With a loud roll on the drums, RCA-Victor last week put on the market its first non-breakable phonograph records. Made of a ruby-red, translucent vinyl resin plastic, they cost twice as much ($2 a record) as a 12-inch Victor Red Seal. Cried Victor: "The greatest improvement . . . in 45 years."
But this improvement may also bring Victor its stiffest competition in 45 years. Decca, second biggest record seller, was waiting only to see how the first Victor album (Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks) sells before coming out with its own unbreakable product for home use. Already on the...