Bobby Perloff, 90, of Ventnor, longtime general manager of Universal Record Distributing Corp., former sales manager of Dot Records, and mentor of many, said on Sunday, January 8, at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. Died of heart failure.
From the late 1960s until his retirement in the late 1990s, Mr. Perloff was an active general manager of Universal Records’ tape division and later Universal One Stop in Philadelphia. He oversaw the staff, inventory, sales, and quality control procedures of the tape division, and the company purchased vinyl his records and tapes from record labels and sold them to independent music retailers.
He helped Universal grow from a regional music distributor to a national presence connecting the major labels and independent retailers that were important to sales at the time. He mentored salespeople, buyers, label reps, and more, helping transform Universal into a one-stop, full-service his supplier for music retailers of all kinds.
“He raised a generation of music people in Philadelphia,” said a colleague in a tribute.
Recorded music distribution was particularly competitive in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and Perloff was known as one of the industry’s most successful operators. “He was a legend with a crazy drive for business,” said a friend and former colleague of his in a Facebook tribute.”No one was more aggressive than Bobby Parloff.”
Universal has been recognized as a top distributor several times by the National Association of Record Dealers and is a regular participant at the company’s annual convention for independent retailers and local and regional sales representatives in Philadelphia. had many participants. In July 1996, Billboard columnist Ed Christman wrote:
Stories of how Mr. Perloff influenced the people he met during his time at Universal flooded Facebook after his death. There is one account in which he listed important and less important industry insiders for the new staff of the Record Merchandisers Association of America, and she later noted that he jokingly listed major competitors. I found – important columns.
Another former colleague recalled how Perloff shared strategies for getting better deals with record companies. “Shake your head when their rep is pitching a release,” said one colleague, whose advice was. still feel important,” he said.
“He was more than a boss,” the former colleague said in a tribute. “He was a friend.” Another said, “Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am today without Bob.”
Mr. Perloff previously worked as a salesman for Dot Records and won a national sales contest in 1967. “He was a straight shooter and had all the good qualities imaginable. He was a special man.”
After retirement, for years, Perov met with old friends and colleagues every week for breakfast and dinner and to reminisce about the past. Part of their ruse has been to poke each other over past disputes: Perloff said in 2008, referring to a friend sitting next to him at a rally, that he “put him out of business.” . “I still feel [bad] about the whole thing. ’ replied his friend.
» Read more: Perloff and his colleagues shared memories at this 2008 gathering.
Born in Philadelphia on June 4, 1932, Robert Perloff grew up in Logan, served in the Army, and married Geraldine Segal in 1957. The two lived in northeastern Philadelphia and had a son, Jay, and a daughter, Sue. His wife and son died earlier.
Mr Perloff played tennis all his life, enjoyed all kinds of music and loved to hold courts on the boardwalk in Ventner. He chased basketball for the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, and Villanova, and rode his stationary bike for hours.
He liked to challenge his friends to do push-ups and pull-ups and was known to send texts filled with holiday emojis. Told. [his] photograph. “
his daughter said: he had time for everyone. he was the best ”
In addition to his daughter, Perlov has three grandchildren and other relatives.
Service was January 10th.
Donations in his name can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105 and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, PO Box 5028 Hagerstown, Md. 21741.
