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68
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
JUNE 15, 1918
USING MANUFACTURERS' SERVICE
EQUIP THE WONDER-
FUL "RESURRECTONE"
oo all makes of machines
and attachments lor Hdisons. Improve their
tone and Increase the value of records.
Send for our Special Proposition
HOFFAY TALKING MACHINE CO., Inc.
3 Wcit 29th St.
New York City
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC TO MUSIC
The Value of the Talking Machine as a Means
of Teaching Greater Appreciation of Music
Pointed Out in Interesting Article
Hector Charlesworth, who has written a series
of articles on talking machine and player-piano
music for the Canadian Home Journal, in the
course of one of them emphasizes a thought
that is interesting. He says: "While in a small
Ontario town I noticed a large advertise-
ment announcing that records of Jascha Heifetz
could be procured from a local dealer. Less
than ten months ago the name of Heifetz was
unknown, even to the most noted musical critics
of New York. He came to America from Petro-
grad and gave a violin recital in that city about
the time of the first snowflakes. At once it was
recognized that a great star had risen in the
musical world, and his subsequent appearances
have created a furor wherever he has gone.
"But a decade ago such an incident would
have affected only a few large cities with halls
capable of containing the thousands that natu-
rally throng to hear a new and celebrated man
of genius. In a small town, such as the one I
mention, the idea that Heifetz would become
a personage so well known as to be the sub-
ject of lengthy advertisements in the local news-
papers would have been fantastic. Only a few
of the well-to-do, who might go on a journey,
could ever hope to hear him play the violin,
and his name would have been dismissed from
the mind of the average individual. It is not
overshooting the mark to say that ten years
ago the ordinary reader of a small town news-
paper would have been indifferent as to whether
Jascha Heifetz was an anarchist or a new kind
of mineral water. Now he is the possession of
the whole community. The sure barometer of
advertising expenditure shows that he has a
public everywhere, a public infinitely larger (who
will know him through the records, and prob-
ably sees his face) than the throngs who are
crowding to hear him in the large cities."
In the course of time, when a greater per-
centage of homes have talking machines, Mr.
Charlesworth thinks that some artists will find
it profitable to devote themselves exclusively to
the making of records and abandon public ap-
pearances altogether; just as certain lecturers
and educators have abandoned the rostrum and
do their teaching entirely by the correspondence
method.
"This is not likely to occur in the case of
any artist of first-rate talent," says the writer, in
conclusion, "for the very good reason that pub-
lic appearances in themselves, if successful, form
an advertisement for the records of an artist
of inestimable value. Yet the situation does
hold its possibilities for the singer who happens
to meet with misfortune other than the loss of
voice.
"Suppose that Caruso, just for instance, had
been young enough to have been drafted for
the Italian army, and had met with the loss of
his legs or with some hideous facial disfigure-
ment which precluded his ever appearing on
the stage again. He would, did his voice retain
its power, be able to continue to appeal to pop-
ular approval by making new records. The
same is true of every other noted singer of
either sex."
NEW INCORPORATION
The American Phonograph Co., Grand Rap-
ids, Mich., has been incorporated with capital
stock of $10,000 to manufacture musical instru-
ments. The incorporators are: Peter Meeuw-
sen, G- L. Dornbos and Cornelius Essenbager.
Talking Machine Dealers Should Make Full Use
of the Many Aids for Making Sales Furnished
Them by the Various Manufacturers
Talking machine dealers should be especially
eager at this time to avail themselves of all co-
operative service offered to them by the manu-
facturers whose goods they handle. The lead-
ing institutions of the industry have set a
pace, as far as window bulletin displays, mail-
ing circulars, electros for use in local advertis-
ing, poster cards, etc., are concerned, that is
probably the most elaborate and the most
brainy offered by any of the great American
industries. In fact, four and five colored pos-
ters, the handiwork of the finest artists and
printers in the country, have been so common
that many talking machine dealers have fre-
quently failed to appreciate their real value.
The reports compiled by several of the leading
manufacturers show that the percentage of
dealers who make extensive use of the service
provided for their benefit is not much over 50
per cent.
The main reason why dealers have not paid
greater attention to this service undoubtedly
lies in the fact that their business ran continu-
ously good without special exploitation of the
machines and records which they handled. But
at the present time, even though orders con-
tinue to be far in excess of the dealers' ability
to supply, it is important to make use of the
service which the manufacturers are offering.
In the first place, nobody knows better than
the manufacturer what he is going to be able
to supply as the war goes on. Therefore, his
service to the dealer will be largely built around
what he knows he is going to be able to produce
in the nearest to satisfying quantities. There-
fore, the dealer who utilizes and co-operates
with the manufacturers' service in war times
will truly be feathering his own nest.
In the second place, the service offered by
manufacturers is bound to be increasingly power-
ful as the war goes on. The prices on print-
ing have advanced not less than twenty per cent.,
on paper not less than fifty per cent., on postage
just fifty per cent., and on all the other mate-
rials used in the manufacturer's service to his
dealers in like proportion. Obviously this
means the cost of the free service supplied
by the manufacturer has gone up a total of
not less than fifty per cent. In the face of this
condition, the dealer can rest assured manu-
facturers are going to condense everywhere and
in any way possible. Expensive circulars, pos-
ters and bulletins are going to be supplied only
when there is a very pertinent message to
deliver. Novelties, decalcomanies, etc., for use
in interior and window displays are going to
be distributed with much care so that they are
put only in the hands of those who will make
fitting use of them. The slogan for dealers' ser-
vice is going to be "Make everything count."
This being so, the talking machine dealer should
pay particular attention, as in this way he may
keep his promotion overhead low, keep his store
in line with the policies expounded by the parent
manufacturer and steadily increase the pres-
tige his establishment enjoys in its home com-
munity. It is a time to eliminate all waste,
and there would be an obvious waste of a very
costly service and brain power should the dealer
fail to display the proper interest in what the
manufacturer is trying to do to help him while
our country is at war.
TALKERS FOR COOLIES IN FRANCE
Not only is the talking machine with its rec-
ords a friend of the allied soldiers in the trenches
on the Western front, and for that matter of
the enemy soldiers, but it appears that even
Chinese coolies, who are employed in large
numbers back of the French front, are also
strong admirers of that instrument. Talking
machine records in the Chinese language and
recordings of Chinese music have been sent to
France for the Chinese workers.
Increase Your
Income
Piano merchants, who
have not investigated
the talking machine
field, will find that the
subject is one of deep
interest to them and
they will also learn that
talking machines con-
stitute a line which can
be admirably blended
with piano selling.
The advance that has
been m a d e in this
special field has been
phenomenal and every
dealer w h o desires
s p e c i f ic information
concerning talking ma-
chines should receive
The Talking Machine
World regularly.
This is the only publi-
cation in A m e r i c a
devoted exclusively to
the interests of the talk-
ing machine, and each
issue contains a vast
fund of valuable in-
formation which the
talking machine job-
bers and dealers say is
worth ten times the cost
of the paper to them.
You can receive the
paper regularly at a cost
of $1.00 a year and we
know of no manner in
which $1.00 can be ex-
pended which will sup-
ply as much valuable
information.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
Publisher
373 Fourth Ave.
NEW YORK