[78-L] Capitol label types

[Geoffrey Wheeler]

Cary Ginell writes: “I believe that Capitol's East Coast pressing 
facility was located in Scranton, PA. ...

Here is some background on Capitol and Scranton. On March 30, 1944, 
Capitol signed a production agreement with Scranton Record 
Manufacturing Company, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Down Beat reported in 
its June 15, 1944 edition [page 9] that Capitol Records had signed an 
exclusive contract with the large Scranton Record Manufacturing Company 
pressing plant. “[It] has other small disc firms sitting up nights with 
the jitters... firms like Signature, Commodore, Keynote, Blue Note, and 
Savoy are worried because Scranton does most of their pressing. Two 
manufacturers are safe. Oberstein (Hit) has a five-year pact with 
Scranton. Bob Thiele... has solved the problem by signing with Asch 
records. Asch is creating a special Asch-Signature label for his 
records. The arrangement will continue for 18 months, during which time 
Thiele will set wax dates for Asch. First cuttings include: Billy 
Strayhorn with several of Duke’s men; Yank Lawson’s group; a Will 
Bradley band of studio men...” Oberstein had contracted with Scranton 
Record Manufacturing Co. to press discs for United States Record Corp., 
which was formed in April 1939. As reported in Down Beat, its original 
corporate name was to be Discs Inc. but this was soon changed to United 
States Record Corp. Oberstein had resigned from Victor Records 
effective Wednesday, March 1, 1939. U. S. Records began pressing its 
first records under the Varsity imprint at the Scranton plant on 
Friday, August 4, 1939. A color photograph of the plant taken in the 
mid-1940s shows a large, long, flat-roofed, redbrick building divided 
into three sections of four, five, and six stories. The longest part of 
the building is the four-story section, which may have been the 
production area where pressing was done. A report in Variety [page 35] 
notes Oberstein had extended his contract for pressing with Scranton 
Wednesday, November 1, 1944.

Scranton becomes Capitol’s main plant. Effective Sunday, April 1, 1945, 
Scranton became Capitol’s main manufacturing facility, and ceased 
pressing the records of a number of small labels. Capitol released its 
first albums in May. Extensive new equipment was installed in 1951, and 
on Friday, August 1, 1952, the city of Scranton celebrated “Capitol 
Records Day.” During the day, 15,000 Scranton residents visited the 
plant in guided tours. A half-page ad in the December 1940 issue of HRS 
Society Rag promotes it services: “We invite you to use our facilities 
for the processing and manufacture of finished records in any quantity. 
Write for Bulletin describing procedure and cost involved in converting 
your original recordings into high quality commercial records.” The 
address for its Sales Department was 1775 Broadway, New York City. From 
1973 to 1978, the plant operated as North American Records. The plant 
closed in 1978. Today the former Capitol building is now occupied by 
Olympic Chimney Supply, which makes stainless steel chimney lining 
systems. Scranton Record Manufacturing Co has played a major role in 
the record industry since the early 1920s when it was the largest 
manufacturer of so-called budget labels. The company was founded in 
1885 as the Scranton Button Company. Before it got into the record 
business, it manufactured hard rubber and shellac buttons, electrical 
insulators, and various novelty items. Starting in the 1920s, it began 
pressing records as a third-party vendor to such companies as Emerson 
Phonograph, the Regal Record Co., and Plaza Music Co. In the next few 
years, it expanded its business operations by acquiring several labels 
and more private-label accounts. Between the mid-1920s and the 
mid-1940s, Scranton continued to press records for various companies. 
Until Capitol acquired Scranton, it was the largest independent record 
pressing facility in the U.S.