The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

We've discussed the number of records that were ground up to reclaim the shellac during the shortages of WW II. Here's another chapter in the saga, but from 1930. It seems Canadian Victor was doing the same thing, but I suspect more for the purposes of stimulating sales rather than conserving shellac. The scan is the cover of the Canadian Victor French Canadian catalogue. The sticker on the front reads:
Victor VE Records formerly 75 cents are now reduced to 65 cents. Bring a used Victor disc for each new record purchased, and they will only cost you 55 cents each.
January 17,1930.
I don't know how long this promotion lasted but I wonder how many Canadian Berliner and Victor records were sacrificed for the cause.

Jim

You are probably right about the sales tactic, considering the Great Depression was taking a toll on everyone, and Victor and Compo were competing for sales, at that point. Compo, tried to reintroduce the Sun label during that period, and I turned up a double sided Sun, with Chick Bullock on it years ago. Teagarden collector Joe Showler, was given this rare record, as he knew his idol was in the sessions.

Sale of records dropped dramatically. But not just of the depression. That played a big role, no doubt.
But the advent of radio, particularly in the U.S., with its dozens of stations, was for a while a far more serious competitor. You could have all the latest hits and the best orchestras just by dialing to a station.
Here in Europe the situation was quite different.
Commercial radio didn't get a legal foothold until the 1980s, So record sales still were relatively good. Quitec a few jazz and jazz-like series were recorded especially for 'Europe'.
Carson Robison made a number of recordings for RCA-Victor in 1936, that (by his discographer) were thought to be unissued. No, recorded for the Europeans. I know, because I had all of them, both on HMV and German Electrola.