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48
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
NEW POST FOR HENRY C. BROWN
EDISON DEALERS HOLD CONVENTION
DICTAPHONE SALES CONFERENCE
Former Advertising Manager of Victor Talking
Machine Co. Appointed Personal Assistant to
General Manager Louis F. Geissler
Phonographs, Inc., Edison Jobbers in Atlanta,
Ga., Entertain Local Dealers—Tone Test and
Banquet Given—Edison Officials Attend
More than 100 of Dictaphone Division of the
Columbia Co.'s Sales Staff Gather in New
York and Plan for New Year
CAM DEN, N. J., January 2.—Louis F. Geissler,
general manager of The Victor Talking Ma-
chine Co., announces the appointment effective
on January 1, of Henry C. Brown, as "assistant
to the general manager" of the Victor Co. Mr.
Brown, who will act as personal assistant to
Mr. Geissler, has been for a number of years
advertising manager of the company, and won
signal success in that capacity. His new post
will give him greater opportunity for the dis-
play of his abilities.
In commenting on the appointment Mr. Geiss-
ler said: "I feel sure that the appointment will
meet with the approval of our distributors and
the trade in general, and trust that a sufficient
relief from details will be thereby afforded me
to permit of better attention to all important
matters and the cultivation of a closer per-
sonal and business relationship with our repre-
sentatives."
ATLANTA, GA., January 1.—One of the most suc-
cessful dealer conventions of the past year was
that of the New Edison dealers of the Atlanta
Zone, held under the auspices of Phonographs,
Inc., Edison jobbers in this city. The recital hall
of the recently completed building of the com-
pany was the scene of the business sessions of
the convention, which was attended by about
forty dealers and a number of Edison officials
from Orange, N. J. The most important feature
of the gathering was the receipt of a telegram
from William Maxwell, second vice-president of
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., informing the d&alers
that arrangements have been made to meet all
present demands for records and additional
facilities planned to meet the rap'idly growing
increase in this branch of their business.
The convention was marked by a tone test
in which Julia Heinrich, soprano, late of the
Metropolitan Opera House, sang in direct com-
parison with the New Edison Re-Creation of
her voice. This affair was held at the Atlanta
Theatre, one of the leading playhouses of the
city, and was attended by the elite of Atlanta.
It brought forth the most enthusiastic praise
for the New Edison and the Atlanta Constitu-
tion, one of the best-known and most influential
journals of the South, in its criticism said
that the New Edison actually re-creates the hu-
man voice and the music of the human-played
instruments with such fidelity that the original
cannot be distinguished from the Re-Creation.
A banquet, given by Phonographs, Inc., at
the Hotel Winecoff, brought the convention to
an end.
More than one hundred members of the sales
staff of the Columbia Graphophone Co.'s Dicta-
phone division journeyed to New York this
week to attend a sales conference. The com-
pany had originally intended to play host to
those members of the sales force who achieved
the highest sales totals during the last three
months of the year. Each man had been given
a quota, which was set at a very high figure,
but when the returns were in, General Manager
Dorian, of the Dictaphone division, decided
that all of the men should participate in the
New York meeting, in view of the fact that
Dictaphone sales during October, November
and December reached record-breaking totals.
The plans for entertaining the sales staff were
in the hands of N. F. Milnor, general sales
manager, and he prepared a program which
gave the men no opportunity to feel lone-
some. On Wednesday afternoon the sales staff
had lunch at the Hofbrau House, followed by
a meeting. On Wednesday evening a beefsteak
dinner was given at Reisenweber's. Thursday
was given over to general conferences, at which
a number of important matters were discussed.
On Friday the program called for a visit to the
factory at Bridgeport, and in the evening 1 a
theatre party at the Century Opera House. On
Saturday the last meeting will be held followed
by a banquet at the Hotel McAlpin at which
all the company's executive staff will be present.
It is interesting to note that the Dictaphone
division closed in 1916 the most successful year
in its history, with December the biggest single
month.
FEATURING THE PATHEPHONE
"DIAMOND POINTS^FOR DECEMBER
Page Ad in Saturday Evening Post Part of Na-
tional Advertising Campaign to Be-Conducted
by Pathe Freres Phonograph Co.
Latest Issue of Edison House Organ Receiv-
ing Much Favorable Comment—New Line of
Historical Period Cabinets Announced
ORIGINAL IDEAS GET RESULTS
Watkin's Art Store Builds Up Pathephone De-
mand by Unusual Methods
BRIDGEPORT,
CONN.,
January
2.—A
splendid
example of the success that can be attained by
a phonograph store in a short period of time
is found in the Watkin's Art Store, at 1091
Broad street, which handles the products of the
Pathe Freres Phonograph Co., New York. This
An Attractive Pathe Window Display
store is owned and personally conducted by-
Mrs. Watkin, who has made a detail study of
the sales possibilities of the Pathephone and
Pathe discs.
Realizing the fact that her store was located
off the main business artery of the city, Mrs.
Watkin decided that it was necessary to in-
troduce some original ideas in order to stimu-
late business, and with this thought in view
worked out a number of publicity and sales
plans which have resulted very successfully.
Watkin's Art Store is closing a very fine Pathe
business, the demand for the more expensive
Pathephone models being particularly active.
The Pathe Freres Phonograph Co., New York,
carried a full page advertisement in the Decem-
ber 30 issue of the Saturday Evening Post
which was a splendid example of a combined
prestige and sales producing ad. This adver-
tisement featured the new Pathe record by
Lucien Muratore, the world-famous lyric tenor,
which is listed in the January supplement. A
photograph of Muratore' in costume gave a
personal touch to this section of the page. The
other half of the advertisement listed the new
Pathe records for January, and there is no
doubt but that the use of this list in a national
magazine will stimulate the sales of these rec-
ords and general Pathe business throughout
the country. The Pathe January list is represen-
tative of the remarkable strides that the Pathe
Co. has made the past year, as this list includes
recordings which are certain to meet with a
favorable reception everywhere.
The Pathe Freres Co. has completed plans for
an extensive 1917 national magazine campaign
which will doubtless produce many sales of
Pathephone and Pathe discs for the company's
representatives.
NEW INCORPORATION
BRUNSWICK SHOP OPENED
The Phono & Metal Products Co., Inc., was
incorporated last week with a capitalization of
$50,000 for the purpose of dealing in talking
machine supplies and metal products. The in-
corporators are J. A. Trim'ble, R. A. Barton and
C. Guden, of New York City.
The Brunswick Shop, handling the New
Brunswick phonograph, has been opened at 1205
Elm street, Dallas, Tex., with W. L. Weaver as
manager.
The St. John Drug Store, of Caney, Kansas,
has recently secured the agency for the Colum-
bia Grafonola.
The exceptionally attractive Christmas num-
ber of "Edison Diamond Points," one of the
house organs of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., pub-
lished in the interests of Edison dealers, is
bringing an unusually large number of compli-
mentary references from the trade. With a
strikingly seasonable cover, embellished with
red and green, and with frequent and appro-
priate references to Christmas throughout the
contests, it reflected the holiday spirit in a
most artistic and pleasing manner.
One of the most important features of the
issue was the announcement of the New Edi-
son line of historical Period Cabinets. De-
tailed descriptions of these superb instruments,
designed to sell from $1,000 to $6,000, were
given, together with photographic reproduc-
tions of the cabinets. A handsome new por-
trait of Anna Case, prima donna of the Metro-
politan Opera Company, was another feature
of the Christmas issue of "Edison Diamond
Points."
SPECIAL LIST OFjSROADWAY HITS
Successes From the Musical Comedies to Be
Announced as Soon as Received by Dealers
The Victor Talking Machine Co. has just is-
sued a January special list of popular hits, from
the Broadway musical shows, to be announced
by the dealers as soon as received, and thereby
enable them to profit by the cream of the de-
mand. The list includes numbers from "The
Big Show" at the Hippodrome, "So Long,
Letty," "Betty," "The Century Girl" and "The
Show of Wonders," at the Winter Garden, which
are representative of the music that Broadway
is whistling just now.