Supertone Records

Supertone Records was an American record-disc brand active primarily during the 1920s and early 1930s. It is best understood as a retail record label rather than as a single, continuously operating manufacturing company. The name was used by several retailers and pressing companies over successive periods, reflecting the fragmented structure of the American phonograph-record business at the time. Sears, Roebuck & Co. first marketed Supertone records in 1924. The initial discs were manufactured by the Fletcher Record Company and included recordings by Midwestern dance bands. Fletcher's failure in the middle of 1924 interrupted that arrangement, after which the Bridgeport Die & Machine Company began pressing Supertone discs later that year. This early phase illustrates how mail-order and department-store labels commonly depended on outside pressing plants and suppliers rather than owning a complete recording and manufacturing operation. After Sears stopped marketing the line, the Supertone name continued to circulate through another retailer. From 1925 through 1928, the Chicago store Straus & Schram sold records under the Supertone name. Its supply arrangements changed several times: Regal, the record-making operation associated with the Scranton Button Company, supplied some issues; Paramount Records supplied others; and Grey Gull became another source. Pathé Records provided pressings in 1926 and into late 1927 or early 1928. Columbia's Harmony division then produced a 1000-S series of Supertone records until the middle of 1928. The name returned to Sears marketing in 1928. During the next phase, Gennett pressed Supertone records from 1928 through 1930, generally using Gennett's own masters. These Gennett-era discs are the most commonly encountered Supertone records today. When Gennett was discontinued in late 1930, Sears shifted production to Brunswick Radio Corporation. The Brunswick-produced issues continued through 1931 but were comparatively short-lived and are considered scarce alongside the earliest releases. Sears apparently did not register Supertone as a record-production brand during the initial period. That lack of exclusive control allowed the name to be used by other sellers after Sears discontinued its first series. When Straus & Schram's Supertone line ended, it was renamed Puritone, while Sears later claimed and marketed Supertone again. The label's history therefore consists of overlapping retail uses, changing manufacturing partners, and several short production runs rather than a straightforward corporate chronology. Supertone's importance today is primarily historical and collectable. Its records document the economics of inexpensive popular recordings in the acoustic and early electrical eras, as well as the relationships among retailers, independent pressing plants, and established record companies. The catalogue is associated particularly with dance-band material and with recordings issued for mass-market distribution. The brand is no longer active as a commercial label, but surviving discs are represented in record-collecting resources and archival 78-rpm collections.

Supertone Records emerged in 1924 within the expanding American market for inexpensive phonograph records sold through mail-order companies, department stores, and other retail outlets. The brand was marketed by Sears, Roebuck & Co., but Sears relied on external manufacturers for the physical production of the discs. The first Supertone records were made by the Fletcher Record Company and included performances by Midwestern dance bands. Fletcher ceased operations in the middle of 1924, requiring Sears to find a replacement supplier. Bridgeport Die & Machine Company began producing Supertone discs later that year. The brand's subsequent history was shaped by the absence of a stable, exclusive manufacturing arrangement. After Sears discontinued its first Supertone run, the Chicago retailer Straus & Schram adopted the name for its own record sales. Between 1925 and 1928, Straus & Schram issued or sold Supertone records obtained from multiple sources, including Regal, the Scranton Button Company's record operation, Paramount Records, and Grey Gull. Pathé Records supplied pressings during 1926 and into late 1927 or early 1928. Columbia's Harmony division then produced a 1000-S series carrying the Supertone name until approximately the middle of 1928. The brand was not controlled through a consistently enforced registered record trademark by Sears during the first period. This contributed to the name's reuse by Straus & Schram after Sears's initial withdrawal. When Sears resumed use of the Supertone name in 1928, Straus & Schram renamed its own line Puritone. Sears's renewed series relied first on Gennett, which pressed records from 1928 through 1930 using Gennett masters. These issues form the most frequently encountered part of the surviving Supertone catalogue. Gennett's discontinuation in late 1930 forced another manufacturing change. Sears contracted with Brunswick Radio Corporation to produce Supertone records, and the Brunswick phase continued through 1931. Compared with the Gennett issues, the Brunswick records are uncommon. The earliest Fletcher and Bridgeport versions are also scarce, making the label's production history especially dependent on surviving disc evidence and record-collector research. Supertone was consequently not a vertically integrated label with a single studio, plant, or enduring management team. It was a trade name used across different retail and manufacturing relationships. Its catalogue provides a useful example of how American record distribution worked in the 1920s: retailers selected a brand identity, while specialist companies supplied masters, pressings, or both. The brand's commercial life ended after the early-1930s Brunswick run, and no current operating company or successor label is established in the supplied reference material.

• 1931

  Brunswick production period concludes

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Brunswick Radio Corporation's production of Supertone records continues through 1931, after which the brand becomes defunct.

• 1930

  Gennett production ends

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Gennett's role as a Supertone pressing source ends late in the year when Gennett is discontinued.

• 1928

  Sears restarts the Supertone series

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Sears resumes marketing Supertone records. Columbia's Harmony division had supplied a 1000-S series earlier in the year, while Straus & Schram's line was renamed Puritone.

• 1926

  Pathé supplies Supertone pressings

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Pathé Records becomes one of the companies supplying Supertone pressings during the Straus & Schram period.

• 1925

  Straus & Schram adopts the Supertone name

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Chicago retailer Straus & Schram begins selling records under the Supertone name after Sears's first marketing period ends.

• 1924

  Sears introduces Supertone

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Sears, Roebuck & Co. markets Supertone records, initially using discs manufactured by the Fletcher Record Company.

• 1924

  Bridgeport becomes an early pressing supplier

  [1]Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  After Fletcher Record Company fails during 1924, Bridgeport Die & Machine Company begins producing Supertone discs later in the year.

A mass-market and budget-oriented American record-disc brand distributed through retail channels, especially Sears, with production outsourced to changing independent and major pressing companies.

• 78-rpm records · 1924

  Early Supertone records

  The first Supertone discs marketed by Sears in 1924 were manufactured by Fletcher Record Company and later by Bridgeport Die & Machine Company. Their repertoire included Midwestern dance bands and represents the brand's earliest retail phase.

• Retail record series · 1925

  Straus & Schram Supertone

  From 1925 to 1928, the Chicago retailer Straus & Schram used the Supertone name for records supplied by several manufacturers, including Regal, Paramount, Grey Gull, Pathé, and Columbia's Harmony division. The line was later renamed Puritone.

• 78-rpm records · 1928

  Gennett-pressed Supertone

  Sears's 1928–1930 Supertone series was pressed by Gennett, generally from Gennett's own masters. These records are the most commonly encountered Supertone issues and are an important part of the surviving catalogue.

• 78-rpm records · 1930

  Brunswick-pressed Supertone

  After Gennett was discontinued, Sears contracted Brunswick Radio Corporation to produce Supertone records. The series ran through 1931 and is relatively scarce compared with the Gennett issues.

• 1930

  Sears switches production to BrunswickStrategy

  Background

  Gennett was discontinued in late 1930, ending its ability to press Supertone records for Sears.

  Action taken

  Sears contracted Brunswick Radio Corporation to manufacture the Supertone series.

  Aftermath

  Brunswick-produced Supertone records continued through 1931 but were short-lived and are comparatively scarce.

  Source

• 1928

  Sears reclaims and restarts the Supertone lineStrategy

  Background

  Sears had previously stopped marketing Supertone records, while Straus & Schram continued using the name. Sears subsequently claimed and relaunched the brand for another series.

  Action taken

  Sears resumed Supertone marketing and arranged for outside companies, initially Gennett, to supply the records.

  Aftermath

  The renewed Sears series produced the most commonly found Supertone records during the 1928–1930 Gennett period.

  Source

1. 1Supertone Recordsen.wikipedia.org