[78-L] Average age was

[David Lennick]

On 11/12/2010 7:10 PM, Steven wrote:
>>
> Oddly enough, it was the sudden growth of the "independent re-issue"
> labels that led to their "sudden" demise! All of this vintage jazz material
> was "owned" by Victor and/or American Record Corporation; however,
> neither firm was aware of the amount of interest in the stuff...! When
> the "pirate" re-issue operations became rather successful (as well as
> profitable..!), Victor and particularly ARC realized the potential value
> of re-issuing the material. They quickly forced the new labels to shut
> down...and started their own re-issue projects!
>
> Steven C. Barr

And promptly screwed them up. Great starts, fuggedaboudit follow-up. Victor 
didn't really do a comprehensive reissue series till the Vintage line in the 
60s, despite the X label, the Downbeat Series and keeping the Glenn Miller 
flame alive (and some occasional Fats and Duke and Artie and other greatest 
hits). Columbia's reissues were few and far between except for Louis, Bix and 
Bessie, till the 60s. If there hadn't been film bios of Eddy Duchin and Ruth 
Etting, we wouldn't have had reissues of them at all from Columbia.

dl