[78-L] Record playing speed

[Michael Shoshani]

On Wed, 2008-12-03 at 12:48 -0500, Michael Biel wrote:
> > David Lennick wrote:   
> >   
> >> Yup..24 RPM. I have several discs at this speed. 
> >> dl
> >>     
> Which reminds me of ANOTHER standard!  Theodore Edison was developing an 
> extra long playing disc in 1927-29 for broadcasting use that ran at 30 
> RPM.   Each rotation was exactly 2 seconds. It was threaded at 300 per 
> inch.  Each minute  was 1/10 - inch.  Ten minutes per geooving inch.  
> The arms would have a micrometer dial to allow cueing by time.  He also 
> experimented with slower speeds of 16 and 12 RPM.  I think the August 
> 12, 1927 phonograph anniversary broadcast was recorded at that speed. 


I don't have my Frow book here at work so I can't confirm this, but if I
recall correctly the 30 RPM broadcasting equipment was sold as
"Rayedisonic" or some such. A portmentau of "radio" and "Edisonic".

There was also the Selectatune idea which I don't believe ever got off
the ground; this was to be a 10 or 12 inch record with multiple tracks,
playing either at 24 or 30 RPM (I forget which), but which would pretty
much function as a jukebox. Except with only Edison material, of
course. :)

Edison did apparently implement one or two talking vending machines with
very small records that played at 24 RPM. There was a choice of four
messages, each one just under two seconds. Frow's examples seem to be
for cigarette sales judging from the slogans used - "Thank you, it's
toasted" (Lucky Strike) and "Thank you, Mild as May" (Marlboro, back
when it was marketed as a woman's cigarette with ivory tips and red
paper).

Someday we'll all have our book libraries on easily-accessible
centrally-stored databases, and can look these things up whenever we
want, wherever we are...

MS/LFT