09/10/2020 10:14 pm  #1


Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

The 1946 publication by Dr.J.T.H.Mize found 'Crosby and The Bing Crosby Style' perhaps found Crosby at the height of his popularity, in records,radio & films. His noted appreciation of (then) radio success has little to compare to in 2020,but his listing of 'million' sellers ,I think ,does./'Sweet Leilani-',the (already aged) 1937 Decca release is noted at 850,000 copies, at the end of 1945.So (later) claims of over a million sales for this title just have to be from DECCA catalog sales-right? / As Crosby's 'White Christmas' is noted at 2,000,000 in the US & another 260,000 in Great Britain as a single, it's easy to figure that his (later) commercial re-recording in 1947,almost identical, could not have been figured in Mize's numbers. So should 'White Christmas' be listed as a million seller or twice, 'White Christmas 1,"White Christmas 'II? As the re-issued 1947 version IS the one generally being played on radio, as well as worldwide charted success ,into another century-correct?/The same would apply to Bing's first commercial  1935 Decca issue of  Silent Night'. In fact, along with  the other side 'Adeste Fideles',was noted, as a re-issue, as 'Bing Crosby's Biggest Seller' in a 1940 (US) Decca catalog. By the time Mize reviewed the 2 titles, Bing had re-recorded both sides (1942).Mize notes theses re-recordings as  'Silent Night'/Adeste Fideles, with sales (already re-issued to 1945, at 1,800,000.So,as subsequent re-issues, THESE are million sellers as 'Silent Night' I & II, and Adeste Fideles I & II-correct?/ The early 1940s ,as Mize, sometimes notes, was full of early 1930s re-issued (US) Brunswick product. As split between (then) Columbia re-issued original Brunswicks', & Decca re-issued Brunswick product, using the word 'Brunswick',these records,on 78 rpm 'albums',or  as singles ,sold very well.(They would later be re-issued on LATER 10 inch albums ,as well).Where are the combined sales of original Brunswick's,& the re-issued Columbia, & Decca's Brunswick's ? (Even 1931's Brunswick of "Sweet And Lovely" charted in (US) in 1944).There were also many overseas sales of this material.(Some of these titles were re-recorded by Decca, so I am not trying to combine stuff like "Stardust  or "Where The Blue Of The Day" )Where are combined sales figures on this pre-DECCA  stuff, with added sales after 1945?/ Thank you.

 

10/10/2020 12:06 pm  #2


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

I'd be interested to know if anyone has ideas about such counting.

Whilst I know next to nothing about this particular aspect of Bing's popularity, I'd think that Decca were counting the two "main" recordings of White Christmas as one. After all, to a great extent they preserved the fiction that the '47 re-recording was the original, showing the incorrect earlier date on all LP and CD issues despite usage of the '47 version into the 1990s.

In addition there was no need for them to keep different counts for any rights purposes.
As to the other titles  - -   ?

 

10/10/2020 5:21 pm  #3


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

The sales of Bing Crosby recordings (records),is part of a legacy that should be noted & explored. Considering population, advances in recording technic,& historical events like the great depression & World War 2,the huge success of THIS recording artist should be more documented. Many of these recordings can be part of a huge social change as well. The very fine CROSBY ON RECORD, by Edward J. Mello and Tom McBride, as edited by Thomas Gleason painstakingly tried to figure an 'original issue'. While 1950 was a lot later than it's published time (1950), it's a lot closer than (later) generations, including (us)."I've Got The Girl" was THEN unknown to most, but a lot of  recorded  detail, seems to be now discarded, or dismissed./Mello & McBride's look into BRUNSWICK REISSUES ON U.S.LABELS, more so notes an appreciation for this material, as well as hidden sales .Crosby's sales on Banner, Oriole, Melotone, Perfect, Vocalion ,Okeh ,Conqueror ,Romeo ,Silvertone, as well as labels that I have previously noted on 1940s (Columbia) & (Decca owned US Brunswick reissues) should be rounded up & counted ,when possible. They also note (mostly) pre-WW2 BRUNSWICK REISSUES ON FOREIGN LABELS, on ENGLISH BRUNSWICK,ENGLISH COLUMBIA,INDIAN COLUMBIA,AUSTRALIAN COLUMBIA,REX (ENGLAND),LUCKY (JAPAN) & FRENCH BRUNSWICK. This re-issued stuff could be counted by title./Crosby has been short changed for a long time, as many of these brilliant original recordings became less known .This was also part of Decca's own strategy .to sell ONLY Decca masters, unless (then) owned (Brunswick) masters owned by Decca,

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17/2/2021 7:18 am  #4


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

Where is the Bing Crosby world? I will not give up. Record sales .long ago are important-always noting times of release. .I would like to note Bing's ORIGINAL 1931 :"Where The Blue OF THE NIGHT ,recorded in 1931.Despite Jack Kapp's (later) re-recordings on Decca, as well as disregarding them ,is it fair to assume that THIS recording ,INCLUDING DECCA's REISSUE of THIS ORIGINAL, in the 1940s & 1950s,on 78 & 45 ,as well as on (US) BRUNSWICK (silver) REISSUE up to 1939,as well as counting sales outside of the US got to over a million copies sold ?

     Thread Starter
 

17/2/2021 10:08 am  #5


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

Sadly the figures you seek are just not available however much we would like them.

 

18/2/2021 6:00 am  #6


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

Malcolm/ As a record collector of many, including Bing, a fan is always 'however much we would like them'. Perhaps 'taste' of a review of a recording is another matter, as I have noted in my own book "Just Remember This'. Yet THESE CROSBY SALES DID EXIST,& more so should be found .Perhaps in writer royalties credit, of payments to someone? Or annual record sales credit to Bing. Maybe Gary Giddins ,who seems to have gotten a lot of i(old) info, may find some? MORE recent claims (AMERICAN MASTERS) in 2014 as BING BY THE NUMBERS finds Bing 'close to one billion records ,tapes, compact disc & digital downloads'. As also noted (here) , Bing as just scored (2020) some very good  US (Billboard) charted success, in fact in the last few years, since Billboard CHANGED BACK it's policy for HOLIDAY songs, which stupidly omitted a lot of Christmas songs ( 5 decades) for a lot of other artists, but ESPECIALLY for Bing-on it's main Hot 100 pop chart. .So ,in light of all this,& these more recent sales claims, we should find out which claims & statements are valid .I think that we may just like them.

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18/2/2021 6:30 pm  #7


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

I’m sure that yesteryear the keeping of information regarding sales would be no where near as accurate as these days with the zapping of everything one buys.
Stacks of 78’s in a store, you’d select the record and pay for it. It would just ring up in the till as a 4/6 sale.
Not sure if stock taking would be as precise either.

 

27/2/2021 1:42 am  #8


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

Australians who wish to learn the sales of records when we bought those 78 rpm shellac discs are fortunate. For most of the 1930s and 1940s EMI affiliates dominated the record industry with production by The Columbia Graphophone Company in Sydney. Each month the sales were recorded on small cards. When EMI decided that it no longer wanted to keep those cards they were sent to The National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra. David Kent of Sydney was able to make copies of the cards and kindly allowed me to record the sales of most of Bing's Aussie-made discs.

 

01/3/2021 6:20 am  #9


Re: Bing Crosby Million Sellers updates /more/

It looks like Australia is THE place to start counting/

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