Then there was four-soon to be three?

[jimac51]

Today Sony and BMG signed a letter of intent to merge their two music divisions. A new company 50-50 owned by both,it will not include music publishing,manufacturing or distribution. How this new company will evetually look is up for speculation,but sales offices will definitely be shuttered and executives will be left go. The new company, to be just a bit smaller than Universal,will be led by BMG's music chief,Rolf Schmidt-Holtz(as chairman of the new board) with ex-NBC chief Andrew Lack(now there is an appropriately named music executive) the new CEO. While this goes forward(subject to US & Europeon approval),EMI gets a little closer(and a little more anxious)to take Time Warner's music divison under its own. Survival of the fewest...Mac

 

[Rudy]

Sony's already in serious financial trouble. I'd heard layoffs were expected to lay off up to 20,000 people nationwide. With the music industry so down right now, they probably couldn't sell of Sony Music if they tried.

Yep...heads will roll. It's the corporate way.

 

[W.B.]

Which leads to this question: Whatever happened to anti-trust? Oh, I forgot -- they were all bought off long ago by the special interests. Talk about the fox guarding the chicken coop . . .

But another question remains: Up to this point, you have two respective mail-order clubs, Columbia House (since 1989, co-owned by Sony and Time Warner) and BMG Music Service. What happens to either or all of these clubs now?

And there is a certain irony here. Way before these respective companies took over these giants (formerly CBS and RCA), each also had a prospering custom-pressing division which between themselves handled many clients -- some labels being pressed by both entities (i.e. Top Rank, Kapp, Scepter, Vanguard). And there is a common tie to A&M here: In A&M's first several months of operation, RCA Victor Custom Records handled the label as secondary to the Monarch Record Mfg. operation ('Circle MR') in Los Angeles (RCA-pressed copies of "The Lonely Bull" had the 'A&M 1005' matrix number typeset on the label copy, to cover for Monarch typesetting's 'CAR-1005'). Around mid-'63, A&M shifted the bulk of its non-Monarch pressing from RCA to Columbia Record Productions which would handle the label up to around the time of its acquisition by PolyGram in 1989. RCA also pressed some copies of A&M albums and singles from the time it entered into its distribution deal with the label in 1979 up until the mid-'80's (RCA's last vinyl pressing plant, in Indianapolis, Ind., closed in 1987).

Full Disclosure on Historical Background: The earliest known Columbia pressing of an A&M single, which preceded the introduction of the "ochre" label, was "Tiptoes"/"Bobby's Boogie #1" by Bobby Wayne (#716, the only known A&M single not to use A&M matrix numbers; the former side was numbered 45-JD-32; the latter, 45-JD-33). The producer of that record was one Jerry Dennon, then a few short months away from co-producing The Kingsmen's big (and controversial) hit "Louie, Louie" (Wand 143). Both records apparently originally emanated from Dennon's Jerden label. This early Columbia-pressed A&M single originated from its Terre Haute, Ind. plant (or, at least, the fonts used on the label had) and is in my collection. The lacquers for both sides were cut at Columbia's Sunset Boulevard studio in Hollywood. While the background was still cream / ledger buff, the familiar logo was already in place. One of the earliest A&M singles to be pressed on the East Coast (and with the ochre label design known to many) was Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass's "Spanish Harlem"/"A-Me-Ri-Ca" (#721); it was pressed in Bridgeport, Conn., during that factory's last months of operation before Columbia shifted all its East Coast pressings to Pitman, N.J. (first opened 1960) on a full-time basis. Another early East Coast pressing from Columbia was the first single of A&M's short-lived Almo International subsidiary, "Comin' In The Back Door"/"December's Child" by the Baja Marimba Band (#201). That and the first few other releases had a very simple layout with yellow background, unlike the slate-grey background (reverse of ochre?) of later Almo International labels.

 

[Dave]

Which leads to this question: Whatever happened to anti-trust? Oh, I forgot -- they were all bought off long ago by the special interests. Talk about the fox guarding the chicken coop . . .

But another question remains: Up to this point, you have two respective mail-order clubs, Columbia House (since 1989, co-owned by Sony and Time Warner) and BMG Music Service. What happens to either or all of these clubs now?

And there is a certain irony here. Way before these respective companies took over these giants (formerly CBS and RCA), each also had a prospering custom-pressing division which between themselves handled many clients -- some labels being pressed by both entities (i.e. Top Rank, Kapp, Scepter, Vanguard). And there is a common tie to A&M here: In A&M's first several months of operation, RCA Victor Custom Records handled the label as secondary to the Monarch Record Mfg. operation ('Circle MR') in Los Angeles (RCA-pressed copies of "The Lonely Bull" had the 'A&M 1005' matrix number typeset on the label copy, to cover for Monarch typesetting's 'CAR-1005'). Around mid-'63, A&M shifted the bulk of its non-Monarch pressing from RCA to Columbia Record Productions which would handle the label up to around the time of its acquisition by PolyGram in 1989. RCA also pressed some copies of A&M albums and singles from the time it entered into its distribution deal with the label in 1979 up until the mid-'80's (RCA's last vinyl pressing plant, in Indianapolis, Ind., closed in 1987).

Full Disclosure on Historical Background: The earliest known Columbia pressing of an A&M single, which preceded the introduction of the "ochre" label, was "Tiptoes"/"Bobby's Boogie #1" by Bobby Wayne (#716, the only known A&M single not to use A&M matrix numbers; the former side was numbered 45-JD-32; the latter, 45-JD-33). The producer of that record was one Jerry Dennon, then a few short months away from co-producing The Kingsmen's big (and controversial) hit "Louie, Louie" (Wand 143). Both records apparently originally emanated from Dennon's Jerden label. This early Columbia-pressed A&M single originated from its Terre Haute, Ind. plant (or, at least, the fonts used on the label had) and is in my collection. The lacquers for both sides were cut at Columbia's Sunset Boulevard studio in Hollywood. While the background was still cream / ledger buff, the familiar logo was already in place. One of the earliest A&M singles to be pressed on the East Coast (and with the ochre label design known to many) was Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass's "Spanish Harlem"/"A-Me-Ri-Ca" (#721); it was pressed in Bridgeport, Conn., during that factory's last months of operation before Columbia shifted all its East Coast pressings to Pitman, N.J. (first opened 1960) on a full-time basis. Another early East Coast pressing from Columbia was the first single of A&M's short-lived Almo International subsidiary, "Comin' In The Back Door"/"December's Child" by the Baja Marimba Band (#201). That and the first few other releases had a very simple layout with yellow background, unlike the slate-grey background (reverse of ochre?) of later Almo International labels.

Well, things are not this simple anymore. You aren't dealing just with vinyl, tape, and maybe sheet music and whatever packaging.

You used to make the right amount of money off of just the one or two mediums. And No-one got hurt. :|

But, times have changed. I wonder since when did it become OK to violate the "Anti-Trust" act, too. But those who wanted it instituted and followed to the letter are the ones breaking it.

Dave

...wishing there were some racket like this I could get into...:bigevil: I need the money...

 

[jimac51]

Since mid-2002,Columbia House has been owned by a private investment bank,Blackstone,with Sony & Warner owning a minority interest. Interestingly,though,Bertlesmann was a suitor of Columbia House a few years ago and there was no expected flap from the US government because mail-order was just one way that music and videos could be purchased and clubs are not seen as a unique retail outlet. Bertlesmann chickened out as they basically got rid of anyone who lived in the 21st century. Bertlesmann's look backward is one reason they wanted a music partner in the first place-they seem to not really want to be in the music business but they love the potential $$$ and,since they are privately held,no one really knows the real value music holds to the total corporate picture. What has soured them more than anything in the music area is the forced aquisition of Jive/Zomba for a couple of billion dollars while Jive's real value today is probably less than 250 million dollars,Britney included. Mac

 

[Rudy]

What's also interesting (?) is that I believe BMG also now owns CDNow, which is why we switched to Amazon as an associate. CDNow is turning into an extension of the BMG music club...in fact, they actually sell club product, and I complained about it when I got four CDs and found them missing the retail barcode. I don't mind buying club product when I know I'm buying it, but nothing in their listings told me it was a club product.

If anything, some are thinking that with the merger, BMG may reopen its classical division. Then again, maybe not.

 

[W.B.]

Since mid-2002,Columbia House has been owned by a private investment bank,Blackstone,with Sony & Warner owning a minority interest.

Thanks for that background. The things you find out . . .

 

[jimac51]

Not unlike a bad soap opera,the plot thickens-and hardens. Edgar Bronfman Jr.,the Seagram spoiled brat who took Universal to new lows during his ownership of the media conglomerate,emerges as the new owner of Time Warner's music business,publishing rights included. For a mere 2.6 billion,( for peanuts,if you consider that BMG was forced to buy Jive/Zomba for 2 billion just a while ago)he gets what was probably the most lucrative recording catalog in terms of sales during the last 35 years. Warner/Elektra/Atlantic was rich with titles from Led Zeppelin,Eagles,AC/DC,Metallica,Madonna,James Taylor,Joni Mitchell,Grateful Dead-artists who had catalog sales catapult during the CD era. Albums released in the 1970s had a new life as CD reissues and WEA had an outstanding track record of music viability. Because people like Mo Ostin,Ahmet Ertegun,Lenny Waronker and Joe Smith nurtured artists- gave them some space in the beginning-let them alone during dry times-keeping people like Randy Newman and Van Dyke Parks on their roster to attract others to their umbrella-resulting in an ecectic group of sounds that had life for years to come. This is what Bronfman has purchased(and will probably squander away) and with Universal's purchase of Dreamworks(basically putting the ex-WEA team out to retirement)an era of the artist leading the label(a la A&M but on a much larger scale)is ending. As saddened we have all been by the physical dying of many wonderful musicians this year,2003 may go down as a year when the music died in a larger sense. Mac

 

[LPJim]

Here's a site for Bobby Wayne which contains scans of some of his singles:

www.rockabillyhall.com/BobbyWayne.html

 

[Rudy]

Not unlike a bad soap opera,the plot thickens-and hardens. Edgar Bronfman Jr.,the Seagram spoiled brat who took Universal to new lows during his ownership of the media conglomerate,emerges as the new owner of Time Warner's music business,publishing rights included.

The arteries harden at this news. I still remember what Bronfman's Universal did to some of the labels they owned. They literally killed GRP Records, dumping most of the artists and throwing most of the back catalog into cut-out bins. They've already taken the indignities that Polygram laid on A&M and Verve and redoubled it...now both labels are shadows of their original selves. I hate to think how much worse he can make Warner. Wouldn't surprise me if he killed off Rhino, or at least Rhino Handmade. ("Who wants that old music anyway?") Better buy up any back-catalog titles I want now, before the axe swings and they go on the "cost cutting" binge.

This is what Bronfman has purchased(and will probably squander away) and with Universal's purchase of Dreamworks(basically putting the ex-WEA team out to retirement)an era of the artist leading the label(a la A&M but on a much larger scale)is ending. As saddened we have all been by the physical dying of many wonderful musicians this year,2003 may go down as a year when the music died in a larger sense. Mac

Definitely. I wonder how long it's going to take for the industry to remake itself as a bunch of smaller independents. It's already beginning to happen. There will come a point when the big labels can't even afford to exist. As it stands, Warner was already top-heavy with executives, none of which they had in the old days. Check out THIS list of VPs at Warner--talk about excess!

http://www.exploding.biz/vps.asp