Gold discs are only given to artists. True or false? Wrong, record representatives at the time also received them, according to their sales!

Golden disc, scratched disc, broken disc

A record sleeps in an attic. When mishandled, its frame breaks

But who owns it? Can it be saved?

I’m sure you’re all familiar with these gold (or platinum) record awards for a few thousand or tens of thousands of records sold by an artist.

Sweet dreams are made of discs 🙂 (Annie Lennox in 1983 (screen of the ARTE programme Soundbreaking, the great adventure of recorded music, February 2017)

This practice still exists, but for much less impressive sales than in the past.

What you may not be aware of is that in the golden years of vinyl, record brand sales representatives also received such honours.

To Mr Camille Schoepen – Without your efforts, we would never have been able to grow as fast as we have. ARIOLA BELGIUM SA

Either for exceptional sales or to thank them for their commitment to the record company.

My father, Camille (Kamiel) Schoepen, a record representative for over 20 years, received no less than 3 gold discs for his career.

BEFORE restoration, Golden disc -Ariola for sales by Kamiel Schoepen

According to the Brussels framer Artiges et encadrements, this record (and especially the previous frame) had suffered a great deal, so I decided to have it restored:

• a gilded wooden frame
• luxury transparent glass
• the plate glued back onto the black felt.

restoration in progress golden disc Kamiel Schoepen

The second gold disc below, a 45T this time, concerns the sale by my father alone of some 100,000 discs of Rivers of Babylon by Boney M, the German disco hit machine of the 70s and 80s.

Gold disc Boney M – Rivers of Babylon. My dad sold 100,000!

Kamiel Schoepen’s two 33T gold discs side by side

Gold plaque in honour of Kamiel Schoepen for his career at RCA

also decided to have this second golden LP restored using the same techniques.

It has taken on new colours, just like its double dedicated to my dad’s record sales champion.

Artiges et encadrements

I called on the services of the prestigious firm Artiges et encadrements, which sadly closed irrevocably in October 2018.

Times are changing, and now there’s an organic hypermarket. I’ll miss this outdated shop with its professional sales staff. They even cleaned the plaque (see above), which had suffered from the ravages of time.