In those days gramophones and records were luxury items owned mostly by the rich and powerful, or else by drinking establishments and clubs. Platters in circulation were mostly in the genres of Western classical and Japanese traditional music, or traditional songs from the Chinese mainland.
當時留聲機及唱片屬於奢侈品（留聲機一台價格 20 ∼ 100 日圓，唱片一張 1 ∼ 3 日圓不等，而一般政府雇員月薪約為 6 ∼ 31 日圓），購買者多為富人、高官或酒家、俱樂部等，流通的唱片以西洋古典樂、日本邦樂（指三味線、長唄、義太夫節等傳統音樂）及大陸傳統戲曲為主。