Page 63 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018
P. 63
He had certain rules that proved true, What happened between those days
for example, he didn’t want Elvis to do and today that made the industry so
television—he felt that television was a uneven?
killer and that proved true. He did some
The key was that it was a level playing
great things. I didn’t like the man, but
field. If you had a good record, you’d
he did some great things.
get it played on the radio—but you’d
get it distributed just like a major record
company. Back then they had
independent companies that were
almost the equal of major record
companies—companies like A&M
records, Atlantic Records, Motown
Records—it goes on and on. They had a
system. An independent system. There
were a series of independent
Here’s a question. Was it easier to sell distribution companies in regions all
catalogue material like reissues and over the country—usually based in
greatest hits, or regular albums? major cities. In these distributors they
had all the functions of a record
The company placed certain pressure on
company on a regional basis with the
certain items for various reasons. They
exception of actually creating a product.
spent tons of money on movie
Sales people, marketing people and
soundtracks. A lot of print ads, a lot of
administrators. These companies would
radio ads, a lot of TV ads. They spent a
assume the function of promotion,
lot of money on things they were sure
getting the record played on the radio,
were winners. If we had any indication
and selling the record. We had all kinds
they would go to war with it. They
of stores—mom and pop stores, one
knew they’d get the money back. We
stops—we would visit everyone and sell
had two albums of HAIR—the original
every genre of music. If you had a good
one from the Cheetah lounge and the
record, the major record companies
second album from Broadway. It was
would push it and if you were a
huge! The show is still going on.
talented person they believed in, they’d
push the second record, the third and
the fourth and so on. That’s not how it is
