The 45 opened the door.

The game for smaller record companies was changing for the better –– but it wasn't always that way.

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, music executives neatly packaged their predetermined standards in music to appear inclusive and non-judgmental. What was popular would only be what the big four decided upon and the independents had to follow since the major labels controlled the distribution and production processes beside being the contractual overlords of the musicians who recorded for them. After 1949 the evolution of the 45 opened more doors for struggling independent labels allowing them to get their music to the public at a cheaper price –– a price that young people could afford.
The 45 made it possible for the introduction of the portable record player, and juke box operators welcomed the smaller more resilient discs that allowed a greater selection of music to be heard by larger audiences everywhere. By the mid-fifties the top selling records included smaller independents and heretofore ignored audiences but that's not to say that the major labels had thrown in the towel. To the contrary, they created their own subsidiary labels to handle rhythm and blues or rock music kicking off a race to gain the crown as leader of the 45 market.