12-inch single

The 12-inch maxi single record gained popularity with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. As the songs became much longer than the average pop song but the DJ in the club wanted a sufficient sound level, the format had to be changed from the 7" single. Since production costs for 7", 10", and 12" records were about the same by this time, there was no real motivation to use the smaller formats.

Record producers also sought a loud recording level. They believed that this would affect the perception of the music even though the same effect could be achieved by the listener or DJ by simply turning the volume up. A loud recording level requires more space as the grooves' excursions (especially in the low-end so important for dance music) become much greater. Later music styles took advantage of this new format an recording levels on vinyl 12" Maxis have steadily increased, culminating in the extremely loud (or "hot") cuts of drum and bass records of the 1990s and early 2000s.

See also: maxi single.