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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
F. K. DOLBEERJTO BE MANAGER.
CLOSING DUBUQUE STORE.
COLUMBIA CO. BRIEFLETS.
Former Manager of Phonograph Sales for
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., to Have. Charge of
Business of New Company, Which Will Enter
New York as Jobbers of Edison Goods—Suc-
ceeded by A. C. Ireton with Edison Co.
Harger &. Blish, Dubuque, la., Store to Close
Owing to Ill-Health of B. M. Harger—No Ef-
fect on Edison Phonograph Jobbing Business
in Des Moines—H. H. Blish in Active Charge.
Important New Agencies Announced—Some
Late Advertising of Interest—Pleased with
Progress of Educational Department—New
Edition of "Music Money"—News of Week.
(Special to The Review.)
Frank K. Dolbeer, for a number of years man-
DUBUQUE, IA., March 30.—Plans have now been
ager of phonograph sales for Thomas A. Edi- completed for the closing out of the retail piano
son, Inc., and prominent in the trade throughout
business of Harger & Blish, in this city, owing to
the country, has resigned for the purpose of he-
the ill health of B. M. Harger, who was in charge
coming manager of the new company now being-
of the store, and the inability of H. H. Blish, ow-
organized by Chicago and New York capitalists,
ing to the demands of the big Edison jobbing busi-
for the purpose of entering New York City as
ness in Des Moines, to give the store his personal
jobbers of Edison goods. The name of the new attention.
corporation has not yet been decided upon, but will
Mr. Harger expects to pass his seventy-fifth year
be settled upon within a few days.
next month, and has spent over fifty years in ac-
As recently announced in The Review, the new tive business. His health began to fail about two
years ago, and last October his physicians ordered
company has taken a long lease on the building at
him to give up business. He has been living in
473 Fifth avenue and will take possession about
California ever since, enjoying a well-earned rest.
May 1. It is expected that alterations will be made
The Edison jobbing business of Harger & Blish
and stock installed in time for opening the quar-
was transferred from this city to Des Moines
ters to the retail trade about August 1. It is esti-
about five years ago and has since that time met
mated that the alterations and fittings will cost
with great success, especially since the placing of
about $50,000.
the new Edison disc phonographs on the market.
The company has already secured a warehouse
The business last year more than doubled that of
at 443 Broadway, running through to Mercer street
and containing 10,000 square feet of floor space, any previous year, with the result that Mr. Blish
and expects to be in readiness to do business there finds it all he can do to look after it properly. He
is assisted by his son, H. H. Blish, Jr.
within a week or so.
The discontinuance of the local business will in
A. C. Ireton, for some years assistant to Mr.
no way affect either the Des Moines or Sioux City
Dolbeer, will succeed him as manager of phono-
stores of the company.
graph sales with Thomas A. Edison, Inc.
SALE OF KEErWPHONE STOCK
BENJ. SWITKY BERMUDA BOUND.
By Gimbel Bros., New York, This Week—Fifty
Per Cent. Cut in Retail Prices.
Prominent Distributor to Visit Talking Machine
Man's Haven of Rest.
'Ihe talking-machine department of the New
York store of Gimbel Bros., Thirty-third street and
Sixth avenue, announced in this week's newspapers
that it had purchased the entire stock of the Keen-
O-Phone Co., Philadelphia, Pa., consisting of about
4,000 machines and several thousand Keen-O-Phone
records. These machines and records were placed
on sale Monday at prices which represented a cut
of 50 per cent, off the price which the products
were originally offered at retail. Large advertise-
ments with numerous illustrations served to an-
nounce the sale in an impressive manner, and both
the machine and record sales to date have been
very gratifying.
Benj. Switky, the prominent Victor distributor
of 9 West Twenty-third street, New York, accom-
panied by Mrs. Switky and their two children,
sailed for Bermuda on Wednesday of this week
for a vacation of several weeks. In view of the
number of members of the local trade who have
visited Bermuda during the past couple of months
it would appear that the name of the resort should
be changed to "The Talking Machine Man's
Haven of Rest."
GIVES ELABORATE RECITAL.
The Victor Co. sent out to its trade this week
its usual list of well-conceived publicity, including
the April supplement, two hangers for this sup-
plement, copies of the April magazine advertising
and supplements of new German, Italian, Swedish,
Norwegian and Polish records.
These foreign record supplements are very valu-
able to the Victor dealer, as this division of the
talking machine business is fast assuming impos-
ing proportions in sections of the country which
never recognized the possibilities of this field until
a year ago. Many Victor dealers have assigned
one salesman to devote himself exclusively to the
development of foreign record trade, believing that
this is the logical way of increasing a profitable
division of their record business.
Fred H. Ponty Features Victrola and Edison
Disc Machines and Other Instruments in His
Line at Elaborate Affair Held in His Recently
Opened Store in Port Chester, N. Y.
(Special to The Review.)
PORT CHESTER, N. Y., March 30.—Fred H. Pon-
DEVELOPING JFOREIGN TRADE
Victor Literature That Will Stimulate Interest
in This Branch of the Business.
ty, the well-known piano and talking machine
dealer of this city, attracted much attention to his
• business last week through the medium of an elab-
orate musicale, at which a number of prominent
artists from New York appeared. The lengthy
program consisted of piano and violin solos, vocal
selections and grand opera gems by famous stars
through the medium of the Victrola and the Edi-
son disc phonograph. The musicale was given in
AGAIN IN HARNESS.
the afternoon and repeated in the evening, and on
both occasions the recital parlor in the store was
Chester Beekman, of the traveling staff of the
crowded by a select gathering of local music lov-
New York Talking Machine Co., 81 Chambers
ers.
street, New York, Victor distributer, resumed his
From the interest displayed in the music, fur-
work on Wednesday of this week, after a month's
nished by the Victor and Edison machines, the mu- absence from his territory pending his convales-
sicale will result in a number of profitable sales.
cence from an operation for appendicitis. Mr.
Beekman was given a hearty welcome.
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., will make a very
handsome display of talking machines and records
An automatic starter for talking machines has
at the First National Efficiency Exposition and
been invented by H. B. Fitzgerald, of Caldwell, N.
Conference, which will be held at the Grand Cen- J., who expects the new invention to retire the
tral Palace from April 4 to 11.
noisy alarm clocks to the scrap heap.
The past week has been an unusually busy one
for the wholesale department of the Columbia
Graphophone Co., a number of valuable new
agencies having been added to the company's fast-
growing lists. These new representatives are lo-
cated in all parts of the country, but in near-by
territory in particular several important deals have
just been closed. The L. D. Van Wagenen Co.,
Kingston, N. Y., one of the best-known depart-
ment stores in this part of the State, is now han-
dling Columbia products and planning to institute
an aggressive campaign for Columbia machines
and records. Other new Columbia accounts in-
clude Homar R. S. Klock, a well-known piano
dealer of Stamford, Conn.; William S. Denton,
Newark, N. J., and Cowperthwait's, the promi-
nent local furniture house with two stores in busy
shopping centers. This concern is constructing
numerous booths for the proper display of Colum-
bia products.
The next advertisement in the Saturday Even-
ing Post featuring Columbia products will appear
April 18 and will be devoted to six Columbia
records which the company's books show are the
best sellers in the Columbia catalog at the present
time. Dance records, accordeon solos and popular
vocal selections are included in these six records.
The machine to be shown in this advertisement
will be the popular $75 "Leader."
The executive officers of the Columbia Co. were
advised this week that Irby W. Reid, the popular
manager of the company's store in St. Louis, was
being congratulated on the arrival of twin baby
girls. Needless to state, this happy event adds
two more Columbia enthusiasts to St. Louis' fast-
growing population.
The Columbia advertising department has just
ordered a revised edition of "Music Money," one
of the most successful pieces of publicity matter
ever introduced. This book explains to dealers in
detail just how they can make money out of
their talking machine department, emphasizing the
manner in which the live-wire piano dealer can
utilize his talker department to the advantage of
his piano business in addition to making substantial
profits from the sale of machines and records.
Frederic E. Goodwin, head of the Columbia
Co.'s educational department, is well-pleased with
the progress that his department is making. In a
chat with The Review, Prof. Goodwin remarked
that the new "Leader" machine at $75 is proving
a prime favorite with educational authorities, vic-
ing in popularity with the "Favorite," which is to
be found in school-rooms throughout the country.
EFFECTIVE DITSON ADVERTISING.
One of the most attractive Victor advertise-
ments that has appeared recently in the daily
newspapers was that used this week by Charles H.
Ditson & Co., 8 East Thirty-fourth street, New
York, the well-known musical instrument housei
whose Victrola department has been steadily en-
larged to handle a fast-growing trade.
This advertisement took cognizance of the wide-
spread demand for dance records, and, in addition
to an appropriate cut, mentioned the various
dances, such as the maxixe, hesitation, tango and
Boston, by name under the heading, "A Victrola
for Every Home." The different models of Vic-
trolas were featured with their respective style
numbers and prices and attention was called to
some of the most important records in the new
April list. As a whole the text in this advertise-
ment was interesting and convincing and well cal-
culated to produce excellent results, in addition to
forming strong publicity.