record sales data?

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gunnarthefeisty
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record sales data?

Post by gunnarthefeisty »

Any clue where I can find Victor and Columbia sales data? P

gramophoneshane
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Re: record sales data?

Post by gramophoneshane »

Good luck with that one.
I don't think record companies ever kept such info until the 1950's when the top 20 type pop music charts came into existence.

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drh
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Re: record sales data?

Post by drh »

gunnarthefeisty wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 12:38 am Any clue where I can find Victor and Columbia sales data? P
I dimly recall there was a book years back that claimed to document all the records that had gone "gold" or charted in the top 10 or some such from the then-present day back into the acoustic era. I mention it more as a cautionary tale than as a solution to the problem: if I'm remembering correctly, it drew a lot of scoffing at the time for relying on speculation verging on wishful thinking, if not "whole cloth." In other words, if you should happen to stumble across it, don't think, "Aha! There's the answer!"

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Inigo
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Re: record sales data?

Post by Inigo »

What exists are figures of the whole record production, all brands together, maybe was in Gelatt book?
Also I've read herein that Victor sales numbers are in the Victor& Victrola website, and in Look For The Dog... Maybe they give record sales figures too, not only machines.
And recently I stumbled upon some old articles by a colleague of ARSC published in the bulletin, giving the complete history of Columbia, and there were record sales figures, although for some of the years, Columbia didn't took account of them, so these are good assumptions. The author and website? I have to check and I'll come back later...
Haha! I still have these in my mobile phone! Here they are
Inigo

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Wolfe
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Re: record sales data?

Post by Wolfe »

drh wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:21 am
gunnarthefeisty wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 12:38 am Any clue where I can find Victor and Columbia sales data? P
I dimly recall there was a book years back that claimed to document all the records that had gone "gold" or charted in the top 10 or some such from the then-present day back into the acoustic era. I mention it more as a cautionary tale than as a solution to the problem: if I'm remembering correctly, it drew a lot of scoffing at the time for relying on speculation verging on wishful thinking, if not "whole cloth." In other words, if you should happen to stumble across it, don't think, "Aha! There's the answer!"
I think you're talking about Joel Whitburn's "Pop Memories." I have the book, found it in some ways to be a useful resource at times. But apart from one section listing supposed million selling records, it doesn't chart sales data as number of units sold for a particular release.

gunnarthefeisty
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Re: record sales data?

Post by gunnarthefeisty »

Inigo wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:18 pm What exists are figures of the whole record production, all brands together, maybe was in Gelatt book?
Also I've read herein that Victor sales numbers are in the Victor& Victrola website, and in Look For The Dog... Maybe they give record sales figures too, not only machines.
And recently I stumbled upon some old articles by a colleague of ARSC published in the bulletin, giving the complete history of Columbia, and there were record sales figures, although for some of the years, Columbia didn't took account of them, so these are good assumptions. The author and website? I have to check and I'll come back later...
Haha! I still have these in my mobile phone! Here they are
oh man, thanks a million!

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Inigo
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Re: record sales data?

Post by Inigo »

:oops: my memory is getting worse... That colleague at ARSC waps no less than guru Tim Brooks, as you may see in the articles!
:cow:
Inigo

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