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Pathé Actuelle

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For pre-1923 discs that do not have "Pathé" in the logo please use [l=Actuelle] instead. In 1920 Pathé introduced a line of what were called "needle-cut" records (i.e., compatible with other standard brands of 78 discs), at first mostly for the USA market. The "needle-cut" records were labelled Pathé Actuelle. They were introduced in the UK the following year. This venture was successful, and within a few years these "needle-cut" discs were selling more than the vertical Pathés even on the continent. Starting around June 1926, Pathé tried to boost sales by issuing splatter-wax records in brown-black mottled shellac that they called Chanticleer discs. The impact on sales remained minimal, however, and the company went back to regular black shellac after August 1927.

By Kyle Larson