Much has been said about the sudden rise in popularity of the vinyl LP, which is truly exciting for those who love to collect albums. However, the glorious 7” single format has never gone away. Indie labels have been pressing them for decades – albeit in very limited quantities. In the ‘90s and ‘00s, the 7” single was one of the most popular formats for labels, who managed to maintain a decent cash flow by selling them through mail order. Bands would even press up exclusive 7” singles to sell at their gigs. So, while the LP was temporarily on the backburner, the 45rpm was the format of choice for the indie bands and labels.
The 7” single – first introduced in the late ‘40s – ushered in the Pop and Rock ‘n’ Roll eras. It has remained an important and much loved format for 70 years by music fans and has proven to be an excellent way for artists to reach and communicate with their core audience. Most 7” singles play at 45rpm and have one song per side, but there have been more and more exceptions to that rule over the years. There are some bands that manage to fit two to four songs per side, depending on the length of the recordings. If you’re lucky, the single comes with a picture sleeve that adds to the experience.
Like art in a museum, the single cover art should be carefully preserved so you can enjoy it for years to come. Even if you don’t play it that often, it does experience wear and tear once you remove the shrink-wrap after purchasing it. Unlike the vinyl within, there is no safe way to ‘clean’ a single sleeve once it has been subjected to a few unsavory elements (i.e.: dust, water, oily fingerprints, etc.). So, instead of sliding a naked single back into your collection, you should think of protecting it before the scuffs and scratches make it a little less alluring.
We here at Vinyl Styl™ realize the importance of preserving your precious vinyl purchases. We already offer the Ultimate Vinyl Record Care Kit to clean the actual vinyl, but you probably already knew that! As for the single cover, we don’t offer a way to clean them once the art suffers wear and tear but we do offer some help in protecting them with our clear polybag 7” sleeves. These polybags help protect a new purchase while also preserving your favorite older releases from further damage. Each open-top bag is 3mil thick and measures 7 9/16″ x 7 5/8″” – this slightly larger size allows regular sleeves to slide in and out easily without worry of tearing the polybag.
Vinyl Styl™ offers these protective outer sleeves in both 50 count and 100 count packages. And trust us, even if you don’t think you’ll need that many at this moment, just wait and see how quickly your 7″ single collection grows!
No matter what, Vinyl Styl™ will always be there to make sure your vinyl experience is a great one!
Vinyl Styl™ Protective Outer Record Sleeves (for 7″ singles):
Specs:
7 9/16″ x 7 5/8″ Clear polybag-open top 3mil thick
50 count: 711574724215
100 count: 711574724314
