Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 24, 1954 PSSIEff HIGH FIDELITY 43 Manic Sacks Hi-Fi The Key To Record Sates Hitting $300,000,000 By EMANUEL (MANIE) SACKS (V.P. and G.M., RCA Victor Record Division ) , Rising public interest in high fidelity recordings is ex* pected to provide the greatest impetus to the sale of records since the introduction of the new “speeds” 1948-49. Record Sales alone should jump from an annual $225,000,000 to more than $300,000,- 000 because of the concentrated at- tention being, given to high fidelity. The man in the street who once was puzzled by such hi-fi jargon aS Woofers, tweeters and frequency spoiise will soon find these terms as"* familiar as the-most enthusiastic high fidelity “bug.” The far-reaching effects of the new hirfi trend will be felt in several im- portant areas. : These will include: (a) A new standard enjoyment for the Ameri- can hom'e; (b> Classical works which previously have had limited appeal, finding new' audiences because of heir high fidelity reproduction; (c) The de- velopment of additional hi-fi improvements such as the new- RCA Victor “GruVe Gard” protective device which will give even greater • listening perfection to long-play- ing disks., v . High fidelity has been defined as the nearest possible approach to perfect fidelity. It leaves With the listener an impression pf being present at a. live musical per- formance. In RCA Victor’s “New Orthophonic” sound this requires a delicate balance between engineer and musi- cian, and microphone and in instrument placement. The technique of: recording within the studio, as well as the process of manufacture, have changed tremendously with- in the past few years. New studios and equipment, inno- vations in recording, as well as a greater awareness of the importance of high fidelity sound on the. part of the artist, all have contributed ’ to the uptrend in audio listening. Until recently, high fidelity was the special property of the broadcast industry, great musical artists and the electronics technician who made an expensive hobby of seeking perfection in recorded sound by “assembling” various component parts. Now, however, hi-fi is being packaged, for the average American home. This means a new era of recorded music pleasure for the entire family. But high fidelity should not mean sound for sound’s sake alone. High fidelity doesn’t belong just to that cult of “hi-fi-natics” who concentrate on moments of spectacu- lar isolated sounds at the expense of musical content: The latest advance in high fidelity is'the multiple-track recording in which two separate soundtracks are recorded to reproduce ■ music binaUrally. This has been success- fully accomplished on many new recordings which now await only further developments to make binaural or stereophonic sound reproduction practical for home, use. In line with research and advancement -of recording techniques, RCA Victor pioneered in the pre-recorded tape field. The new “Gruve-Gard” design, which pro- tects the playing surfaces of long-playing phonograph records from nicks and scratches, is another RCA Victor pioneering. Details and engineering specifications of the new design were turned over to* all record manufacturers for general public benefit as quickly as possible. With these new technological developments and the brilliant sound captured in current hi-fi releases, the ■words of. Leopold Stokowski, quoted recently in an. inter- view on his vast experience in the realm of sound repro- duction, ring prophetically true. "lam convinced” stated Stokowski, “that. in days to Come,, recorded music will h.ave further developments than those I have just, men- tioned. We capriot foresee those yet. The potentialities, re infinite; so is the.inventive power of the human mind. 1 * TV’s Stimulus ,to Hi-Fi By EDWARD R. TAYLOR (Vice President, Motorola) Chicago. There’s never been a doubt in our mind that the high fidelity market is a permanent one, and one that is grow- ing at a considerable rate. So confident/are we in its potential that Motorola now is selling a complete line of fine sound reproduction instruments where, at the time of my report last. year, we were entering the field with just one. There are many indications of the growing pace of the hi-fi market. Sales of all phonograph records, and particularly classical ones, continue at an accelerated pace; sales this year are a whopping $250,000,000 up from $200,000,000 last year. Other signs of product growth are the large number of manufacturers entering the field; the increasing number of general appliance dealers adding these lines; and the considerable amount of publicity in consumer publications and even whole new magazines devoted to the subject. Finally, as more / manufacturers enter the field—and competition is as keen now as it is with any product—a mass market merchandising approach is created. To put «it another, way, more selection of goods at lower prices, and with increased advertising and public education, are establishing high fidelity a solid growing electronics product: This product has emerged as an evolutionary item, Man- ufacturers such as.'Motorola have not quickly, jumped into it, but have tested it thoroughly and taken many depth soundings before tooling up. We have sufficient confidence in its permanence, though, to go to market now with a'complete line of equipment, gauged for different markets and uses, and in several price ranges, though all moderately priced. To what do we credit the emergence of this market? Briefly, I would say: A 1. The desire of. the American consumer for the newest and the best-—whether in automatic dryers, automobiles, or better sound reproduction. The replacement market fol* television is proof that this fs t£ue In the electronics field, -where small' screen models are rapidly being re- placed by those that are better designed and give a larger picture. 2. Consumer education—publicity, advertising, and word-of-mouth endorsements that, create first, an aware- ness, then, a desire, for instruments that improve on the sound reproduction .people have heard heretofore. 3. Availability of many products and the competition in quality and price will, as always, work to the consumer advantage, and at the same time,. create demand. 4. It goes j almost without saying now that packaged units which include changer, speaker system, and ampli- fier in one cabihet, are one of the greatest stimulations for high fidelity in the mass market. ‘ 5. Finally, the versatility of the product, which not only.is an adjunct to other home entertainment such as television; but also is less .demanding. One ■ great, though subtle, selling point in hlfi, I believe, is the fact that it does not require the full concentration of the listener as N TV does of the viewer. It cah.be. a background and as such, Jive with the other exciting developments in electronics. We think that interest in high fidelity is actually stimu- lated by .television, rather than hindered by it. Once television has created interest in home entertainment, the public is made hungry for additional means of such activity. Television programming, introducing millions to opera,, musical comedy, and symphonic music, is no small factor in breeding interest in good musical reproduction. As for trends in high fidelity and its merchandising,. I would say, this: it will keep on growing. Although the advent of color Will be the most exciting thing in this industry for quite a spell, a development as logical as fine sound. reproduction will hold its own. In step with it will be merchandising developments, in which I think two trends will be^oytstanding: 1. Year-round . merchandising. Althbiigh phonograph * sales always have been regarded as seasonal Christmas business, -we feel the market is broader. There are so many other specific occasions—graduations, birthdays, hol- idays, ba ck : to-school—and Motorola is aiming for these. And, of course, it is assumed that people enjoy good music any time of the year. 2. We think that various .markets can be, and in fact, are being, developed. As said before, hi-fi packages can be developed for teen-agers, vacationers, as part, of home entertainment rooms, as high quality living room fiirnl. ture—there 4 are many potential markets. Hi-Fi Now Permits the Public ( To -Hear The Fullest Reproduction Values By MILTON R. RACKMIL (President of Decca Records and Universal Pictures) There is no question in my mind that High Fidelity has had a strong, definite and favorable effect Upon the.record business recently. For many years, we in the business of producing records have had the impractical and Unfair advantage bf hearing : our own; product played back to our ears on professional equipment designed to “show off” the aural brilliance of our playback recordings. Yet we listened with the knowledge that, due to the limitations, of available phonographs, the average person listening to a given record, produced with the highest technical skill; would still only hear reproduced about 60% of the sound values we were hearing! With the rise of interest in High Fidelity three impor- tant things begin to happen. In the first place, technical advances with which We, in the record business, live and work arb now—for the first- time—being passed on to the great mass of the record-buying public. I think we can honestly, say that the record, playing machine, technic- ally, at any rate, was always • a few steps behind our product. It is no surprise; therefore, that the consumer has reacted favorably to the High Fidelity phonograph. To a greater extent than was ever possible before we cah now enjoy in our own homes the full range of recorded sound created by the great orchestras and singing per- sonalities of our day—played on^Ii-Fi equipment. Secondly, the High Fidelity movement has focused the publics attention on souhd. quality. This in turn means that greater quality emphasis is now placed on every as- pect of the recording process, so that the final product will be as realistic and as provocative as. the original per- formance itself. In this sense, High Fidelity is another step forward along the road leading to the ultimate goal—-the perfect record! Without the dynamic concept of High Fidelity, and the affirmative public reaction to it, it;might not have been possible for recording companies to come to a com- mon agreement on the most effective recording curve. With its new standard recording curve, the Record Indus- try Association of Amerifca has achieved something un- dreamed of in the early days in the record business. This, too, is a step forward and High Fidelity demands cer- tainly played a role in this achievement. One of the paradoxical things about the trends arising out of High Fidelity has been the fact that, while the newest records are especially rewarding to those who have High Fidelity equipment, the many owners of ordi- nary record-reproducing machines are also receiving the benefits of the latest technical recording advances. Thirdly; and perhaps most importantly, High Fidelity has outgrown its original concepts and ; boundaries and has begun to play an important role in all of the mass enter- tainment media. The search for more effective and realis- tic sound has produced Stereophonic and other such imr roved systems, which are today an accepted part, of motion picture industry thinking, and’ now many films are released in this manner. If we step back fpr a moment and view High Fidelity, with an overall prospective, we. see it as part of a continuing; seai'ini for improvement in both method and product of the gigantic entertainment industry.. As such, it is more than the realization of an ' improved sound system for .home entertainment on rec- ords, or television, or AM-FM radio.. High Fidelity is one of ihe newer examples of a concerted movement on the part of science and industry to pass on the latest techni- cal developments and their benefits to 'the American public. As I have indicated, the most obvious benefits of Hi-Fi have been on the level of making and hearing phonograph records. However, people have' begun to realize that “records are better than ever” and today’s High Fidelity sound system makes it possible for everyone to-enjoy the Complete range of audible sound on records: In this sense, Hi-Fi has made a genuine contribution to the individual ricofd : buyer and his enjoyment of rec- ords— and to the industry as’ a whole. v ' Hi-Fi ‘Something Better’ In Recorded . By FRANK M. FOLSOM (President, Radio Corp, of Avierica) When something lives up' to its initial promise, it,must be good. When it gives every indication of exceeding that promise, it must be great. . These two sentences,, it would seem; provide a quick summary of the excellent present state of affairs in the high fidelity music, industry... A The impact of high fidelity on. mil- lions of listeners across the nation, as well as the industry itself, has been little short of* phenomenal during the past 12 months. Almost a year ago to. the day, a. special section of Va- riety chronicled the background and looked to the future of high fidelity music systems and /the role this new concept of musical reproduction could be expected to play in American homes and in the entertainment and electronic fields. It is gratifying to observe that predictions made then are being fulfilled and in some instances surpassed. While accurate' figures *ire not yet available, all indications are that the industry-wide dollar volume , of business created by the upsurge in high fidelity, and this includes both reproduction systems and high fidelity records, may well exceed the level of $350,000,000 during 1954. rank M. Folsom Entertainment & Cultural. Values i If this impressive figure shows nothing else* it is a sig- nificant signpost that high fidelity not. a fad but. rather a reflection of ever-inCreasing public taste and demand for highest quality in recorded music.. DollarWise, the “coming of age” of high fidelity has meant vast new opportunities for many segments of the electronics and entertainment industries. To the discerning public, it has brought new experiences in listening that leaves no doubt that high fidelity is here to stay and is bound to garner millions of new devotees because of the ex- panded horizons it provides in both entertainment and culture; . As recently as 1951, the annual Sales volume of high fidelity equipment amounted to approximately $35,000,000. Sales of high fidelity reeprds were just commencing to be of major importance. That'-the industry has grown to its present stature can be attributed to many factors, but perhaps the most important is this: American business enterprise recognized the desire of the public for “ me- , thing- better” in recorded music reproduction that only high fidelity could provide. The electronics, industry teamed with the entertainment arts to bring this desire to. its present level of fruition. 7 And, there is always tomorrow. Despite the tremendous growth in public acceptance of of high fidelity, there still are millions of persons relatively unacquainted With the added enjoyment and listening Satisfaction that can be theirs by means of high fidelity sound systems, Marty technical achievements led tb high fidelity as it is recognized today. From laboratories of such organiza- tions as RGA have come the advancements that make pos- sible today’s extended ranges of Sound recording and re* production. Most assuredly, there will be additibna.l re- finements, and improvements in the future as engineers continue to improve the art. Up to Entire Industry Only an industry-wide effort has enabled hi-fi to achieve its present success. Only through a continued industry- wide acceptance of all its responsibilities, to the public to provide constantly improved equipment and.records, with- in the; financial reach of; the average American family, will the full potential of high fidelity be realized. This requires continued industry-wide vigilance to mai tain definte high standards of technical quality in the design and manufacture "of reproduction equipment; it requires the use of recording techniques developed to provide the fullest and truest possible range of sound reproduction; it demands utmost attention to the selection of proper artists and repertoire; it requires constant appli* cation of promotion know-how and merchandising and sales abilities. In short, the path ahead for high fidelity is well-mapped. To the electronics industry, it points to still greater oppor- tunities of Sales and service. To the artist and musician, it points to vastly greater and. often more appreciative audiences. And to the public, the path can bring greater enjoyment of music which ' an integral part of better living.. By LEON C. HARTSTONE '(Sales--V. P., London Records) As long as this writer can remember, the record industry to a large extent based its growth on the idea of “push' out phonographs and you create record sales.” In the early 30s we saw a $3,95 attachment deal put out by a leading company in an effort to create record sales; as current as last year the Record Industry Assn, of America officially went along with this belief in its “Operation Bal- timore,”; Despite this adherence over the years, and the oft-quoted parallel to the razor and razor blade business, this concept of how to sell more records never quite proved itself to be completely accurate; one has only to compare the number of phonograph-type instruments sold from 1946 to date with the number of records sold on a pop . hit, top mood music LP, or the bestselling classical LP, and you must arrive at the inescapable conclusion that the sale (or gift) of a turntable alone has not created a record market. ; There are two factors missing-In the too-pat formula “sell phonographs and create record sales”: (1) the mere "possession of,a phonograph does not create any lasting in* ' terest in music or desire to have that music available in (Continued,on page 44)