What year did you last buy 45 RPM records?

[bandit957]

When did you last purchase 45 RPM single records?

For me, it was around the year 2000. But these were oldie reissues of '80s singles that I found at a local record store.

The last time I buyed a newly released single on a 45 was around 1996 or 1997. For the life of me, I don't remember what it was. But whatever it was, I'm positive I still have it.

[SteveG1988]

New? Never

Used: 2013, goodwill started to charge the same for an LP vs a 45

[1995hoo]

I bought one on eBay within the past five years, a copy of Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" 45, in order to get the B-side, which is the studio recording of "Held Up Without a Gun." That particular version has never been released anywhere except on that B-side, though a live version from the 1980-12-31 Nassau Coliseum concert has been released.

Otherwise, I don't know. Probably late 1980s. The grey vinyl "Touch of Grey" by the Grateful Dead was one of the later ones, but not the last. I have a fair number of them downstairs, but playing them is a bit of a nuisance because my Rega Planar 3 turntable requires that I remove the platter and adjust the belt if I want to spin it at 45 rpm. That's too much trouble, so if I want to play anything at 45 rpm (whether a 7-inch single or a 45-rpm LP, doesn't matter which) I disconnect the Rega's interconnects, pull out my other turntable (an older Yamaha), and connect that to the phono preamp.

[Pete from Boston]

I nearly bought a stellar box of them a couple of weeks ago at a "yard sale" (sort of a serious dealer sale in a yard).  Did the usual "What's my eBay time worth?" calculation and passed.

Probably 8 years ago.  1990s-2000s bands put out some neat stuff on 7", but with decreasing frequency and increasing novelty factor.   

Still a fun medium to dig into given the nothing price and potential for fun discovery.

[PHLBOS]

Probably some time during the early-to-mid 1980s.

[hbelkins]

Last ones I can remember buying were in the mid-1980s. I can remember buying 45s for "Beat It" by Michael Jackson (for the EVH guitar solo), the duet he did with Mick Jagger, and a Genesis 45 that had a live version of "Turn It On Again" as the flip side (but unfortunately, not the long live version with the cover medley). I may have bought the 45 that had Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" as the flip side, but I can't remember for sure. There may be some other ones from that era.

[mapman1071]

March 2015

[Takumi]

About three hours ago. Collecting drum & bass vinyl has contributed to my general absence in the last six months or so.

[briantroutman]

Releasing new albums on 33s is still popular among "indie"  bands (and collected by hipsters, some of whom don't even have turntables but fetishize the authenticity of vinyl), but I haven't seen new 45s. That's not to say they don't exist, though.

Semi-related question: All other things being equal, wouldn't 45s theoretically have higher fidelity because they spin faster and are therefore able to store more sonic information?

[Takumi]

There are new 45s out there. Some genres of electronic music, particularly in Europe, still have a significant vinyl community.

I pre-ordered this one on vinyl today (comes out on June 8th, next Monday, but takes a week or two to ship here from the UK), for both the music and the artwork. It also comes with a free poster of the artwork and MP3s of the music.

[1995hoo]

Plenty of high-profile bands release new music on LP. Springsteen always does, for example, and I believe the album usually includes a code to download a digital copy to spare you the hassle of ripping the LP (or recording it to CD and then ripping that). The digital copy is usually not the best fidelity due to lossy compression, but I suppose it's a lot easier than the alternative.

[mapman1071]

Releasing new albums on 33s is still popular among "indie"  bands (and collected by hipsters, some of whom don't even have turntables but fetishize the authenticity of vinyl), but I haven't seen new 45s. That's not to say they don't exist, though.

Semi-related question: All other things being equal, wouldn't 45s theoretically have higher fidelity because they spin faster and are therefore able to store more sonic information?

Record Store Day is an annual event, founded in 2007, held on the third Saturday of April each year to celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store. The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores across the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.

Artists Old and New and Soundtracks have special New and Classic/Remastered 45's, LP's and Sets of 45's or LP's or a MIX of both formats.
For example:
For Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary a Remastered Soundtrack LP was issued on Standard Black and in Slime Green for release on Record Store Day.

[hm insulators]

Never played 45s but I love old vinyl LPs and still buy them.