Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
With ike Makers and Sellers of Talking Machines
THE CONDITION OF TRADE.
Reports from All Departments of the Industry
Are cf the Cheeriest.
modest fortune from a shoestring, but at one
time was a crack bicycle rider. Talking ma-
chines, bikes and real estate are his specialties.
GREAT ACTIVITY IN BOSTON.
It is almost a work of supererogation to speak
of the condition of trade or quote opinions to
prove the point. Manufacturers and jobbers are
rushed with orders, and the latter complain of
their difficulty in getting goods sufficient to meet
the demands of their trade. Dealers are in the
same pleasant frame of mind, though the selling
season, from their standpoint, has not fully
opened, consequently they expect a splendid busi-
ness not only up to and through the holidays,
but beyond. Road salesmen were never busier,
and their orders are large and reports of the
rosiest possible character.
Edison and Victors in Siegel's New Store—
Houghton & Dutton's New Department—
Fine
Edison
Display—Manager
Bobzin's
Good Report—Business Doubled.
(Special to The Review.)
Boston, Mass., Oct. 17, 1905.
The talking machine business in Boston seems
to be expanding more and more every month.
The volume of business is greater and every
month there seems to be more warerooms.
In the big new department store of Henry
Siegel Co. the talking machine department is
given a very attractive location. The Edison and
Victor machines are handled and the business
PAUL H. CROMELIN BACK FROM TRIP.
since the store opened has been especially good.
Paul H. Cromelin, vice-president of the Co- The department is under the management of
lumbia Phonograph Co., general. New York, who Sol Bloom, the music publisher.
The talking machine department at the store
returned from a fortnight's trip to the Bermudas
a week ago. in speaking of his journey to The of Houghton & Dutton has been removed to a fine
location at the corner of the building, where the
Review, said:
"I had a delightful time, and in going away it windows can be seen from a long distance in
was my intention not only to take a perfect rest, four different directions. The store is managed
but also to get away from business cares and for- by the Boston branch of the Columbia Phono-
get all about the graphophone. But it seemed graph Co., and has proven very successful. Plenty
impossible, for as noon as I landed on the Islands of space has been given it, and the instruments
the first thing I heard was the reigning popular lr.ake a very fine showing. There are a number
song, 'Everybody Works But Father,' being of light, airy demonstration rooms enclosed in
played by a graphophone. Then I threw both glass, and, altogether, the department is an ideal
hands up. You can't get away from tue grapho- one.
Large photographs of Thomas A. Edison and a
phone, no matter in what part of the globe you
may be. Reduction of prices on ten-incn records? fine display of the Edison instruments are fea-
Nothing of the kind contemplated. We have the tures of the window display at the remodeled
greatest difficulty in keeping up with orders now, store of the Eastern Talking Machine Co. There
and why should prices be lowered? The trade is seems to be aoout four times as much room there
always informed in due time whenever a change than thero was before. The front of the building
of any kind, in which the trade are interested, is very attractive and in very good taste. The
use of plenty of glass makes the interior very
has been decided upon by the Columbia Co."
light and pleasant. Manager Taft reports an in-
creasing sale of Edison machines and records,
SIGNS OF PROSPERITY.
particularly on high-grade goods.
The Victor talking machine department at
As a sign of the times and how business is ex-
panding the American Record Co., manufactur- Oliver Ditson Co.'s doubled the amount of busi-
ers of the famous "blue records that beat the ness in September of this year over that of last
band," have ordered 25 new presses on a hurry- year. "It's the best department in the store,"
up order for their plant at Springfield, Mass.; the declares Manager Bobzin, "and we never have a
Universal Talking Machine Manufacturing Co., kick from a customer about the Victor machine
or its records. The new improvements have made
of Zon-o-phone celebrity, twenty for immediate
the Victor sell better than ever."
delivery for their pressing establishment in
Newark, N. J., and the Leeds & Catlin Co., pro- M. A. Tenney has opened a fine large store at
ducers of the popular "Imperial" records, have 25 Holland street, Somerville, where he carries
purchased 50 presses on a jump for their factory the Edison and the Victor instruments. He has
an excellent demand for records, because the
at Middletown,- Conn. This special machinery is
Boston Traveler has placed hundreds of talking
all made by the Watson-Stillman Co.. New York.
machines in this district by its subscription plan,
and new records go "like hot cakes." Mr. Tenney
PERSONAL AND PERTINENT.
is much pleased with the trade he is getting on
W. E. Gilmore, president of the National machines for the home.
Phonograph Co., left New York for Chicago
The Bettini Phonograph Co. have recently is-
Wednesday on the "Twentieth Century Limited."
Special business is the motive, and a quick re- sued a very attractive folder, showing an inex-
turn. President Gilmore is one of the command- pensive record cabinet suitable for cylinder and
ing figures in the trade; in fact, is referred to by disc records.
his many admirers—and these embrace men of
the opposition as well—as the "John D. Rocke-
feller of the line" for acumen and quick action.
Anything'
Elbridge R. Johnson, president of the* Victor
Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J.. is back from
his European trip and again in harness. Trade
gossip is to the effect that the Victor Co. will
make an announcement of the utmost importance
within a few weeks.
Pat Powers, Buffalo, N. Y., who is spoken of as
one of the smartest men in the trade, both as a
jobber and dealer, was in New York this week on
a brief visit, Mr. Powers has not only made a
Everything'
in
TALKING
MACHINES
Wholesale
VAN BUREN ST.
James I. Lyons, 192-194 E. CHICAGO
WILL DELIVER ADDRESSES.
Prominent
Dayton
Manufacturer
Devises
Scheme of Reaching His Agents Throughout
the Country Through the Talking Machine—
Heart to Heart Talks Possible.
(Special to The Review.)
Dayton, O., Oct. 18, 1905.
The use of the talking machine in the sphere
of commerce is steadily broadening and leading
business men are not only utilizing it in their
offices for purposes of dictation, but John H. Pat-
erson, president of one of the largest manufac-
turing concerns in this city, has devised a plan
which is certain to be simulated by other large
manufacturers throughout the United States. He
proposes, through the machine, to talk directly at
least once a month to every one of the agents
selling the product of his factory throughout
the United States.
Sitting in his office in Dayton, this busy manu-
facturer will deliver addresses on different phases
of the business. These will be kept on the talk-
ing machine records and will later be relayed
by the machine to the ears of agents throughout
out country.
The talking machine will get in its greatest
work at the conventions where once each year
in the large cities of the country the agents
of a given district meet. It has been the cus-
tom of the company to have a number of officials
from the Dayton headquarters attend each of
these conventions, and lecture to the agents,
explaining new points, giving suggestions about
the work and making "ginger" talks to inspire
the men with a spirit of hustle and determina-
tion. A trip around the circuit of the conven-
tions lasting six weeks was too irksome for
one man. Hence the president began wonder-
ing what arrangement he could make to secure
the same results with less labor and time.
He could not bring all the agents to Dayton
each year, nor would a personal representative
quite take his place. Finally he thought of the
talking machine. That would reproduce his own
words in his own voice. Immediately he set
about to put the scheme into effect, and at all
the coming conventions President Patterson and
other officials of his company will address the
salesmen through this medium. He has thus
solved the old problen* of inability to attend
more than one meeting at the same time, for
he will often be speaking at two or three con-
ventions the same day, and just as many times
will be delivering a different speech at each
place.
CUT IN PRICE OF "BLUE RECORDS."
The cut in 10-inch "blue records," the kind that
"soothe the savage bre*ast," has created a stir in
the trade. What the other companies will do is
only conjectured, but every one interested seems
to have a guess coming, and their views are be-
ing fully aired.
JENKINS CO.'S INVITATION CONCERTS.
The J. W. Jenkins Sons' Music Co., of Kansas
City, have been attracting large crowds to the
establishment by the inauguration of a series
of talking machine concerts, at which the audi-
ence has enthused over the magnificent singing
of Sembrich, Melba, Eamies, Campanari, and
other artists of that class heard through the
medium of the Victor talking machine.
Last month the Douglas Phonograph Co., New
York, placed an order with the National Phono-
graph Co. amounting to $54,000, and for imme-
diate delivery. This is said to be the largest
single order ever placed with the N. P. Co.