Back in the day, did musicians sell their records at gigs?

[Dmitry]

I just bought some very interesting LPs that were autographed by the artist to a particular patron [more on that later], so I wonder whether he bought them at the gig or brought them in with him to be signed.

Question for the old-timers -

Did Coltrane or Bill Evans carry a box of records for sale with them to the gigs?

I'm sure Miles had too much class, so he had someone else do it, like Tony Williams or Herbie.

[Alexander]

I just bought some very interesting LPs that were autographed by the artist to a particular patron [more on that later], so I wonder whether he bought them at the gig or brought them in with him to be signed.

Question for the old-timers -

Did Coltrane or Bill Evans carry a box of records for sale with them to the gigs?

I'm sure Miles had too much class, so he had someone else do it, like Tony Williams or Herbie.

I've seen photographs of Jerry Lee Lewis (in the 50s) performing with a little record stand in front of him. I so presume that yes, some musicians did sell their records at gigs.

I'm pretty sure Solomon Burke did, too. He sold everything else at his gigs!

[Dan Gould]

This is an interesting question. My guess is that they generally didn't and that people brought records to the gig. I think part of selling CDs now is the problem of distribution, particularly for musicians who may have their own "label" on the side.

On the other hand, didn't Chris once tell us that someone - maybe Philly Joe? - was ripping off his record label's LPs, and that was part of the reason they moved out of NYC (I think the other reason was making it less easy for musicians to try to ask for advances)? Now, did they steal anything they could and fence them to unsuspecting record stores? Or did they steal their own LPs in order to sell them to their fans direct?

[Chuck Nessa]

Beyond "concerts", where tables were set up in the lobby, I only recall one jazz musician selling records on a gig. That one musician was Art Pepper - on the comeback trail. Laurie frequently had a box of Contemporary lps on a table.

[Hot Ptah]

I don't know how far back you want to go, but Sun Ra LPs were always being sold from the stage at concerts, back in the mid-1970s and after that.

Not many people wanted them. Now each one auctions off for about $300 on ebay.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

pj jones would steal his own records to sell them? thats allmost cooler than JR montrose chilin' w/ the ladies pounding the couch suyrup!

[clifford_thornton]

pj jones would steal his own records to sell them? thats allmost cooler than JR montrose chilin' w/ the ladies pounding the cough suyrup!

No, the JR shit is stone cold hip...

[ValerieB]

back in the '60s and later, i don't remember any musicians selling their albums at their gigs. i do, however, remember many a fan bringing albums to gigs to be signed.

i also vaguely remember the details in a story that orrin keepnews told about the musicians doing deliveries (off the truck!) to record stores, especially up in harlem. also to harlem barber shops!!

[Bright Moments]

and then we have the sad, sad case of jaco. . . . . . .

[brownie]

I don't know how far back you want to go, but Sun Ra LPs were always being sold from the stage at concerts, back in the mid-1970s and after that.

Not many people wanted them. Now each one auctions off for about $300 on ebay.

I attended various performances by the Arkestra in NYK back in the mid-sixties . There were no records being sold at the time.

Saw the first sale of the LPs at concerts when the Arkestra traveled to France in the early 70s!

[mikeweil]

İ once bought an LP signed by Cedar Walton at an Eastern Rebellion concert, but that was organized by the Timeless label, who were responsible for the tour.

[sidewinder]

I don't know how far back you want to go, but Sun Ra LPs were always being sold from the stage at concerts, back in the mid-1970s and after that.

Not many people wanted them. Now each one auctions off for about $300 on ebay.

They were still selling Saturn LPs on stage from a box at a gig of theirs I saw back in 1989. Details are hazy but it might have been John Gilmore or Marshall Allen doing the selling, for $ cash only. Like an idiot, I didn't buy any, having just acquired a new fangled CD player at the time and thinking vinyl was on the way out !

Edited December 15, 2006 by sidewinder

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Once K7s came in, in the early '70s, musicians were flogging them. I have only few; not many musicians I like came to Cardiff.

MG

[JohnS]

The last time I remember lps being sold was at an Ekaya concert in the late 80s. Trombonist Dick Griffin wandered through the audience selling his lps.

Edited December 15, 2006 by JohnS

[paul secor]

I wonder if folk, blues, and ethnic musicians did more of that sort of thing. I remember a great concert by Lydia Mendoza back in the mid eighties where she (actually someone connected with her - she just signed the records) sold copies of her records afterwards.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I wonder if folk, blues, and ethnic musicians did more of that sort of thing. I remember a great concert by Lydia Mendoza back in the mid eighties where she (actually someone connected with her - she just signed the records) sold copies of her records afterwards.

Yes, I forgot until you reminded me. Something like a third of all Gospel records have always been sold at churches (which is one reason why relatively few are hits). Many of these wil be at gigs, a tradition that seems to go back at least to the '50s and the coming of 45s.

MG

[Hot Ptah]

It is very common today in Kansas City for jazz musicians to sell their CDs at the gigs, both in the Blue Room jazz club in the American Jazz Museum, and at the national concert series at the Folly Theater. At the Blue Room either the musician or the club's director will announce from the stage that CDs are being sold at intermission. In the historic Folly Theater, a booth is often set up in the lobby for the sale of the artist's CDs at intermission and after the concert. Isn't it like that everywhere?

[porcy62]

It is very common today in Kansas City for jazz musicians to sell their CDs at the gigs, both in the Blue Room jazz club in the American Jazz Museum, and at the national concert series at the Folly Theater. At the Blue Room either the musician or the club's director will announce from the stage that CDs are being sold at intermission. In the historic Folly Theater, a booth is often set up in the lobby for the sale of the artist's CDs at intermission and after the concert. Isn't it like that everywhere?

It is, in Italy at least, a part big names like Dylan, Springsteen, Rolling Stones or Keith Jarrett.

I bought several nice stuff at gigs at good prices.

[medjuck]

I went to many clubs and concerts in the '60s and '70s and don't ever remember records being sold. Sometimes the artists would plug their records and if they were lucky their labels made sure they were available at local stores.

First time I ever saw records being sold at a gig were at some local folk concerts.

[porcy62]

I remember that in the old times unknown musicians used to have casettes at their gigs.

[sidewinder]

I've got a live LP by the Al Grey/Jimmy Forrest Quintet that I'm sure was sold by them and signed by both at one of their gigs. I've seen other similar copies.

[ValerieB]

I remember that in the old times unknown musicians used to have casettes at their gigs.

i remember a guy who, up until recently, used to sell tapes in front of the blue note in nyc.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've got a live LP by the Al Grey/Jimmy Forrest Quintet that I'm sure was sold by them and signed by both at one of their gigs. I've seen other similar copies.

I'm sure the Greyforrest label was set up by them specifically in order to provide product they could flog at gigs. But Jimmy died after only one issue - "O D (out dere)".

MG

[marcello]

I remember that in the old times unknown musicians used to have casettes at their gigs.

i remember a guy who, up until recently, used to sell tapes in front of the blue note in nyc.

Yea, a drummer. I don't remember his name; a Muslim name. They are boots of a record he made for a label.

I do remember Betty Carter selling her records at a gig (Fat Tuesday's)

Edited December 16, 2006 by marcello

[Van Basten II]

On the Art Pepper recordings at the Village Vanguard, we hear him telling to the audience that he has recordings to sell in the place.