Conference demon::after_hours

(This topic was created for one's favorite record labels, but I thought 
it might not be a bad idea to ride on this topic to discuss record 
companies in general.)

As for numerous independent record companies established after the War,
Jerry Wexler of Atlantic wrote following comments in his autobiography,
"Rhythm and the Blues - A Life in American Music." It's interesting to 
see even most "serious" black music label, especially Wexler, pursuit 
for hit records to keep alive their company.  After all rhythm and blues
is popular music but from today's perspective it sometimes treated as an
antique.

I believe someone must have written a chart of companies and labels 
which contributed to black music. And it's also interesting to see 
musicians's career from their label movement. For instance, Big Joe 
Turner's case from my memory.

Vocalion -> Decca -> Natinal/Aladdin -> Atlantic -> Pablo


- Kazunori
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  I dug cross-cultural collaborations and craved commercial success, 
which is maybe why Ahmet and I got on so well. We could have developed a
label along the lines of Blue Note, Prestige, Vanguard, or Folkways, 
fastidious documentarians of core American music. Bobby Weinstock, 
Alfred Lion, Moe Ash, Orrin Keepnews, Manny Solomon, and the other 
keepers of the flame were doing God's work. Ahmet and I, however, didn't
feature ourselves as divinely elected. We weren't looking for 
canonization; we lusted for hits. Hits were the cash flow, the 
lifeblood, the heavenly ichor - the wherewithal of survival. While we 
couldn't divorce ourselves from our tastes and inclinations, neither 
could we deny out interest in income. Nor could we stand still; we 
belived to our souls that the way of the independent label was either 
growth or death. Every month it seemed, another indie would hit the 
dust. Our competitors in commercial black music - Lew Chudd at Imperial,
Sam and Hymie Weiss at Old Town, Syd Nathan at King, Art Rupe at 
Speciality, Don Robey at Duke/Peacock, Jules and Saul Bihari at Modern,
Bess Berman at Apollo, Herman Lubinsky at Savoy, Phil and Leonard Chess
- weren't exactly pushovers. If we slipped, these sweethearts would be 
right behind us picking up the pieces. This was a pushy, get-to-the-
distributor, get-to-the-deejay, get-to-the-goddamn-song-on-the-air 
business.