[78-L] Does anybody know when the various recording companies

[James Tennyson]

> Gaisberg operated as A and R man himself , but he in fact knew he needed 
> more leverage/  Let me quote from the gospel according to 
> Gaisberg::chapter III of Music on Record.
" The beginning was the evening of March 14 1900 when I went to see a 
performance of  Floradora at the old Lyric Theatre and sat directly behind 
the conductor, Landon Ronald. . It was my second year in London as chief 
recorder and artist scout for The Gramophone Company. My visit to the 
theatre was as a scout and when for two hours I had watched the dynamic 
youngster conductor, I said to myself " That's the man our company needs." I 
lost no time in approaching him and here was manna from heaven! Ronald 
recited his qualifications- associate conductor at Covent Garden, 
accompanist to Melba, Patti. Plancon, Renaud and so forth . For our young 
company it was like discovering the Koh-I-Noor diamond. I immediately 
informed our manager William Barry Owen of my find.....In Landon Ronald we 
saw the agent who could bring us into contact with those unapproacheables so 
he was given a contract and a roving commission to bring them in..."
It would seem Ronald was one of the earliest true A and R men.
Calvin G Childs and Harry MacDonough performed a similar function at Victor. 
I have also read that on a more exalted  De Gorgorza acted as a go-between 
for Victor as well.


> From: Mike Harkin <xxm.harkin at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Does anybody know when the various recording
> companies realized that they needed an Artist and Repertoire
> administrator?
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Message-ID:
> <1344918501.70587.YahooMailClassic at web114615.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> I'd say Fred Gaisberg was an A&R man for EMI, long before The Flood,
> wandering the world seeking whom he might record.  Piero Coppola in
> Paris would probably qualify as well.
>
> Mike in Plovdiv
>
> On Tue, 8/14/12, Malcolm Rockwell <malcolm at 78data.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Malcolm Rockwell <malcolm at 78data.com>
>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Does anybody know when the various recording 
>> companies realized that they needed an Artist and Repertoire 
>> administrator?
>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 2:40 AM
>> I believe that's correct. Peer was
>> TR's supervisor at one point.
>> Possibly the term "A&R man" (that stands for Artist
>> & Repertory, in case
>> anyone was wondering) grew out of the combination of talent
>> scout,
>> producer, promoter, bottle washer & nursemaid in one
>> person. The more
>> specialized terms "Personal Manager" and "Booking Agent" may
>> have
>> developed out of the A&R man.
>> Mal
>>
>> *******
>>
>> On 8/13/2012 4:06 PM, David Lennick wrote:
>> > Didn't people like TR (who I notice bears a similar
>> family name to yours) and
>> > Ralph Peer basically create the function?
>> >
>> > dl
>> >
>> > On 8/13/2012 9:45 PM, Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
>> >> By November of1926 Tommy Rockwell was working for
>> Columbia records out
>> >> of Chicago as a "talent scout." This was when he
>> made a scouting trip to
>> >> the West Coast on which he signed numerous acts to
>> Columbia. He had been
>> >> involved as Branch Supervisor of Record Sales prior
>> to the trip and
>> >> later became an A&R man for OKeh after OKeh
>> merged with Columbia. I
>> >> don't think the term "A&R man" existed much
>> before that, but that's just
>> >> an educated guess.
>> >> Malcolm
>> >>
>> >> *******
>> >>
>> >> On 8/13/2012 10:56 AM, Eric wrote:
>> >>> Does anybody know when the various recording
>> companies realized that they needed an Artist and Repertoire
>> administrator? Is it possible to obtain from some archives
>> the requirements for the position? Any help would be greatly
>> appreciated.
>> >>>
>> >>> Sincerely,
>> >>>
>> >>> Eric Byron
>> >>>
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