[78-L] record distributors/retailers

[Michael Biel]

Label exclusive franchises died out by the late 1920s. The only
exceptions were special labels made for specific stores such as Romeo
W.T. Grants, Diva for Daviga, Challenger and Silvertone for Sears,
Montgomery Ward for, uh, guess who, and one of the budget RCA labels for
Woolworths I believe.  But none of those are RECORD STORES, and ev3en
these died out by 1935-36.  I can see from the newspaper ads in the
early 30s that RECORD STORES carried all labels that they wanted to. 
There was a wonderful thread about NYC record stores over on ARSCList
earlier this week, including some neighborhood ethnic stores.  It's a
topic I've been wanting to write about, but we might discuss it at the
collector's session at ARSC in May and try to arrange a formal session
for the following year at the national and also local NYC ARSC.

As for the changover years from the 78 to LP, if you look thru the
earliest Schwann catalogs you will be amazed at how few labels produced
LPs in 1949 and 1950.  There were some small short-lived labels that
entered and left the field in 1950-52.  These catalogs are fascinating. 
This might have been part of the story in that posting you are referring
to.  Can someone link it to us, or can the writer come out and give the
details?  I'd love to know the details.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [78-L] record distributors/retailers
From: Rodger Holtin <rjh334578 at yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, March 15, 2013 6:50 pm
To: 78-List <78-l at 78online.com>

One of our members remarked a few weeks or months ago about working for
a store about the time of the 78/Lp changeover and noted that the store
where he worked only carried certain labels.  It seems this was also
true in the early days as there were contractual obligations locking
that stuff in place for departments stores, music sstores and maybe even
mom n pop stores that sold only Victor, for instance, as I recall.  By
the time I was old enough to buy records in the late 1950s it appeared
all labels were available everywhere.
 
When did this system of exclusive distributorships/retailers come to an
end, and were there any shops in the early days that transcended those
boundaries? 

Rodger

For Best Results use Victor Needles.

.
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