Resona Records

[Phonofreak]

Has anyone ever hear of Resona Records? It seem like they are a private, independent label. Also, Resona had a line of phonographs. They are obviously an off-brand. The jobber is The Charles Williams Stores, New York City.
Harvey Kravitz

[victorIIvictor]

Harvey, I don't have my reference books handy, but here is a little info:

http://majesticrecord.com/labelsr.htm

(Scroll to the very bottom of the page)

As you know, there was an unknown but vast number of "off brand" phonograph manufactures or re-branders, and a sizable subset of these sold like-branded records to go with their phonographs. Most of these, such as the Charles Williams Stores, did no recording, but merely purchased finished records with labels to suit from the much smaller number of companies making recordings and issuing records from these (e.g., Federal Records of Albany, New York (formerly the Indestructible Record Company of celluloid cylinder came), Regal Records Co., the Starr Piano Co. (Gennett records), The Wisconsin Chair Co. (Puritan and Paramount records), etc.)

So, while Resona Records were sold by a "private" entity, the Charles Williams Stores, because most everything on Resona Records likely appeared on other record labels, and they did no recording of their own, I wouldn't call them "independent." Similarly, since a "jobber" is a wholesaler who sells to retailers, I wouldn't call the Charles Williams Stores "jobbers;" they were retailers, specifically a mail order company like Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward.

Best wishes, Mark