Record Labels - Hit of the Week and Durium

Hover over each image for information about each individual label.

Hit of the Week Records

Hit of the Week records were one-sided paper based flexible records produced by the Durium Products Coproration and sold for 15 cents at newsstands from 1930 to 1932. The were made of flexible cardboard coated with a proprietary celluloid-like resin called Durium, into which the grooves were pressed. Labels were printed directly onto the record. Audio fidelity is notably above average for the time, despite added noise from the less permanent construction of the records.

Despite early success, 1930 was not a good time to start a record company, and Durium began to suffer as early as 1930. In an attempt to save the company, they began producing longer-playing five-minute records, with two songs or one longer song. They also signed first-rate artists such as Morton Downey, Nick Lucas, and perhaps most notably, Rudy Vallée. Pictures of the artists were often displayed on the blank backs of the records. Despite those advancements and repetoire, Hit of the Week went under and stopped producing records in 1932, though traces of the name, and the material, would exist into the 1940s.

The first style of Hit of the Week 'label' from 1930. This style was made in several different color schemes.

Another color scheme of the first label. This is one of two HOTWs recorded by Duke Ellington's Orchestra under the pseudonym 'Harlem Hot Chocolates'. This example also dates to 1930.

The longest lived color scheme for the original style, with the company information at the bottom altered as well, used starting in 1930 and ending in 1932. This example dates to 1932.

The final style used by Hit of the Week, for their five-minute, two song records. This example dates to 1932.

Other Durium Records

All images on this page created by R. Connor Montgomery, please do not reproduce without permission.