Broadway Records was the name of an American record label in the 1920s and 1930s. Broadway's records were first manufactured in the early 1920s by the Bridgeport Die and Machine Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Most of the early issues were from masters recorded by Paramount Records. Starting in 1924, masters from the Emerson and

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...

appeared on Broadway. When Bridgeport Die and Machine went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

in 1925, the Broadway label was acquired by the New York Recording Laboratories (NYRL), which, despite what the name suggests, was located in

Port Washington, Wisconsin Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore east of Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area 27 miles north of the City of Mil ...

. NYRL was owned by the Wisconsin Chair Company, also the parent of Paramount Records. Broadway's discs were sold at

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...

, though it is not known if Ward's handled the label exclusively. (Examples bearing a Chicago drugstore imprint are known.) The majority of these 1925–1930 records were Plaza masters. Starting in 1930,

Crown Records Crown Records was a budget albums record label founded as a subsidiary of Modern Records in 1957. It has been the name of several different record labels, listed below. Discography Mono Stereo Other Crown Records * United Kingdom ** Crown Reco ...

masters were used in addition to NYRL's own L- matrix series of sides recorded in

Grafton, Wisconsin Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The village incorporated in 1896, and a ...

. NYRL went out of business in 1932 and the Broadway label was picked up by ARC for a short-lived series. When Decca started up in late 1934/early 1935, among the early (unsuccessful) labels they produced was

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

and Broadway. The few Broadway/Decca records were an L-1200 series and masters came from Champion ( Gennett Records) The series did not last beyond 1935. This involvement with ARC and then Decca most probably related to the fulfillment of an existing Ward's contract. The Bridgeport-era Broadway discs were well-pressed and recorded, but starting with the NYRL (Paramount) era, the pressing quality and audio fidelity was well below average for the time. The ARC Broadway quality was the same as Melotone, Perfect, or Oriole, and the Decca Broadway quality was the same as Decca.

References

* ''The American Record Label Book'' by Brian Rust (Arlington House Publishers, 1978) {{Authority control American record labels History of Bridgeport, Connecticut Record labels established in 1921 Record labels disestablished in 1931 Jazz record labels

See also

References