6. On-board Record Player
When most people think of the evolution of music in cars, they think of the radio and then 8tracks and then cassettes, CDs and MP3s. But there was something that did come before 8tracks and revolutionized the way people listened to music. There were phonographs and record players. In 1956, Columbia actually came up with a phonograph that fit right under the radio in the dashboard. It was nicely hidden behind a panel, but once you opened it up you could switch from the radio to the phonograph with just one push of a button. Once you had switched over to the phonograph all the volume and equalizer controls worked for the phonograph just as they did for the radio.
The neat little player was available on several models including Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and DeSoto. The player was able to handle 45 speed records and 7 inch records in the 16 -2/3 format. The phonograph was problematic though. The biggest problem was that any bump at all would cause the record to skip and car rides in the 1950s tended to be a bit bumpy at times. The other downside to the in-dash phonographs was that Columbia had an exclusive deal which meant that drivers were only able to listen to music by artists that were signed to Columbia records. Despite the ingenuity of the phonograph it only lasted a year. A few years later manufacturers tried to revive the idea but it failed once again. It was not until the technology improved and 8tracks were developed in the 60s that drivers were able to personalize their driving experience with their favorite tunes.