April 7th in Gennett History, 1922: Variety reported that the Victor Talking Machine Co. lost their lawsuit against Starr Piano for Starr’s use of their patented lateral recording and pressing process. This ruling threw the patent into the public domain and allowed any record label to use the industry standard lateral process. The real victory occurred in 1919 & 1920 when Judge Martin Manton and Judge Learned Hand ruled against Victor’s request for a temporary injunction and thus many smaller labels began using the lateral process without permission. This convergence of upstart record companies and their ability to access the popular lateral process led to the explosion of race and hillbilly music.
Victor vs Starr case in Variety in 1922
Gennett Records Discography 