Unusual Italian record label (78 RPM)

[neilmack]

Conchita Supervia's earlier recordings, made in Milan, were recorded electrically by Fonotipia.

[Marco Gilardetti]

That's an interesting note, but then after having been recorded were they also sold under the classic Fonotipia label, or were pressed and sold by Odeon or other companies?

[Inigo]

In the UK, at certain point, Columbia reissued old Odeon matrixes, and it may well have reissued also fonotipia recordings.. I have to check my Supervia records and come back if I find something....

[neilmack]

It may depend on the market in which the discs were sold, but here is an example

[neilmack]

And another .......

[Starkton]

Here are some historical details that are useful for understanding Fonotipia and the records that were released on this, truely international, label [up to 1915; added correction]:

The "Societa Italiana di Fonotipia, in Accomandita, Milano", a partnership of Alfred Michaelis and Dino Foa, was registered in January 1905. From the beginning, the Societa was Italian agent of the German "International Talking Machine Co. m.b.H.", Berlin-Neu Weißensee, founded in October 1903. Between September 1904 and 1914, the International Talking Machine Co. (better known under the label name "Odeon"), recorded all discs that were (later) distributed under the label name "Fonotipia". [Until 1915] they were all pressed in ITM Co.'s factory in Berlin-Neu Weißensee.

In April 1906, as was apparently already envisioned at the time of foundation of this company in 1905, "Societa Italiana di Fonotipia" was sold to the "Fonotipia Limited", London and thus became British. In July 1911, it became German, when the "Fonotipia Limited" was sold to "Carl Lindström G. m. b. H.", Berlin and from 1916 again British as a result of the 1st World War. In 1948, "Societa Italiana di Fonotipia", then in the possession of EMI, London, was wound up.

[Marco Gilardetti]

Of course this cannot be true for the records that bear the "made in Italy" and "Milan" declarations. As it is well known, many of them were recorded inside the Teatro Alla Scala of Milan itself.

Below, two pictures of records in which the anti-fraud spaced groove explained by Oliver is particularly well evident, followed by two period sleeves, the second of which is of especially high quality and features a wax paper foil behind the central hole in order to protect the label.

[Starkton]

[quote="Marco Gilardetti" post_id=308899 time=1643800935 user_id=1182]
Below, two pictures of records in which the anti-fraud spaced groove explained by Oliver is particularly well evident,
[/quote]

This was called "Kennlinie", a short gap marked by a widely spaced groove which the International Talking Machine Co. m.b.H. introduced in late 1907 to protect its recordings, published on the labels Odeon, Fonotipia and Jumbo, from piracy.

[Starkton]

[quote="Marco Gilardetti" post_id=308899 time=1643800935 user_id=1182]
Of course this cannot be true for the records that bear the "made in Italy" ...
[/quote]

After WW1, the label history becomes complicated. Fortunately, however, I am mainly interested in first pressings of recordings up to 1914, so I don't have to study later recordings or pressings on the Fonotipia label in detail.