Television digest with electronics reports (Jan-Dec 1958)

CHART A Best Single Record Sellers in Stores, 1957 Total Performing RightH Uccord Label * Selections ASCAP BMI Columbia RCA Victor i Epic Groove r 48 (23%) 19 (40%) 29 (60%) Vik ) ABC — Paramount Gone \ Aladdin Imperial \ Argo J & S 1 Atlantic Jubilee | Bally Kapp 1 Baton Keen 1 Brunswick Lance 1 Cadence Liberty I Cameo London 1 Capitol (.universe 1 Chance M-G-M \ 159 (77%) 39 (25%) 120 (75%) Checker Mercury / Chess OJ 1 Coral Okeh 1 Decca Paris 1 Disneyland Phillips 1 Dot Roulette I Ember Specialty 1 Era Sun 1 Kraternity VJ 1 Gee Verve / Glory ' 207 (100%) 68 (28%) 149 (72%) * Based on Billboard, Jan. 13» 1958. publishes them. What is the percentage of ASCAP to BMI of these hits? The hits listed other than Columbia’s and RCA Victor’s were approximately 25% ASCAP, with the balance BMI, while the Columbia and RCA Victor hits were 40% ASCAP, or almost twice as many. These figures speak for themselves. First, Columbia and RCA Victor neither make the country’s laws of taste — nor a large portion of the country’s top songs. Second, their hit records show a substantially higher percentage of ASCAP than the industry hits. I am sure none of these other record labels is concerned with whether the song it is trying to make a success is BMI or ASCAP, and few, if any, have direct connections with radio or TV broadcasting. All they are trying to do is to give the public what the public wants — and thereby make a living. What about us? We are in exactly the same boat, only I sometimes think that life is a bit more difficult for us. We are not, let’s admit it, an eleemosynai-y institution, although I am proud enough of our service to music to say that we have in half a century done more for the propagation of good music than many an educational institution. But we also are concerned with making money for our 170,000 stockholders. And, incidentally, only if we do make money can we afford to do something for education. BMI or ASCAP Not a Deciding Factor So the pressure is on for making successful hit records, and the men who are in charge of choosing the songs to be recorded care not one pale iota whether it’s a BMI or an ASCAP tune, or who operates BMI or ASCAP, or who controls them, or which publishing firms and artists are affiliated with whom. Indeed, in the race for good material — a. race which goes to the swift, not by weeks or days but literally by hours — they do not even stop to inquire what affiliation a song has. They couldn’t care less. For they too, as I am, are charged with the I’esponsibility of making successful records which the public will like and buy. If, in my capacity as general manager of the business, any one of our Artist & Repertory people were to bring me a song to be recorded, I would no more stop to inquire whether that song was BMI or ASCAP than they would. My only concern would be “Has it got a chance as a hit?’’ Now, there are other operational facts which make it clear that a record company can have absolutely no interest in whether a particular musical selection is from BMI, CHART A-1 20 Beet Selling RCA Victor Single Records, 1950-1957 Number of Year Best Sellers A.SCAP BMI 1950 20 12 6 1961 20 12 7 1952 20 11 9 1953 . , 20 12 8 1954 20 14 6 1955 20 12 7 1956 20 8 12 1957 20 9 11 Totals 160 90 66 ASCAP or some other source. In the first place, copyright royalties which we pay for mechanical reproduction rights are limited by statute, and the amount we pay is exactly the same whether it is paid to a music publisher affiliated with ASCAP, BMI or with some other organization. Thus, we have no financial interest whatever in whose copyrighted music is used. Secondly, the bulk of the popular music recorded by our artists is brought to our attention by various music publishers. Many of these publishers wear two hats; that is, they own both a BMI and an ASCAP music publishing firm. I am also informed that in perhaps a number of instances the publisher himself, when he is dealing with music of a composer not affiliated with either BMI or ASCAP, may not decide whether the music will be published by the BMI or by the ASCAP publishing firm which he controls until after the record has been made. In summary, the task of selecting music that will be a “hit,” is by its very nature so difficult and perilous that it would be utterly absurd to handicap ourselves by predetermining the composers or publishing firms from whom we should take our music. If RCA Victor should follow that course, I predict we would be out of business before long. There is still one further fact which influences the selection of music : the star who is going to sing it or the band leader who is going to play it. The artist has his say. All of our contracts provide that the selections to be recorded must be mutually agreed upon by company and artist. Our stars are not backward in expressing a strong opinion as to what material is good or bad for them. They too want to have a hit. Let us look at RCA Victor’s history with respect to pop singles. Chart A-1 shows a breakdo%vn of our 20 best selling singles for the years 1950 through 1957. What does it show? Of the 160 selections, 90 were ASCAP, 66 BMI, 4 miscellaneous. Chart A tells the story of the industry single record hits for 1957 and Chart A-1 shows the story of our singles. But that isn’t the only kind of music we sell. Leaving out so-called “Classical” music, let us not forget a very substantial part of our business called the “Pop album” business. Popular albums include many types of material — shows and motion picture sound tracks and personality albums such as Lctia Home at the Waldorf and sacred music. Falsity of Charge That ASCAP Is Avoided In Pop albums — which I think are often bought by older people rather than the teen agers who represent the major market for hits — the recording companies do use many of the songs of the composers about whom you have been hearing. Indeed, we could not make successful albums without this standard type of music. Chart B shows the 31 best-selling albums in the industry for the year 1957, as reported in Billboard (Dec. 23, 1957). There was a total of 395 selections in these albums; 316 of them were ASCAP and 77 were BMI, with the remaining 2 in the public domain. ASCAP had 80%. Now, let us examine music as a whole and see how many copyrighted selections have been recorded by RCA — be 2