Re: [ARSCLIST] Concertapes -- what became of it?

[Doug Henkle <henkle@xxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:01 PM 10-12-2007 -0400, you wrote:
> However, as a semi-pro discographer, I'll give you advance warning of 
> possible disappointments when
> trying to research recordings of the post-WWII era.

Hi Steven,

     Sorry, your advice comes 16 years too late.  I have been doing 
exactly that since 1991, searching for every post-1948 non-Pop/Rock 
Wisconsin recording ever released.  I have had more than my share of 
disappointments and frustrations in this research, but as I am not aware of 
any other discographer doing post-1948 research in any Wisconsin 
non-Pop/Rock genre, I will continue on because I think it is important to 
do so.

> Sadly, although in most cases the artists, as well as
> the "principals" of the labels, are still alive...most ledgers and other 
> related documents have long since
> been dispatched to landfills or other similar fates...! The best resources 
> are: (1) backfiles of related
> and/or local publications...looking for both "feature" stories and 
> advertisements (especially those
> announcing "new releases!")...(2) mentions in "hi-fi" or audio-related 
> journals...or (3) City directories,
> when/if such exist, which will mention the occupants of a given address, 
> as well as providing an
> alphabetic list of "occupants" (people, companies, usw.) of the city in 
> question...!

     In another life, if I were a young semi-pro or professional 
specialist discographer trying to write a discography for only one or a 
selected number of artists, I would conduct extensive research in all the 
areas you list.  However, I am a 66 year old amateur generalist 
discographer.  I know of over 5,500 current and former Wisconsin resident 
artists and groups.  Except for the maybe 1/3 which are Pop/Rock and have 
had their recordings listed in books before, I am trying to document 
everyone else who has never been fully documented in books, and most of 
whom have never even been mentioned in any book anywhere.  So, attempting 
roughly 3,000+ Classical. Jazz, Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Barbershop, 
Church Choirs, Grade School, High School and College Choirs, Bands and 
Orchestras, etc. discographies, it takes all the time I have just to 
document the information that appears on the recordings themselves, with no 
time left over to pursue the other resources you mention used by 
professionals.  I doubt I have enough life left to ever do otherwise.

PS: See ARSC Journal, Fall 2003, Vol. 34, No. 2, p. 214-216
Genres I don't research,
   http://www.folklib.net/book/wi_book08.shtml#GENRES_NO
and genres I do,
   http://www.folklib.net/book/wi_book08.shtml#GENRES_YES
____________________________________________________________
Doug Henkle - mailto:henkle@xxxxxxxxx
P.O. Box 1447, Oshkosh, WI 54903-1447

http://www.folklib.net/book/
   "FolkLib Index: Wisconsin Discography
   (Recordings by Wisconsin resident musicians 1948-2005)"