Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 11, 1920
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
45
REVIEW
CARLOAD SHIPMENT OF GRAFONOLAS
DEALERS
Haverty-Rustin Furniture Co. Features Receipt
of Carload Consignment of Columbia Ma-
chines With Interesting Parade
If Talking Machine Dealers Find It Worth While to Exhibit at County Fairs They Should Do
So in a Proper Manner and Carry on an Educational Campaign to Win Customers
September 7.—The local wholesale
branch of the Columbia Graphbphone Co. re-
cently received an interesting letter from R. L.
Templeman, assistant manager of the Haverty-
Rustin Furniture Co., Columbia dealer at Co-
lumbia, S. C, relative to a carload shipment of
Columbia Grafonolas received by this success-
ATLANTA, GA.,
The Carload Shipment of Grafonolas
ful dealer. This was one of three carloads
which were forwarded to the Haverty Furni-
ture Co. at Charleston, S. C, and Savannah,
Ga., which are owned by the same interest as
the Haverty-Rustin Furniture Co.
Mr. Templeman and his staff utilized the
arrival of the carload shipment as the basis for
timely publicity, and in his letter to the Colum-
bia branch he stated as follows:
"We received this car on the 20th inst., loaded
all the Grafonolas on trucks, of which it took
seven, placed Columbia banners on the two
leading trucks and paraded them through the
business section of our city. They attracted
quite a bit of attention and we have heard many
favorable remarks regarding this display. We
lined these trucks up in front of the State capi-
tol, and had a photographer take a picture. We
are going to have an electrotype made of it,
also the freight carload with banners on, and
use this picture in a page advertisement."
DEATH OF JAS. S. HOLMES, SR.
Father of Vice-President of Remington Phono-
graph Corp. Passes Away in 88th Year
The death is announced of James S. Holmes,
Sr., father of James S. Holmes, Jr., vice-presi-
dent and general manager of the Remington
Phonograph Corp., and grandfather of Everett
H. Holmes, sales manager of that concern.
Mr. Holmes was in his eighty-eighth year and
was widely known as a manufacturer of jew-
elry. He was descended from Thomas Holmes,
who surveyed Philadelphia for William Penr,
also from William Morris, a signer of the Dec-
laration of Independence.
C. E. GOODWIN JRETURNS TO DESK
CHICAGO, III., September 3.—C. E. Goodwin,
manager of The Phonograph Co.'and promi-
nent Edison jobber, returned to this city last
week following an extended trip, including a
visit to the Edison Laboratories " at Orange,
N. J., on August 24. He returned by way of
Saratoga and Windsor. Mr. Goodwin expressed
some dissatisfaction concerning the discounting
of Canadian money, but is hopeful that the mat-
ter eventually will be corrected.
The dealer should consider the effect upon
the customer produced by the interior of his
store, just as he considers the effect of this
or that display in the show window.
As the season for the annual county and State such as is heard at Summer resorts along the
fairs draws near, talking machine dealers in all coast and in the mountains in concerts, recitals
parts of the country are making plans to ex- and the like, seems to find no place at the county
ploit their various lines at these gatherings. fair. The reason for this is not quite clear. It
From reports received from a large number of would seem that the plan ought to work the
dealers, the plans this year will be more elab- other way around, and that people who go away
orate than ever and call for demonstrations for amusement in the Summer would naturally
which will mean much for the industry if prop- look for light, jazzy music at the resorts, but
erly handled. But members of the industry who it will be found that some of our greatest artists
have its best interests at heart sound a note of appear at these places and appear before en-
warning at this point. They say that while in thusiastic audiences which number many thou-
years past the talking machine has had its place sands.
The attendance at a State or county fair is
at these county and State fairs, the presentation
has not been made in the best way. It is now very similar to that at the Summer resorts and
the aim of the talking machine manufacturer to good music would appeal to them as well as it
place his product on the plane of a real musical does to the latter. Dealers who are now laying
instrument—a plane where it rightly belongs. their plans should realize their duty to the music
National advertising and propaganda of all kinds industry and should plan to have exhibits which
have been used to educate the general public to will appeal to the real music loving class of the
appreciate the talking machine and to realize people as well as to the class which likes the
the benefits which it holds in store for them. popular music of the day. It would be entirely
In former years county fairs and State gath- possible to have concerts by record artists, as
erings have been, the mecca for thousands of has been done in most of the cities in the coun-
people and a noticeable feature of these events try in the past year or two. The exhibits them-
has always been the music. Unfortunately this selves should be designed on a scale of dignity
music has as a rule been confined largely to in keeping with the ideals of the music industry
blaring bands, and loud, harsh instruments play- and every effort should be made to create the
ing nothing but the latest thing in jazz, or what impression that the talking machine is distinctly
corresponded to it before the present jazz craze a musical instrument, and as such has a place
got such a following. The better class of music, of its own.
THE NEW EDISON IN THE MOVIES
Organist of Empress Theatre in Philadelphia
Plays Accompaniment to New Edison—Feat
Creates Marked Attention—Newspaper Ad-
vertising Follow-up Brings in Good Results
PHILADELPHIA, PA., Sept. 7.—Manager Bovard,
of Bovard & Sons, tells of his novel advertising
plan, featuring the New Edison, as follows:
"We have made arrangements with the Em-
press Theatre, which is one of the largest in
Philadelphia, and is under the direction of the
Stanley Co. of America, to demonstrate and fea-
ture the Edison. Cornelius Keeney, the ener-
getic manager of the theatre, is a recent owner
of a William and Mary Edison. It is largely his
enthusiasm for his own instrument along with
our personal friendship which has made him de-
vote his valuable advertising space and ability
as an expert advertising man to our benefit.
"The Empress Theatre seats about 2,000 peo-
ple, and gives three performances daily and four
on Saturday. They have one of the best or-
ganists in Philadelphia and he plays an organ
accompaniment with singing Re-creations on
the Edison.
"In advertising Mr. Keeney gives us two
slides on the screen, slides which we received
from the Girards, our jobbers. Also advertis-
ing space on his program, of which he prints
5,000 weekly; on his floaters, 10,000 weekly, and
in his newspaper advertising, which reaches 40,-
000 readers. This week is the first week of our
campaign and everyone is talking Edison. How
they were deceived! People thought actual per-
sonages were singing. We started our demon-
strations a little different from the usual. For the
first three days we played the Edison and organ
without any advertising whatsoever. This
started people talking about the unusual musical
attractions at the Empress. They thought they
were actual humans singing and would ask at
the box office who the singers were. They
would be told that Albert Lindiquest, the great
American tenor, sang Tosti's 'Good-by,' and
Marie Rappold, accompanied by Albert Spald-
ing, sang and played the 'Ave Maria.'
"On Wednesday we broke loose with all our
advertising. The newspapers came out on this
day and we published programs, showed slides
and set off all our advertising fireworks, to show
the people they actually labored under a de-
lusion for three days. We believe the psychol-
ogy of this method helped us in this instance.
"We have certainly started a wave of valuable
comment and our demonstration is becoming
common discussion in which all are so interested
that it is talked of on corners and at different
gatherings.
"We have fixed up our window, using the Anna
Case and J. Montgomery Flagg centerpiece and
having a special sign printed which tells the
people they need not feel embarrassed if they
were deceived, and if they haven't attended the
Empress to go there with an open mind and treat
themselves to a realism test."
LEONARD ANNOUNCES NEW ARRIVAL
Congratulations are being received by Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas J. Leonard, of Orange, N. J.,
who have announced the arrival of a fine baby
girl on August 29.
Mr. Leonard, who is general sales manager
at the Edison Laboratories, has for many years
enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the
trade and his many friends have been keeping
him quite busy acknowledging their felicitations.
A VICTIM 0FJ10TEL FIRE
PORTLAND, ORE., September 3.—John Jenny, in
charge of the phonograph repair department of
the Wiley B. Allen Co., this city, was caught in
the fire which gutted the Elton Court Hotel
here this week, and was so badly burned that
he died from the effects the next day. His two
brothers escaped from the blaze with slight
injury.
It pays the dealer to take interest in the ef-
forts, municipal and otherwise, to improve the
surroundings of his store. Anything that im-
proves your street is bound to improve your
business as well.