The Broadcast record label was introduced by Vocalion for the UK market in 1927.
All Broadcast releases used the recently-introduced electrical recording system. Initially, Broadcast records were 8-inches in diameter but, due to a narrower groove pitch and smaller centre label, were able to offer the same playing time as a normal 10-inch 78 rpm record and advertised themselves as ‘The Long Playing Record’. The size increased to 9-inches in 1931.
They undercut standard 10-inch records of the time, and were marketed towards working-class buyers that liked dance music. They were sold through chain stores and stationers such as WH Smiths, as well as cycle and toy shops. Because of the label’s initial popularity, other manufacturers in the UK soon introduced 8-inch records, such as Edison Bell and Eclipse.
Broadcast subsequently introduced the Broadcast Twelve in 1928, a 10-inch record that offered the playing time of a 12-inch rpm record.
Despite the initial success of the Broadcast label, competition meant that in 1932 Vocalion went into liquidation, being bought by the Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company Ltd. who phased out the Broadcast label by 1934.
Sources / Resources
- Broadcast | Michael Thomas’ Website
- Recording History: The British Record Industry, 1888-1931 – Peter Martland, p.250 – Google Books
- Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, p.276 – Google Books
- Broadcast Twelve Records – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- BROADCAST” The Long Playing RECORD – 78s – Lenco Heaven Turntable Forum