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I said: “Sure. I think you're missing a great opportunity.”
He said: “Well, what are you going to do about the 45?”
I said: “Well, we'll continue to test it; but unless it does better than our test”--I think there were three markets--”I don't think I'm going to put any of the stockholders money in it.”
And within 24 hours they announced that they were going to do the long-playing record. Big shot in the arm for us, because it meant--it only meant that the marketplace then had two major suppliers of 33 ⅓. I had gone down to make a deal with Philco to make attachments that would play the long-playing record, so we had something to play our records. Then, of course, we were able to put the long-playing record in the record club, and we were off to the races.
So I was never into the record business on the talent side. I don't think I ever had anything to do with the selection of orchestras. Yes, I did, with the Philadelphia Orchestra. But that's another story--and not important. My main role was in launching and pushing the development of the LP, which took a lot of push in our shop. Nobody really went for it except Goldmark and Stanton.
In 1948, I think it was, we introduced the LP, and it gave at least 30 years of tremendous life to the record business. Now it's gone, because the CD [compact disc]--this little record--has taken its place. But that was fun.
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