Monitor Records (New York)

Monitor Records is record label from the United States specializing in classical and folk music.

History

The label was started in 1956 by Michael Stillman of Leeds Music and Rose Rubin.[1][2] They founded the label to provide music to Americans from the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc.[1] Rubin and Stillman both served as company President at different points.[3][4] Monitor was created to focus on classical and folk.[2]

The first issues were from the Soviet Union featuring works by Bach and Prokofiev performed by Leonid Kogan and Sviatoslav Richter.[2] For the first year, all issues were sourced from Russia, but in 1957 the label began recording young American artists.[5] Monitor Records were available through the Diners Club record club from 1959 to 1961, an arrangement made out of "desperation" by Monitor management according to Rubin.[6] Monitor releases first became available on reel-to-reel tapes in 1963 through an agreement with Musictapes, Inc.[7] That year Monitor became distributed worldwide through Transglobal Music.[8]

In 1966, Monitor began a budget series called "Monitor Collectors Series".[9] At introduction, the series consisted of more than one-hundred releases.[9] The primary focus was on Baroque music.[10]

In 1967, Monitor became the first label to release music in North America by composer Josef Mysliveček.[11]

The label attempted to make an entry into the popular music field when they released singles and an album by The Freeborne in 1968.[12]

In 1999, Rubin and Stillman donated the label and its catalog to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.[13] Although Folkways was already strong in most folk music, it felt that the Monitor acquisition filled their gap in belly dance music.[13]

Assessment

Monitor's output has been noted for the variability of its quality.[14]

Artists

Artists appearing on (but not necessarily signed to) Monitor include:

References
  1. Reineke, Hank (2009). Ramblin' Jack Elliott: The Never-Ending Highway. Scarecrow Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780810872578.
  2. "Monitor Waxes 1st 3 Albums". Billboard. December 15, 1956. p. 30.
  3. "Disk Execs Project Different Points of View on Three Fronts". Billboard. October 15, 1966. p. 48.
  4. "RIAA Elects Lieberson". Billboard. February 1, 1964. p. 5.
  5. "Monitor to Promote U.S. Artists Series". Billboard. November 4, 1957. p. 20.
  6. "Marek Calls Club Boon To Whole Disk Industry". Billboard. February 16, 1963. p. 4.
  7. "Musictapes Deal". Billboard. March 2, 1963. p. 8.
  8. "Transglobal in Deal - Including The Scandinavian". Billboard. February 2, 1963. p. 6.
  9. "Monitor Bows Budget Line; to Retail at $1.98". Billboard. April 16, 1966. p. 44.
  10. "Gift Records That Sell Cheap... Yet Still Sound Great". The Kiplinger Magazine. December 1966. p. 16.
  11. "Monitor Disk - 1st Pressing of Mysliveecek". Billboard. September 16, 1967. p. 54.
  12. "Monitor Adds Pop Records". Billboard. May 11, 1968. p. 4.
  13. Bessman, Jim (June 19, 1999). "Smithsonian Folkways Gains Two Imprints". Billboard. p. 55.
  14. Milam, Thomas J. Thomas (1988). Sex and Broadcasting: A Handbook on Starting a Radio Station for the Community. Courier Dover Publications. p. 241. ISBN 9780486814490.
  15. Young, Izzy (2013). Barretta, Scott (ed.). The Conscience of the Folk Revival: The Writings of Israel "Izzy" Young. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 22. ISBN 9780810883086.
  16. Shay, Anthony (2008). Dancing Across Borders: The American Fascination with Exotic Dance Forms. McFarland. p. 24. ISBN 9780786437849.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.