American Graphophone Company Phonograph / Record Manufacturer. Forerunner of Columbia Records. Columbia Records originally began as the American Graphophone Company as a producer of early wax cylinder recordings and an inexpensive, accessible version of the graphophone used to play them. By 1900, Columbia manufactured flat disc recordings made from hard rubber and in 1904 the company produced the first double-faced disc recordings, thereby providing customers with "twice the music." During the next several decades, Columbia continued to be a pioneer in the sound recording industry. In 1924, it manufactured the first recording of a complete symphony (Beethoven's Seventh). In 1925, it made the world's first commercial electrical recording, and in 1948, it revolutionized the industry by manufacturing the 33 1/3 rpm long playing microgroove record on vinylite. This format provided longer play-time and was not easily broken or scratched like the 78 rpm platters. Columbia employed thousands of Bridgeport residents during the years it operated in the city. In fact, the company often employed circus performers during the off-season, such as Lulu Farini, a Barnum performer whose act included being shot from a cannon. Columbia moved its manufacturing operation to New Jersey in 1964 and its research and development department to Milford, Connecticut, in 1965.