On 12/04/2013 08:45 AM, Gray, Mike wrote:
> Without stepping on this thread, here is what I understand to be the status of metal parts in company hands:
>
>
> Sony Music - Holds Victor parts + some HMV; disposal of Columbia, et al. metal may be related to the closure of the Bridgeport plant (cf. AFR Lawrence papers at LC)
>


Just to note, Sony Music only holds whatever Victor parts BMG had, which
is woefully incomplete. Back in the 1960s, I believe it was, Sarnoff's
RCA demolished some of the Camden complex, including the buildings where
metal parts were stored. They invited some collectors to pick through
the holdings before whatever was left was basically plowed into the
Delaware River.

I made a telephone call over 20 years ago to EMI in Manchester Square,
trying to find out if they had any plans for CD reissues of Jack Hylton.
I forget the name of the man with whom I spoke, but he told me that
unfortunately they didn't have much in the way of metal parts from that
era. He did volunteer that for some time EMI and BMG had been doing a
mutual exchange project, whereby if one had a hole in their inventory
and the other had the missing metal parts, whoever had the parts would
electroplate (he said "grow") new parts from them, and send them to the
one whose inventory needed it. (This, of course, would only potentially
cover material up through 1957 when RCA and EMI stopped exchanging
matrices.)


Michael Shoshani
Chicago