Associated Recorded Program Service

Associated Recorded Program Service was only the second radio transcription service to appear on the market (World Transcriptions was the first). Associated Music Publishers, Inc. announced their Associated Recorded Program Service on 11 Sept., 1935. Associated had obtained a licence to make recordings using the Western Electric Wide Range Vertical Recording system, and the company had begun stockpiling recordings intended for use on the transcription service early in 1935. The first recording sessions were conducted in March and April 1935. These sessions provided 50 hours of recordings which were then assigned to discs in various categories such as Dance Music, Vocal Solos, Brass Band, Salon Orchestra, Romantic Cycles, Light Opera, etc. The transcription recordings were not sold to the public, and were only available for use by those radio stations which subscribed to the service on one year contracts. By March 1936 the Associated Recorded Program Service had grown to over 1,500 musical selections in all categories, and at that date 28 radio stations subscribed to the service. Accordingly, the earlier transcription discs were only pressed in very small numbers as a set was provided to each radio station who had a subscription. It is reported that the pressing plant orders for the earlier transcription discs were for fewer than 50 copies [see Rod Baum's introduction to "Associated Transcriptions" by Charles Garrod & Rod Baum (Joyce Records, 1991). As a result, the early Assocated transcriptions are very rare, and are also desirable to collectors because they are verical cut recordings (which are far superior, technically, to their later lateral equivalents). Intially discs were 12" (using masters with an "A" prefix) but by late 1936 some discs were 16" (using masters with an "AA" prefix). The use of laquer masters began in 1938 and such discs have "Z" or "ZZ" master prefixes. The use of tape is indicated by a "TZ" prefix. Discs with a "VLC" prefix use material purchased from RCA. Some artists were credited under pseudonyms for contractual reasons. In 1943 Ben Selvin was working for Associated as Vice President in charge of recording ("recently appointed" according to Billboard). The Associated transcription service continued untll some time in the mid-1950s. By that time there were many more record companies than at any time previously, so there was no longer a need for a transcription service to provide program material to radio stations.