Long citation, bold type added:

“Songs of Our Allies Open Eyes of Dealers Beset by Top-Line Record Shortage

NEW YORK, Oct. 31.-American public opinion having swung behind our war allies, Russia and China particularly, the fighting songs of those nations, on records and sheet music, are finding a tremendously popular market. Demand is accounted for not only by pro-ally sentiment but also by the fact that the chopping of production by the major recording companies, because of war and Petrillo, has left many dealers stock-hungry.

Dealers here and nationally report that, with little stuff available from Victor, Decca, Columbia and Capitol, they are anxious to exploit other wax fields where product is available. So a steady trade in Russian and other foreign recordings has been developing in larger stores, such as Macy's and Gimbel Brothers, here; Grinnell Brothers in Detroit, and the whole Allied chain. Many others have hooked up with the foreign wax field, The Davega, stores here signing with Keynote Recordings to handle latter's releases. Keynote and the Stinson Trading Company are the leading producers of Soviet and Chinese records here, the former including Russian issues as part of a catalog devoted to the "fighting songs of any fighting nation." According to Eric Bernay, head of Keynote, biz upped terrifically about four months ago when prejudices against Russian and other foreign songs dissolved considerably.

Typical dealer-handling of the Russ music trade is exhibited by music shop in Stanley Theater here. Shop gets 21 per cent of its trade from people attracted by advertising in Russian and Slavic dailies and weeklies. Mischa. Balanov's three - times -a - week WBYN Russian language program, which plugs the new Russian and Slavic releases, also is credited with some of the patronage. Sixty-five per cent of the trade comes from patrons of the Stanley Theater, which first-runs Soviet and foreign films. Interest is perked by a 90-second trailer, which runs to the accompaniment of a Russian record, changed weekly, also by ad space in the theater's program sheets and also by announcements to outgoing patrons from theater's doorman. Another hunk of business comes from mail orders. Shop's current best-selling album is The Red Army Sings, six disks. Both Keynote recordings and Stinson's World's Fair label are stocked.

Keynote, small but growing, has about 15 albums in its catalog and features about 10 single sides retailing at 75 cents, as well as an extensive list of Russian folk songs at 50 cents. Forthcoming are three new albums: (1) Cante Andaluz–Songs of Andalucia; (2) Red Army Fighting Songs, and (3) Guerrilla Songs–Fighting Songs of the Yugoslavians, A pop series, launched lately, initialed with Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, backed by Marching Thru Berlin. Keynote, according' to Berney, [sic] can deliver quantity to any or all dealers immediately because of surplus supplies laid in when production problems became imminent.

Since the war has made it impossible to import records from Russia, the Stinson Trading Company is turning out new records and albums taken off the sound tracks of Soviet films. Soviet Songs From Soviet Films, new album, comes out this week, and Moscow Strikes Back, a four-record album, was released September 9. Both have introductions in English by Noel Meadow, who controls the musical score of Artkino films; royalties go to Artkino. Demand for English lyrics to Russian songs mounted so much in this country that Stinson arranged for original lyrics and English translations to be printed on the inside cover of all subsequent Russian albums. It has also published a 50-page book entitled The Most Popular Songs From Soviet Union, retailing at 50 cents.”
[Billboard, 7 Nov., 1942, p.25]