightweight pickups). Bachman's own key contributions include:
- Hot stylus technology. The technique of cutting with a heated stylus had been used in the 1920s for the Edison Long Playing Diamond Disc. Bachman drew inspiration from this, refined the technique, and applied it to achieve stable cutting of microgrooves
- Variable-pitch cutting. He developed a system that dynamically adjusts groove spacing according to the volume of the signal, extending the available recording time
The adoption of vinyl as a material affected not only sound quality but also the business model of the record industry. Shellac was brittle and unsuitable for postal delivery, but vinyl was far more durable, making the record club (mail-order) business model viable.
Edward Wallerstein (President of Columbia Records)
The executive of Columbia Records. Wallerstein provided the strategic vision for LP development and set the overall direction of the project.
His most important decision was made in 1939. He ordered that for all new recordings, in addition to the standard pressing masters, a safety copy should simultaneously be cut onto 16-inch, 33⅓ rpm lacquer discs.
This was a remarkably forward-looking decision. When the LP was launched in 1948, Columbia held a decisive advantage over competitors: a vast back catalog that could be transferred to the LP format immediately.
Other contributors
In addition to those named above, many others were involved in LP development, including recording engineers Bill Savory and Vin Liebler, and producer Howard Scott. The LP was an organizational project, and the names listed here are far from exhaustive.
Conflicting accounts
Multiple participants in the LP's development have left different accounts of how it happened. The following are notable examples.
Wallerstein's recollection (1967): He stated that Goldmark was merely a "supervisor" and did not perform technical work.
Goddard Lieberson's introduction (1948): Lieberson, then vice president of Columbia Records, described Goldmark as having conducted the core research behind the LP.
Goldmark's autobiography (1973): He wrote that the impetus for LP development was his frustration with the space required to store records, beginning in 1945.
Goldmark's interview recording (1970): In an interview conducted by Gerald Piel, editor-in-chief of Scientific American, Goldmark spoke in considerable detail about the early experimental recordings (Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Gershwin's An American in Paris, and others). His account suggests that he was closely and personally involved in the technical progress of LP development.
Bachman's interview (1977): He stated that Goldmark was so heavily involved in television development that the day-to-day management of the LP project was entrusted to him. "He was senior to me, of course, so it was his project and I was his collaborator, but he asked me to run the LP development on a day-to-day basis."
William Stanton's account (1994): He credited Goldmark with an innovative role while characterizing Wallerstein as "inflexible."
How to read these accounts
These accounts contradict one another because each participant is speaking from their own position and memory. Oral histories and autobiographies inevitably leave room for intentional emphasis and the reconstruction of memory.
LP development was a project spanning several years. The supervisor, the engineers, and the executive each played different roles at different stages. Who was central to the project depends on the perspective of the person telling the story.
In my view, it is reasonable to assume that all primary sources (contemporary documents, testimonies, technical records) contain a mixture of fact and distortions shaped by perspective and memory. Rather than relying on a single account, it is necessary to read multiple sources against one another.
Related pages
Revision History
- April 8, 2026: Initial publication