[78-L] Shopping in places other than record stores

[Michael Biel]

From: "eugene hayhoe" <jazzme48912 at yahoo.com>
> When I was 17 back in the '60s, I bought many great records cheap in drug 
> stores, grocery stores, every kind of discount and dept. store

You may have noticed that sometimes I call LP labels like Varsity
"Grocery Store" labels.  Our Food Fair had a rotating wire rack with
these records, just like it had one for paperback books, magazines, and
other things like this.  There were a number of these dollar labels that
were found in the type of stores Eugene just mentioned.  They were
distributed by news agents, not record distributors.  This was
specifically noted by William Schwann who did not include these labels
in his catalog -- even if they ADVERTISED in Schwann!!!  He started out
as a record store owner, and he sold his catalog only in record stores. 
Subscriptions were not taken.  It was not seen on newsstands.  Only in
record stores because he wanted his catalog to promote record stores. 
If you wanted a copy of the catalog you had to get off your keester and
go INTO a record store!!  He tolerated (just barely tolerated) H. Royer
Smith offering a subscription to Schwann along with a mail-order price
list and discount coupon from that Philadelphia store. But subscriptions
were not available from Schwann.  So likewise, he included in the
catalog only records that were available in record stores.  That is why
Music Treasures of the World and other exclusively mail order labels are
not included.  Labels exclusive to one store were not included unless
other stores could obtain them through normal channels. 

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com