The record changer (Mar-Dec 1947)

the record changer Editorial Offices: It is high time to denounce certain undesirable and harmful practices that have accompanied the growth of jazz collecting. In many instances the people who are responsible for the practices have the best of intentions ; they sincerely believe that they are making positive contributions to the interests of jazz collectors. I am therefore not necessarily questioning the integrity of their purpose. I am only concerned with the results of their activities. Let us consider the several record price guides. The extraordinary ambition of such guides is nothing less than to be accepted as a final authority on the value of out-of-print jazz records. Anyone with the slightest experience in record collecting is well aware of the innumerable difficulties of establishing even an approximately fair price on a rare record. But when someone publishes a book that is supposed to contain the precise value of several thousand hard-to-get records, such an attempt, no matter what the qualifications of the author may be, is bound to create general confusion. On what basis do these people arrive at their prices? What kind of wishful thinking gives them the illusion that they can take upon themselves the role of Final Arbiter in such a delicate and essentially subjective matter? Every experienced collector has his own opinion about record values and will naturally ignore such misdirected efforts. But here is where such a book causes much harm : it falls into the hands of a new collector who takes the listed prices seriously and follows them in his tradings. Thus he has started his collection with an entirely wrong perspective, and it will be a painful awakening for him when he realizes how mistaken he has been about the worth of his collection. I have been told of dealers who follow the prices of such guides to the letter, asking preposterously high prices, just because it says so in The Book, for records that are in terrible condition. I am also told that the author of one of these booklets does not follow the prices shown in his guide in his own record dealings. Record values are in a constant state of fluctuation. Even if some of the prices quoted in such a book would be accurate at the time of publication, after a certain period they would lose their relevance. In my opinion, the majority of the prices listed in such books range from inaccurate to fantastic. I protest against all of them and advise you to avoid them. The results of George ' C. Clarke's twenty-two page auction in the July Record Changer are so interesting that I am considering publishing a complete summary of the final tabulation. Over 450 bidders responded to the ad and a total of 14,000 bids were submitted on the 4,300 records listed. Only 700 records did not receive the 25c minimum bid. 4 I will take up only one other instance of harmful practice in the jazz world at this time. Various people have gone into the business of dubbing hard-to-get records and selling them for a profit. This is an act of piracy which gives a bad name to record collecting. In the first place, all rights of reproduction belong to the company who owns the master. Furthermore, anyone who sells such dubs violates the International Copyright Law because he does not pay royalties on the tunes involved. He does not pay to the artists any royalties which may have been awarded him in the contract with the owner. And he cheats the musicians because he does not pay them again for the session nor pay the taxes required by the union when a record is reissued. Aside from all this, what does the customer actually gain by purchasing such dubbings? They are poorly made, with the music distorted because the highs have been eliminated in order to hide the surface noise, on such poor material that the record is shot after fifteen or twenty plays. Some people, of course, go to the extent of actually pressing records which they do not own. Here also, the master is made from a poor dub. So the customer gets a poorly made record, musically unsatisfactory, and he has made himself a party to an illegal transaction. If all the people who encourage these undercover activities had written letters to the companies who own the rights to those masters, the majority of those records would be on the market today, on good material at a reasonable price, available to a far wider public. The Record Changer will expose, as often as necessary, any kind of practice that it considers to be contrary to the interest of jazz enthusiasts. I could go on and cite many other examples. But I must finish these lines on a cheerful note. By the time this issue of the Changer reaches you, Louis Armstrong will be leading a seven-piece band at Billy Berg's here in Hollywood. I don't know who else will be in the band, and frankly I don't care much. As long as Louis plays at Berg's, the editorial office of the Changer will be transplanted there and we will be in much, too mellow a mood to be campaigning against the bad sides of the jazz scene. That's why this piece had to be written now. As soon as Louis starts blowing everything in the world is bound to look wonderful. • GORDON GULLICKSON The recapitulation of this auction which is being considered at this time will show not only the top bid but also the number of bids which were received on each record listed. Such a tabulation should be of great interest to collectors who advertise records: For those selling records at set prices, this tabulation will afford them some basis by which they may arrive at values more in line with present demand; 6420 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood 3 California Editor '. Nesuhi Ertegi Assistants Charles Richan Ralph Auf der Heic Art Gene Delft Contributors Ernest Bornenu' Jim Higgij Photography George S. Fletchjl Publishing Offices: 1219 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington 7, D. C.I Publisher Gordon Gullicksq Circulation Manager George A. Greenfief Advertising Manager William Grauer, Jj Legal Department Jacob S. SchneidS Published Monthly at 1219 Wisconsin Avenue, Washingtl 7, D. C. Copyright 1947 by Gordon Gullickson. Subscriptions: U. S. and Possessions, $3.00 per year; Canacr $3.25; elsewhere, $3.50. To subscribe, write yol name and address on a piece of paper. Send] with $3 to the Record Changer, 1219 Wiscona Ave., Washington 7, D. C. No other writing i| necessary. Classified Advertising Rates: Classifed sections, 13c per record, submitted A our special ad forms. (For a supply of thel forms, address a post card to 1219 Wiscona Ave., Washington 7, D. C.) The rate for clasl fied advertising not submitted on these forms! 20c per record. I I Collectors' Display Ads: 1 column (1/3page; 78 lines) $10.', 1: 2 columns (2/3 page; 156 lines) $20. 1 'I 3 columns (full page; 234 lines) $30. \ No display ads for record lists less than oil; column accepted. ffj 1, Commercial Advertising: . . Address inquiries to William Grauer, JiMii Commercial Advertising Manager, the RecoB' Changer, 170 Claremont Ave., New York 'I'm. n. y. m 'l W w for those conducting auctions, it will gi I advertisers a better idea of what recor I are most in demand among readers of tljr Record Changer. Furthermore, this tabulation will the only record-value book ever p'lblishil which will show records which are i If; parently of no value to collectors. F| instance, Fletcher Henderson recc|l (Continued, on Page 4t5) THE RECORD CHANGE* LEMME TAKE THIS CHORUS: