Gramophone Records

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 31, 12 February 1932, Page 22

Gramophone Records

The Case Stated for the Companies

TH representative of one of the gramophone companies who has been in touch with us on the broadcasting situation makes the following statement :-"There seems to be considerable misconception on the part of the public and the broadcasting authorities generally, as to the record manufacturers‘ claims and desires, and perhaps this statement will help to clarify the situation. Let me say at the outset that the gramophone record manufacturers are yery desirous of assisting and collaborating * with the broadcasting stations. so far as they possibly can, provided, however, that in the process the market for their product is not destroyed. "You have given considerable prominence to a statement apparently culled from an English source, that broadcasting of the cheaper gramophone records has been beneficial to the record manufacturers. May we ask the name of any make of record or any particular title manufactured by any company in England that will bear your statement out? We venture to state that your statement is contrary to fact. Every gramophone record manufacturer is suffering severely because of the fact that his market for records has almost ceased because. of the broadcasting of records, and a large number of factories have been compelled to close down. ‘The position, however, in England, in connection with broadcasting, is entirely different from this country. If you will examine the published programmes of the British broadcasting stations, you will find that in many instances no records are used whatsoever. In other cases, they are used for a few minutes daily. Contrast that with New Zealand conditions. There are approximately forty "B" class stations in this country — all practically dependent upon gramophone records for their programmes; consequently you can listen in to gramophone records from 7 o'clock in thé morning until 11 o'clock at night. Needless to say, this state of affairs makes it practically" impossible for the record manufacturer to Fee Tee eT ei

find a market for his enterprise. It is a popular fallacy to imagine that the broadcasting of records benefits their sale; exactly the contrary result follows by reason of the fact that they are broadcast. Another point you raise is that the large gramophone record manufacturers have not reduced their prices to meet new conditions. You are in error in making this statement, as the larger companies’ prices are just as low as the smaller companies’. "May I also remind you that gramophone records are made for sale and unless the record manufacturers can eexpect a reasonable market for their product, then it is impossible for them to continue to produce records except at a loss. It is therefore in the interests of broadcasting generally, that this point should be considered. You also refer in your article to restrictions which may be imposed by the record manufacturers. Might I point out that the only restrictions mooted are that the new releases and the popular record of the day should not be broadcast immediately and continuously as at present, but that a certain time should be given to the record trade to endeavour to sell their records to the public. Surely no one could cavil at the reasonableness of such a request. "In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that it is the earnest desire’of the gramophone record people to work in close co-operation with broadcasting, provided that the broadcastpeople will endeavour to see that it is in their interests as well as the gramophone record m«anufacturers’ that some compensation is due to the record manufacturers for their enter: prise in recording high-class orchestras. world-renowned artists, ete. and so making available to the public in this country a class of entertainment which would not be within the reach of the majority of the people." [The technical trade journal from which we extracted the views quoted was "Sound Waves," representing. we believe in large part the views of the

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