33⅓ RPM is for LP albums and 45 RPM is for 7" singles, right? Not so fast! For a brief time, the record industry tried to banish the 45 speed -- including the company who invented it! -- and replace it with 33⅓ RPM singles, but the public wasn't interested, and teenagers refused to give up their rock 'n' roll 45s.

For much more information, see the Stereo Singles Project web site:
https://www.bsnpubs.com/stereoproject...

Time flow:
0:00 Introduction
1:17 RCA Victor's 45
1:59 Columbia's LP
2:45 Both formats coexist
3:34 New stereo, old rivalry
4:27 Stereo Seven
6:50 Seeburg jukeboxes
8:08 Compact 33
9:09 Mono after stereo
9:51 RCA Victor joins!
10:55 Compact Double
12:00 Little LP
12:58 Why 7" 33s failed
13:55 45 RPM thrives
14:18 Conclusion

Additional notes:
1. The 78 I smashed was already cracked. I hid the broken part with my hand.
2. Stereo 45s were a flop the first time around (1958-1961), as well, and didn't start coming back until the late '60s, so Columbia was right to sit out that fad.
3. Did you notice how the spindle hole forms part of Columbia's fancy "33" logo? That's really clever.
4. Columbia's mono 7" 33s were made from polystyrene, just like their 45s. Styrene was cheaper to make than vinyl, but more brittle and much more prone to groove wear.
5. The August 10th, 1963 issue of Billboard was the last to list 33 RPM singles on the Hot 100 chart; at that time, only 5 of the top 100 singles were available as 7" 33s. Even when priced lower than 45s, people still didn't want to buy them.
6. 33⅓ RPM remained standard on all Seeburg jukeboxes until 1971, when they made it an extra-cost option. Two small companies kept making Little LPs for jukeboxes until the mid-'70s.

#45rpm #33rpm #vinyl