[78-L] Sharing sequence numbers between labels (BIG error?!)

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles Bihun" <csintala79 at yahoo.com>
> From: Steven C. Barr <stevenc at interlinks.net>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Charles Bihun" <csintala79 at yahoo.com>
>> This was in the thread: "American Novelty Orchestra ..?"
>> Steven C. Barr wrote:
>>>> Ty already lists OK 4490 as a 1921 issue.
>>>>
>>> There were TWO distinct "Okeh 4490" records! The first was in the
>>> original
>>> Okeh
>>> 4xxx series (1920-1923?)...and the second resulted when CBS replaced
>>> Vocalion
>>> with Okeh (6/40) and used old Vocalion numbers on continued records!
>>>
>>> So...Okeh 4490 (2nd one) = Vocalion 4490...!
>>
>> This may explain something I ran across. I have just gotten around to
>> inventorying a bunch of records purchased over the past few years. One is
>> The Carter Family on Perfect 6-01-59, "Gathering Flowers From the
>> Hillside" (A-17491) and "Don't Forget me Little Darling" (B-17479).
>> Not having a large collection, I can't justify buying reference documents
>> and, living in a small town, no local library can help, so I depend on 
>> the
>> web. Going to 78discography.com, I could find nothing under perfect to
>> match the label number; there is nothing under perfect that is close to
>> what is on the label (the number being June 1, 1959 didn't make sense).
>> In trying to track this down I found that these cuts were released on
>> Columbia 37636 and 20235. As the matrix numbers match, I assumed they 
>> came
>> from the same master. I could find no link to a Perfect pressing, but I
>> got a surprise when I came across these cuts on Melotone 60159. That
>> number is actually 6-01-59, using the Melotone 1936 "date issue"
>> sequencing; the same number found on the Perfect release!
>>
>> The commonality between all the labels the songs were released on is that
>> they were under the ARC umbrella at one time, as were the labels in
>> question for the "American Novelty Orchestra" thread. It looks like they
>> were using sequencing numbers across labels for some time, considering my
>> record is from "35 and the other (thge Vocalion) is from "40.
>> Was this a common practice? It is a database manager's nightmare.
>>
> No...not actually! In mid-1935, ARC had the brilliant (or so they thought,
> anyway) of using a YY-MM-serial (later changed to Y-MM-serial)
> catalog number system for all their "cheap" labels! This means, as you
> note (and as Ty DOESN'T make clear...?!) the actual record number
> was 6-(1936)01(January)-59 (the 9th country/race issue--these were
> numbered from *51* up while ordinary pop tunes started at "01").
>
> This numbering system, and most of the labels involved, sort of
> "dwindled to death" in the first part of 1937! I have seen Orioles
> with VERY low 1937 numbers; both Perfect and Melotone lasted
> into 1937 (none of the others did, though!).
>
BIG CORRECTION HERE...MY ERROR!!

The numbering system actually expired, along with Perfect and Melotone,
in the late spring of 193*8*!! I have seen 8-04-##, but don't think I have
seen (or there were?!) any 8-05-## issues...?!

Steven C. BARR