Tony Russell's "Old Time Music" magazine online?

[NOSPAM...@aol.com]

I heard a rumor that the back issues of OTM are on a website. IF
anyone knows the URL, I'd appreciate their posting it!
Thanks,
Suzy T.

[vagabond9]

Tony still participates in this newsgroup, so if it is true, I hope he
clarifies this. He told me several years ago that he was hoping to
reprint (and update) selected articles in book form, but I don't know
if that is happening or not. If you need to check any issue, c'mon over
for a visit and you can look at mine (I gots all of them).

-kerry

[NOSPAM...@aol.com]

Ha ha very funny as if I'm going to be able to just hop in my car and
drive to Florida!! That's where you are, yes?
Hope all is well with you,
Suzy

[Paul Tyler]

Speaking of Tony, I've got a question about his wonderful discography.
Maybe he or somebody else has an answer. How many recorded pieces are
listed in all. Gus Meade declared that around 20,000 masters were cut
by old time musicians between 1921 and 1942. I wonder how Tony's count
compares. I couldn't find a total number in his book.

According to my approximate count, Country Music Records lists
recording by 1,589 artists recorded at something on the order of 5,937
sessions. But I'd like to have an estimate on the number of masters
without having to count them myself.

Thanks,

Paul

[Tony Russell]

I have been asked this question, or variants of it such as 'How many
different issues are in the book?', several times, and I'm afraid I have
nothing like a proper answer. Anyone who was really keen could try counting
the recorded masters on each of 31 randomly selected pages and multiplying
the total by 30 (since the discography proper occupies 933 pp). If anyone
actually does, perhaps they could share the answer with the list; I for one
would find it a very useful statistic.

TR

On 23/3/06 18:56, in article
1143140174....@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com, "Paul Tyler"

[Tony Russell]

I suspect that a rumour is all this is; at any rate, as publisher and
copyright-holder of OTM, I hope so.

Incidentally, I do still have copies of some back issues, if anyone is
interested: mostly the later ones, 40-45, but a few earlier ones too.
Contact me offline.

TR
tonyr...@bluetone.demon.co.uk

On 22/3/06 22:56, in article
1143068214.6...@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com,

[Peter Feldmann]

On Thu, 23 Mar 2006 19:27:51 +0000, Tony Russell
<tonyr...@bluetone.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>I have been asked this question, or variants of it such as 'How many
>different issues are in the book?', several times, and I'm afraid I have
>nothing like a proper answer. Anyone who was really keen could try counting
>the recorded masters on each of 31 randomly selected pages and multiplying
>the total by 30 (since the discography proper occupies 933 pp). If anyone
>actually does, perhaps they could share the answer with the list; I for one
>would find it a very useful statistic.
>
>TR

Well, while you're online, I have a question that's been bugging
me for a l o o o n n n ng time:

Is the MS for your book on a computer somewhere? Gene Earle
loaned me his MS copy for about 8 months - a large cardboard box
crammed with typed sheets. But during the publishing process,
wasn't it converted to a word processing file(s)?

It's a great book and a wonderful resource, but just think how
much *more* useful it would be if the contents were also
published on a DVD or set of CDROMs? The one thing computers
are superb at is searching, and coupling a search engine to the
text of your discography would make an immensly-powerful
research tool. Answeres to questions like the above could be
attained in less than a second.

-Peter

--
Peter Feldmann
http://www.bluegrasswest.com
Bands, bookings, & etc. for old time and
neo-classic country music.

[Tony Russell]

There was a proposal at one time that CMR should also be published as a
CD-ROM, but it never came to anything. The prevailing opinion (as I recall)
seemed to be that there was no significant market for such a thing, but even
if there were, a CD-ROM could reach it only if it were priced so low that it
would seriously undercut, and possibly reduce sales of, the print edition ­
and I must admit that, as someone who would like to see a little comeback
from 25+ years' research, I wasn't too keen on that.

I do have the MS on searchable files on my own computer and can execute
simple searches fairly swiftly, but I can't think what kind of search would
answer the question 'how many recorded masters are in the book?'

TR

On 23/3/06 21:38, in article mc1622lmrhlu1c2dl...@4ax.com,

[Peter Feldmann]

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 23:11:53 +0100, Tony Russell
<tonyr...@bluetone.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>There was a proposal at one time that CMR should also be published as a
>CD-ROM, but it never came to anything. The prevailing opinion (as I recall)
>seemed to be that there was no significant market for such a thing, but even
>if there were, a CD-ROM could reach it only if it were priced so low that it
>would seriously undercut, and possibly reduce sales of, the print edition ­
>and I must admit that, as someone who would like to see a little comeback
>from 25+ years' research, I wasn't too keen on that.
>
>I do have the MS on searchable files on my own computer and can execute
>simple searches fairly swiftly, but I can't think what kind of search would
>answer the question 'how many recorded masters are in the book?'

There are modern techniques for searching text files and
translating entries into relational database structures.

For a simple example, a song title could be one basic unit, with
extensions adding performer(s), record label & number, date,
recording location, etc. This structure could be "turned
around" using the performer, or the insturment, or the date as
the primary focus. From that data, most of which could be
harvested automatically from computerized text files, some very
powerful statistical surveys could be compiled. Patterns could
then be identified which up to now remain hidden in the
mountains of data you have collected. Song title substitutions
could added, along with contributions on melodic profiles
indicating relationships among song tune families. This
discography could be the core of much more complex analytical
structures.

"Significant market"? Well, I don't imagine the thing being
advertised on prime-time TV or going platinum anytime soon, but
what a research tool! How could it reduce sales of the print
edition if it were simply packaged with each volume sold? A
discographical project like yours cries out for a computerized
version. You have supplied the data, now let's focus it with
the power of computer access and analysis.

[Paul Tyler]

Okay, I did as Tony suggested. I counted the number of masters on 31
randomly selected pages of Country Music Records and multiplied by 30.

And the answer is . . .

28,620

Slightly higher than the number Gus Meade estimated.

Aren't you glad you know this now?

Paul