Here's a 1920 pic of a Victor store promotion that offers eight empty albums
and three records with the purchase of a $160 Victrola.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/4037?size=_original
Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Biel
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 2:26 PM
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Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Lucia Sextette. Was $ 300 tape
Steven Smolian wrote:
> re: Art Shifrin's post about $ 300 tape. The Victor Lucia Sextet, sold
at, say $ 7.00 in 1910 or so was indeed big money in present funds.
>
> However, when you bought a Victor machine, there was usually a promotion
which included some free records. I'm convinced so many of these sextets
survive because they were part of people's "starter" choices at the time,
starting selecting from the priciest down. Steve Smolian.
>
>
As you know, Steve, I have been saying this for decades, that buyers were
probably given an album to fill with perhaps ten free records, and since the
Victor catalog always listed price they would start with the most expensive.
These expensive records are so utterly common, and are so often found in
collections with no or practically no other opera, there can be no other
explanation. I am absolutely convinced that this happened. And happened
often. But no researcher I have ever discussed this with have ever found
any documents or evidence of this promotion, not even a postcard to a friend
in 1910 telling them of the great deal they just got. If this kept
happening to buyers all over the country for so many years, why is there no
evidence of this? All we ever hear are the dire consequences that would
befall a dealer if they dared sell even a used machine at a discount, let
alone give free records.
Did Columbia also do this? I see no abundance of the more expensive
Columbia records from this era. If Columbia did not do this, do you not
think that some Columbia dealers might turn in their competitors to the
authorities? The only evidence I can cite is the sleeve from the
"sample" Columbia record where they say in large letters "HERE IS THE
FIRST CHANCE YOU EVER HAD TO BUY A DOUBLE-DISC RECORD FOR TWENTY-FIVE
CENTS". Their earlier "demonstration Record" was free or a dime (I
forget which), so perhaps the "twenty-five cents" was a qualifying
statement, but this is a close as I have come to seeing something about
Columbia not having a free-records-with-a-machine policy.
Same with Edison dealers not being allowed to make discount deals.
Wouldn't they also rat on competitor dealers?
Does anybody have any contemporary evidence that Victor ever gave
machine buyers free records. I am convinced it happened, but would like
to have some real reliable evidence.
Dick Spottswood wrote:
> Absolutely right. My wily grandpa got five copies with his Victrola and
> offered deep discounts on his his dupes to the neighbors.
>
This adds another dimension to the story, that someone would take
multiple copies to sell rather than take one of each of the Lucia, then
the Rigoletto Quartette, and then the next most expensive like the
Melba-Caruso Boheme duet, etc. all for themself. Since these also are
found in abundance, that would seem to be the most likely scenario --
and make this seem even more likely. Your grandpa never wrote any
postcards to his neighbors offering his deal, did he??
> And I wonder how many pressings were snuck out the back door by factory
> workers? Dick
>
Whoa! That's a whole nuther story!!!
Mike Biel [log in to unmask]
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