Pocket Disc was a type of flexidisc, made by Americom Corporation and experimented with in the late 1960s, small enough (4 in (10 cm) in diameter) to be carried in one's pocket or shipped in an envelope and not as fragile as a standard record, but able to be played on the standard manual-only phonograph or record player (at 33+1⁄3 rpm). The PocketDisc was cheaper than the Hip Pocket Records manufactured by Philco that sold them to be played on portable record players, which were specially created for the disks.
Twenty-eight major record labels participated in the trials, not including Columbia Records, RCA Records, Motown Records, and MCA Records.[1]
Artists who appeared on these disks included The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Diamond, The Five Americans, The Doors, Sonny and Cher, Merrilee Rush, and Joan Baez.[2] The disks were sold in vending machines for 50 cents or counter displays at stores for 49 cents,[1] was later reduced to 39 cents.[3] Each disk had a capacity of about 3.5 minutes of music per side. This meant songs like The Beatles' "Hey Jude" could not be played in their entirety.[4]
The disks were first released on September 15, 1968[5] and test marketed in several major cities in the United States, but did not catch on.[5] They were discontinued in 1969.[citation needed]
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b Spitzer, Bruce (2003). The Beatles on Apple Records. New Orleans, Louisiana: 498 Publications. pp. 81–84. ISBN 0-9662649-4-0.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1968-04-06.
- ^ "Beatles and others Hip-Pocket records".
- ^ http://www.rfidvidensbank.dk/sw30567.asp [dead link]
- ^ a b Ackerman, Paul (1968-05-25). "Pocket Disc to Debut September 15-Simulrelease Pacts Set Up". Billboard. pp. 1, 74. Retrieved 2010-10-07.