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Elliott Wexler (13 October 1913 Boston – 17 October 1966 New York City) was an American record distributor who pioneered several merchandising techniques for the record industry, notably in 1953, new type of rack jobbing for phonograph records that became a standard in the industry. Wexler was not the first to introduce rack jobbing for records, but was the first to bill retailers with a guarantee of full return privileges.

Earlier variations of rack jobbing

• Earlier variations of rack jobbing include one by Bert Jacobson, who started something similar in Philadelphia in 1951.

• And a sub-distributor in Tulsa had been doing something similar since 1951. But Jacobson's Philadelphia Music Mart Inc., founded in 1946, and the Tulsa distributor deal on a consignment basis.

• In 1922, Theodore Lyman Shaw (1982–1975), founder of Grey Gull Records operated a form of rack jobbing.

• In 1943, the term "Record Jobber" was in use.

• Aaron Eicher, New York (1951)

• 1925: Okeh and Odeon record business developed by James K. Polk, Inc. (Atlanta), was one of the outstanding features of record activities in the South, and Polk Cheshire Brockman (1898–1985) had developed sales methods that helped his company to attain an outstanding success as a record jobber. Brockman had acquired the Atlanta dealership forthe Okeh Record Company. Okeh asked Brockman to become their regional wholesale distributor in 1921.

Career

In October 1952, Wexler founded Music Merchants, Inc., a Pennsylvania entity based in Philadelphia, a Pennsylvania entity based in Philadelphia. Music Merchants was the Elliot Wexler-Herb Seigal

launched a rack jobbing strategy in October 1952, Music Merchants, Inc., a Pennsylvania entity based in Philadelphia. Music Merchants was the Elliot Wexler-Herb Seigal Rack Jobbing operation that distributed records in the Mid-Atantic, specifically in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., supplying supermarkets, drug chains, and syndicate stores.

Additionally, he was a personal manager for jazz artists, including Benny Goodman. Wexler was born in Boston, and lived in Philadelphia after World War II.

Rack jobbing controversy at the start

In 1953, rack jobbing was not without controversy. In Philadelphia, distributors complained that Music Mart Inc. and Music Merchants, Inc., both operating as sub-distributors, unfairly received discounts that were significantly greater. However, the sub-distributors insisted that the extra discount was essential because they were give 28-30% discounts to their retailers.

Also, distributors in Philadelphia complained that distribution to large chains like Woolworth's (Wexler's client) were mostly hit records — records that were an important source of revenue for regular distributors. The distributors argued that Music Mart and Music Merchants were merely taking away business and not, as the sub-distributors claimed, tapping into a new group of record buyers.

Court challenges of rack jobbing discounts

• Phil Harris Record Shop (Hollywood Boulevard), by Mild Harris vs. Master Music Mart, a record discount store operated by Harry Dale, and Guaranteed Record Sales, Dale's rack jobbing operation, plush Capitol Records, Columbia Records, Victor, and Warner Bros. Records

California Superior Court, 1963

Career timeline

• 1937: Distribution manager, Columbia Records
• 1943–1945: Served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, from February 1, 1943, to November 27, 1945, where he was a Gunnery Officer; he received an honorable discharge
• 1950: Personal Manager for Benny Goodman
• 1950: Personal Manager for Buddy Greco
• 1950: Personal Manager for Dick Thomas
• 1948: Kaylor Record Distributing Company, Philadelphia, co-owned by Elliot Wexler and Sam Katseff
• 1951: Winthrop Distributing Company, Philadelphia, co-owned by Elliot Wexler and Sam Katseff
• 1952: In January, Wexler sold his interests in Kaylor and Winthrop and launched the New York firm, Medway Company; Medway, Massachusetts, was the birthplace of his sister
• Purist Records, distributed by Wayne Record Corporation, both of which were owned and headed by Wexler
• Resigned in 1957 as Vice President of the Mershaw Company, a rack suppler, to start his own business in New York as a free-lance disk buying consultant for chain and syndicate stores and racks. At the same time, Wexler also began serving as manufacturers' representative for record companies in the "mass" outlet field
• 1958: Wexler was the owner of Moon Records

Associates

During Wexler's career, he collaborated or crossed professional paths with:

• Larry Newton (1920–2005)

• Walt Maguire (né Walter Aloysius Maguire, Jr.; 1920–1987), who, before 1950, was sales manager for Kaylor, distributor for London Records in Philadelphia, joined London in 1950 and rose to became Pop A&R manager for London, rising to Executive Vice President, Pop A&R in 1971

• Arnold Maxin (1920–1977), became President of Epic Records in 1956, President of MGM Records in 1958, also was head of Robbins, Feist, Miller Music Publishing Companies, the music publishing company of MGM Records, widely known as "The Big Three" 

• Ed Barsky (né Edward Sydney Barsky; 1924–1993), became president of A & R Records, based in Los Angeles (founded 1970)

• Len Salidor (né Leonard Salidor; 1926–2008), executive, notably with Decca, Coral, and Brunswick Records, the, in the 1980s, PRISM

• John Cohen (né John Barnard Cohen; 1920–2006), former sales manager for Stuart F. Louchheim Company from 1948 to 1952, and Harold Yoskin (1920–2007), merchandising manager for a large chain store operation, purchased Kaylor Record Distributing Company in January 1952 and renamed it John-Harold Company; Cohen, who played football at U Penn with Paul Wexler, was president of NARM from 1978 to 1979

• Mike Elliot (né Michael Milton Epstein; 1916–1977), who wore a patch over his right eye:

1946: Was with Musicraft Records

1946: Joined Larry Finley transcription firm to set-up distribution

1961: Was general manager of ARDC (Allied Record Distribution Company)

1962: Owned CIRCA (Consolidated International Record Company of America), an independent distribution network out of Hollywood

1967: Named director of sales while maintaining supervision over Liberty Stereo-Tape, who worked with Lee Mendell

around 1970, was President of Liberty/UA Distributing Corp.

1971 was head of the Cartridge TV Division of Compass Productions, headed by George Schaefer (né George Louis Schaefer; 1921–1997). The firm produced TV shows for the Hallmark Hall of Fame

• Bobby Weiss (né Robert B. Wiess; born 1921) had a major career in the international field of records and music publishing, notably as European Director of Capitol Records from 1951 to 1958; then, from 1965 yo 1971, he was an executive, including President at Monument Records

• Len Rakliff (né Leonard Leon Rakliff; 1923–1993), sales executive, later General Manager, then Executive Vice President of Universal Record Distributing Corporation, Philadelphia

• Bill O'Boyle (né William Francis O'Boyle, Sr.; 1922–1992), executive, notably of Columbia Records, then Capital Records

• Bob Brenner (aka "Bert" or "Robert," né Pincus W.W. Brenner; 1913–2000), was an advertising sales executive, having worked before World War II as Program Director of WFTC, Kinston, North Carolina, then Coordinator of Sales and Program Departments and Assistant to the Station Manager at KTSW, Emporia, Kansas. Brenner then served in the Air Force during World War II. After the War, he worked for Friedenberg radio representatives (1948–1949), then was Radio-TV Director of the New York firm, Lewin, Williams & Saylor, Inc. (1949–1953), then in 1953, joined the NBC Film Division Ralph W. Williams (1887–1951), Henry Hodgman Saylor (1880–1067), and Aaron William Lewin (1902–1989) were the namesakes of LW&S.

• Rex Alexander (né Albert Laverne Nuse; 1917–1990), early pioneer at Motor Parts Company, the Philadelphia distributor for Columbia Records where Elliot Wexler also worked; In 1949, Alexander became part owner of the Premier Record Shop in Philadelphia. On January 1, 1950, Motor Parts changed its name to Stuart F. Louchheim Company, reflecting the name of its then president (né Stuart Fleisher Louchheim; 1892–1971); perhaps known in 1950 as Alexander Depillis

• Paul Wexler (né Paul Joseph Wexler; born 1919), Elliot's brother, was in 1954 Vice President in charge of sales for Columbia Records; he later became President of Record Club of America, Inc., based in York, Pennsylvania; the club operated as a mail order discount firm in the 1960s and 1970s; as a widower, Paul's second wife, Jacqueline G. Wexler (née Jean Marie Grennan; 1926–2012), a former Roman Catholic nun, was President of Webster College from 1965 to 1969, her alma mater, and for nine years, beginning 1970, she served as the first woman President of Hunter College; she was also a longtime trustee of U Penn and the first woman to become a Life Trustee for that institution

Formal education

• 1933: In the fall, enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania and, as a freshman, was on the football team as a halfback
• 1937: Graduated from the University of Pennsylvania

Family

• Paul Wexler (né Paul Joseph Wexler; born 1919), brother

References

Notes

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Citations from Billboard

Other inline citations