Music recorded in December 1925
December 1925 was a month in which the restructuring of the international order, the reform of national institutions, and the advancement of avant-garde art were simultaneously observed. On December 1, the Locarno Treaties were formally signed in London, giving concrete form to the security system of Western Europe. On December 2, the Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG was established, making the massive integration of the German chemical industry a reality. In Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944) became Shah in December 1925, marking the beginning of the Pahlavi dynasty. Culturally, Alban Berg's opera "Wozzeck" premiered at the Berlin State Opera on December 14, and Sergei Eisenstein's film "Battleship Potemkin" premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on December 21. Furthermore, on December 26, the Republic of Turkey decided to switch to the 24-hour system and the Gregorian calendar, with the new system coming into effect in January 1926.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information regarding the December 1925 recording.
In December 1925, the recording industry saw widespread promotional efforts to highlight new playback devices and new disc formats to coincide with the Christmas shopping season. Products such as the Orthophonic Victrola from Victor Talking Machine Company, the Panatrope from Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, the Grafonola from Columbia Phonograph Co., Inc., the Diamond Disc machine from Thomas A. Edison, Inc., the Vocalion from The Aeolian Company (Australia) Pty. Ltd., and products from Sonora Phonograph Co. were all being sold through demonstrations, in-store announcements, year-end specials, and installment payment plans. In addition, in Western Australia, products from Pathé Actuelle Records and Cheney Talking Machine Co. were also found in December's sales advertisements, indicating that companies other than the major players were also entering the market in response to year-end demand.
Victor
An advertisement dated December 17, 1925, featured the Victor Talking Machine Company's Orthophonic Victrola and Consolette as the subject of a "Demonstration Daily." This confirms that during the holiday gift-giving season, they were placing the new type of playback machine at the center of their in-store demonstrations.
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=TSYJB19251217.1.8
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Orthophonic_Victrola
Brunswick
An article dated December 8, 1925, describes the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company's Panatrope being demonstrated in Indianapolis, and the following day's December 9th edition highlighted its innovative electrical recording technology. This shows that, as early as December, the company's promotional efforts were linking demonstrations with the appeal of electrical recording.
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19251208.1.3
- https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19251209.1.6
Columbia
An advertisement dated December 7, 1925, promoted the Columbia Grafonola and the new Columbia Records, both from the Columbia Phonograph Co., Inc., as year-end products. Furthermore, an advertisement dated December 30 showed the price and installment payment terms for the cabinet-type model, confirming that the machine and records were being sold as a set as early as December.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91680609
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16270594
Edison
An advertisement dated December 18, 1925, urged customers to visit the store with the slogan "HEAR Edison's DIAMOND DISC." Another advertisement from the same month listed Edison Amberola, 2-minute cylinders, 4-minute cylinders, Blue Amberol, and Edison Diamond Disc alongside other products from Thomas A. Edison, Inc., indicating that disc and cylinder-type products were still being sold concurrently as of December 1925.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45919972
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16271018
Vocalion
In December 1925, the Aeolian Company (Australia) Pty. Ltd.'s Vocalion was marketed as "The Dancer's Phonograph," and in advertisements dated December 5th and 24th, Vocalion records were sold with specific track listings as Christmas gift records. This demonstrates the activity of that month in both areas: the promotion of the machine itself and the demand for records as gifts.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16274948
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/155661707
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16267421
Sonora
On December 17, 1925, an invitational concert featuring Galbransen's Duo Concerto and the Sonora disc phonograph from Sonora Phonograph Co. was reported. Furthermore, an advertisement dated December 25 featured Sonora products as special Christmas items, confirming that both demonstrations and sales were taking place that month.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139853939
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31899145
- https://archive.org/details/sonora-phonographs-1924
putty
An advertisement from Western Australia dated December 3, 1925, shows Morris Bros. Ltd. selling Pathé Actuelle Records, Humanphone phonographs, and phonograph parts on an installment payment plan. This contemporary document shows that Pathé records were still available in the retail market in December.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31895144
- https://findingaids.loc.gov/repositories/15/archival_objects/1078411
Cheney
An advertisement from Perth dated December 24, 1925, listed Cheney Talking Machine Co. products as part of a "selection of the choicest gramophones in Perth," and included them in the year-end sales lineup. This confirms that Cheney gramophones were appearing in retail advertisements alongside products from major manufacturers as early as December.
- https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/31899063
- https://umdb.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/DImt/Gramophone/list/browserecord.php?-action=browse&-list=available&-recid=367
