Where was the first album released?

Where the First Album was Released

Depends on how you define "album". If you are referring to LP discs, Columbia Records released the first commercially viable long-playing records in 1948 so that would be a place to start further research. However, the term "album" was used long before that time to describe book-like folders that held multiple 78 rpm discs. These folders held collections of short songs by one or more artists, or the multiple discs needed to contain longer works such as symphonies. These folders date back to the earliest days of disc recording in the early part of the 20th century so it would be quite difficult to track down the very first one ever issued.

Like most technology, recording techniques did not spring full-blown from some studio or lab. Edison's cylinder recordings co-existed with Berliner's flat discs for many years, and 33-1/3 vinyl recordings were made as early as 1931, with some even being cut in stereo! These techniques gradually evolved from experiments to commercial viability so it's often easier to identify when the first attempts were made, such as Edison's "talking machine".

First answer by JayKay. Last edit by JayKay. Contributor trust: 961 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 70 [recommend question]