Page 67 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018
P. 67
Like I say in the sixties and the seventies If you got the timing right, you could
the leader was a single record. That was keep reselling the same material?
the test market. Now, you could put out
Yes. The catalogue is the strength of
a single whether you were a major
your company. Catalogue is the secret,
artist, or a new independent artist. If
there’s no question.
you had a good record and you had
representation you could get major If something in the catalogue started
airplay, and a distribution deal. In six selling would you look to release a
weeks if you had airplay and records brand new album?
out there in the stores—you knew damn
A lot of events could take place to tell
well what you had at the end of two or
you that. For example, covers. Someone
three months. If it was good you knew
covers a tune that was a hit on one of
you had an album. The albums that sold
your albums—that could rekindle it
the best were the ones that had more
again.
than one hit on them. There were a lot of
fillers that didn’t do well. Always looking for opportunities to
resell the records?
One hit record with nine filler tracks
didn’t sell so well? That’s what makes classics.
It sold some on the strength of the hit How did you find working against a
record, but it didn’t do as well as an company like Columbia?
album with several hits.
Columbia was our arch rival. We were
You’d expect higher sales for a greatest considered major record companies at
hits album than a regular album? the time and they were our rivals. It was
like Los Angeles playing the San
Exactly. All you had to do was make
Francisco Giants. We hated each other.
sure people could find out about it.
It was very competitive. At the same
How often could you reissue without time, it was almost a family if you were
wearing out the market? on the road. Strange thing. It was a
strange phenomenon.
You’ve got to be careful there. If it came
too soon it wouldn’t do well. You had to Was RCA the strongest catalogue
know exactly the timing. company?
