[78-L] Questions: 78 RPM production in the 1950's

[Steven C. Barr]

From: "Robert M. Bratcher Jr." <rbratcherjr at yahoo.com>
> I wonder why they still kept making 78's of popular, rock & country music 
> beyond
the early 50's after the 45 came out around 1949 or so? 78 sales must have
dropped to fairly low levels after the 45 caught on with teenagers & the 
folks in their 20's & 30's. Reason I'm asking these questions is most 
popular, rock &
country 78's I find from the 50's are often in much better shape than their 
45
rpm counterparts. For example I've got 45's in fair to good condition where 
the
same records on 78's are in very good to near mint condition. So with 78's 
not
selling as well then why did they keep making them in the US until about 
1957 or
1958 instead of stopping production of them in 1953 or perhaps 1954? Yes 
there
was somewhat of a dwindling market for them over time but it seemed to take
several years for that to happen. Or was it because the older folks took 
better
care of the 78's they bough & the teenagers played their 45's to death?
>
Can't speak for the US...but here in Canasa there were a LOT of
folks who lived where electricity had yet to be supplied...so they
had to play records on wind-up acoustic machines...!

Steven C. Barr