78-rpm recording time
The playing time of a phonograph record depended on the turntable speed and the groove spacing. At the beginning of the 20th century, the early discs played for 2 minutes, the same as early cylinder records. The 12 inch disc, introduced by Victor in 1903, increased the playing time to three and a half minutes. Because a 10-inch 78-rpm record could hold about three minutes of sound per side and the 10-inch size was the standard size for popular music, almost all popular recordings were limited to around three minutes in length... and know you know.
The following is a list of over 3600 titles recorded from my collection of 78 rpm records. Many of them are linked to MP3 files and will play what was recorded. No sound enhancement, just what was recorded. I hope to eventually have all the titles linked to music files, though that might take a while.
Right now, there are over 2,100 titles on this page linked to mp3's.
Be sure you at least, if nothing else, listen to Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith playing 12th Street Rag