[78-L] Columbia classics [FWD]

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Shoshani" <mshoshani at sbcglobal.net>
> On Thu, 2010-01-28 at 03:03 -0500, martha wrote:
>>  So, to finally make a point:  Columbia concentrated on making cheap
>> dime-store labels after 1925, and barely had any money for fancy 
>> orchestral
>> recordings - especially when they could draw from European masters.
> And even then the classical issues pressed from European masters were
> probably not huge sellers. I have at least three albums in my basement,
> maybe four, of Columbia Masterworks recordings that were originally
> issued anywhere from 1929 to 1937. The booklets and record labels have
> such copyright dates, and the record labels themselves are the labels
> from that period with the cartouche at the top with the Magic Notes
> emblem, and the word COLUMBIA in a sharp-edged sans-serif typeface - but
> the actual ALBUMS are from the early 1940s, with the post-1938
> dual-circle "microphone / notes" Columbia trademark, and with OPA
> ceiling prices listed.
> Then again, on the flipside (ha), I probably have a similar number of
> RCA Victor classical albums that contain scroll-label pressings of
> material recorded in Europe during the late 20s and early 30s.  Either
> Victor and Columbia were making new albums and selling pressings that
> were old stock, or the pressings were new but they were using up labels
> printed in some cases a decade before.
>
Consider that TOTAL record sales for 1932 were just over 2,000,000...
including 25-35-cent hillbilly and race records, which are NOT that hard
to find these days! Then, think about the fact that these classical album
sets often cost $10 (or more) in an era when a lot of folks were trying/
hoping to EAT REGULARLY!!

I know that Victor was still trying their best to sell their classical
repertoire (primarily using Caruso...?!) in their print ads and
similar documents...but this did NOT necessarily result in sales...?!
I would assume that Victor and Columbia only repressed existing
records when they "ran out"...and that would have NOT been
all that regularly...?!

Steven C. Barr