THE ALBUM MUSEUM

CALLICOON, NEW YORK

Est. 2021

"Wearing Our Label On Our Sleeve - An Incomplete History of Record Promotion"

The record sleeve: A clean, static-free paper envelope whose primary purpose was to swaddle your delicious, new piece of vinyl. Before the days where a band’s concept of an album extended to the sleeve – printed lyrics, candid photos, personal thanks – the record label (or parent company) utilized this space to sell product. In the early days of the ‘long player’, companies promoted advancement in recording technology – often proprietary – to promote understanding and adoption of Hi-Fi. Through out the decades, labels promoted their own stable of recording acts; pushing new releases and direct sales of exclusive song collections to an interested consumer. Eventually, even the artist got wise to this opportunity and began promoting their own wares: t-shirts, belt buckles, beer can clocks(!).

As the title suggests, this instillation is not all encompassing and offers a general overview on the subject. It is the museum’s intention to present an expanded and more complete show at a later date.