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| From | Bill <bill45s@pipeline.com> |
| Subject | Re: Singles and stuff... |
| Date | Sun, 16 Mar 2003 17:41:44 -0500 |
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At 10:35 AM 3/16/2003 -0600, Mike Bennett wrote:
>2. What allowed smaller labels to compete in the top 40 market when I was
>growing up? How could Malaco have a hit with Dorothy Moore's great soul
>tune "Misty Blue" or Starbuck to have 2 top 40 hits on two relatively
>small labels (Private Stock and I forgot the other label). Just less $
>being thrown around? Pre-consulting radio, and PDs having more
>say? Other factors that I'm not thinking about?
Mike, a few quick observations. As you know back in 50's, 60's and even
the 70's there were a lot more labels and a lot of the smaller labels were
run on a shoestring from record to record. More importantly, radio was
much, much more regional and interesting. The way a lot of the smaller
labels were able to have hits in the early days was to break the record in
a small regional market or two or three and then hope they could keep up
with the demand if it broke on a national basis. Sometimes if they
couldn't, they'd lease the song to a larger label (see Nathaniel Mayer's
"Village of Love" as an example). A label like Malaco wasn't that small
within its region and could bust something out on its own base. I also
don't consider Private Stock that small of a label. Finally, in many
regions PD's and even DJs had a lot more freedom and even sometimes would
break the wrong record by playing the B Side on their own. Record
companies in an effort to avoid the possibility of having B Side hits,
started sending out mono/stereo versions of the A Side ;) - wouldn't want
to have an unscheduled hit now.
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