78's Took Hold, After Cylinders

Tune: Meredith Willson's "Seventy-Six Trombones"

78's took hold, after cylinders;
33⅓'s then spun, like roulettes;
They were followed by 8-track tapes,
With their super-clunky shapes,
After which came audiocassettes.

78's shrank down into 45's;
33⅓'s shrank down to CD's.
The phenomenal compact disc
(Sales of which continue brisk)
Set the stage for modern mp3's.

There were Napster and its rivals on the Internet—
"Copyright, shmoppy-right! Simply rip and burn!"
Whether it was Grateful Dead or string quartet,
Every set
Made 'em a fat return.
Then the rappers mix and sample almost everything:
"Copyright, shmoppy-right! Stick it to da Man!"
When he wants to lyricize, a parodist will plagiarize,
And steal all the music that he can!

78's crapped out 50 years ago,
33⅓'s crapped out later on;
While the mention of 8-track tapes
Always meets with jokes and japes,
And cassettes are all but dead and gone.

78's may lack high fidelity;
33⅓'s may scratch, pop and skip;
But you've got to admit they're deft-
Er at circumventing theft
Than the goombah, Mr. Microchip!