World Record (8)

"World Record" was eccentric inventor Noel Pemberton-Billing's attempt to improve recording quality and extend the playing time of records generally. On a normal record, the actual velocity that the needle is travelling along the groove has reduced considerably, and the sound quality reduces likewise, towards the end of the side. By making a record where this doesn't happen (where the rotational speed of the disc increases gradually) he not only removed this problem, but also increased the playing time of the record. However, solving these problems meant that problems that did not exist with conventional records were introduced, such as the requirement for a special "controller" which had to be attached to a gramophone in order to play the records: World Record also suffered from a lack of to top-line artists, and the records were expensive. These factors combined to limit the appeal of the new format recordings and the company only survived for a few years (c.1922-1923).