Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 4, No. 12 (1930-09)

An independent American journal devoted to recorded music and phonography Founded 1926 by Axel B. Johnson Phonograph Monthly eview AXEL B. JOHNSON Associate Editor ROBERT DONALDSON DARRELL Managing Editor Published by THE PHONOGRAPH PUBLISHING CO., Inc. 5 Boylston Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts Telephone UNIversity 1618 THE PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY REVIEW appears on the twenty-eighth of each month. All material is fully protected by copyright and may be reproduced only by permission. Yearly subscription price $4.00 in the United States and $5.00 in Canada and other foreign countries, postage prepaid. Single copies 35 cents. All communications should be addressed to the Managing Editor at the Studio, 5 Boylston Street, Cambridge, Massa- chusetts. All unsolicited contributions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. All checks and money orders should be made out to THE PHONOGRAPH PUBLISHING CO., Inc. Editorial T HE dawn of a new phonographic day, hailed so cheerfully in the pages of this and the other phono-musical journals, is no tropical sunrise accurately splitting darkness and light. The fog of a few years ago has thinned down to a morning mist, but good eyes, brightened by op- timism, are still necessary to see the sun itself. The metaphor is a simple one, but it gives occa- sion for thought. The mists of incomprehension and misconstruction of phonography still blind the minds of even those who profess themselves sup- porters of the phonograph. A contributor re- marked recently that phonography today had more to fear from its friends than its enemies. The Phonograph Monthly Review long since point- ed out the remarkable evolution in the character of the record-buying public, an evolution which is pro- gressing with constantly accelerating speed, as in- dicated by the growing articulation of the record buyers’ tastes and ideas. Five years ago it was comparatively easy for a person of moderate cir- cumstances to purchase all the significant record- ings as they appeared. Indeed the major American releases were rare enough to incite to direct im- portation of European works during the lean months in this country. Today, with the import- ing dealers’ stocks of foreign discs doubling the extensive native lists, anything approaching a comprehensive collection of even one type of re- corded music is impossible to all save the extremely wealthy. Yet a surprising number of phonophiles continue to cry like spoiled children because they cannot have everything. The ever-burning subject of record costs is per- haps the most fiercely debated and the least under- stood. Letters from our readers discuss this topic ad infinitum, yet it is only an occasional corres- pondent who reveals a clear conception of the problems involved. Unfortunately, there are many inconsistencies in the establishment of disc prices, recognized by the manufacturer as well as by his critics, yet which cannot readily be correct- ed. Not infrequently our correspondents rebuke us for not taking up cudgels for lower prices, but they fail to realize that prices in themselves are only a factor of investment in records. As in any investment, the real question is whether the yield, or interest on one’s money, is good, and whether it can be depended upon to continue for a certain number of years. There are discs on the market which cost fifteen cents and others that cost two dollars and a half. What are the qualities of the fifteen-cent record? How long can it be played and how long will one want to play it? What is its effect upon one’s musical growth? The same ques- tions apply to the other disc, which while more ex- pensive in the beginning may prove to be very much the less costly in the end. In reviews and articles we have endeavored to judge each record by itself. Just as the bases for musical criteria are different in different types of records, so the standards of worth must be differ- ent. It is encouraging to find others advancing the same thought. Mr. Compton Pakenham, the alert See last page for Table of Contents Copyright, 1930, by the Phonograph Publishing Company, Inc.