Hip-Pocket Records were 4-inch, 45-rpm, flexible phonograph records manufactured by Philco. Philco also produced portable players for the discs, but they could also be played on manual phonographs.
Philco teamed with three major record companies, Atlantic, Mercury and Roulette, to produce music for them, and around 50 titles were released. They were sold for 69 cents at Woolworth, and also at local Ford Dealers and came in colourful packaging that was significantly larger than the disc itself.
Hip-Pocket Records contained a song on each side, but could only be played about a dozen times before they were worn out by the stylus.
Americom produced a very similar format under the name PocketDisc.
Both Hip-Pocket Records and PocketDiscs were marketed for their portability, and the ability to send them through the post or keep in a pocket without damage.
Sources / Resources
- Hip-Pocket Records – CDs and Vinyl at Discogs
- The rise and fall of the pocket record, music’s attempt at portable vinyl | The Vinyl Factory
- Philco Hip Pocket record player – YouTube
- Personal correspondence from Fred Hyman, 27th April 2015
- PocketDisc – Wikipedia
- Down the rabbit-hole of Pocket Records and the mystery of a golden disc | Techmoan | YouTube