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The
the
Record °f
Club Is Here
Plan Adopted by Jordan Marsh Co.,
of Boston, Has Proven Most Suc-
cessful in Increasing Record Sales
By CARROLL E. PELLISSIER
Arthur Martel
I
N spite of all the talk to the contrary, the
public does like to have things chosen for
them. Note for example the popularity of
the so-called "Book of the Month" clubs,
where a group of literary lights make a choice
of a certain book each month and recommend
it to the club members who in turn purchase it
on that recommendation.
The Jordan Marsh Co., of Boston, Mass., has
taken the same idea and has adapted it to the
sale of phonograph records. In the three months
that the plan has been in force it has scored a
remarkable success. Even the initial offering
found favor with the public to an extent not
anticipated and the growth has shown a steady
increase over each succeeding month.
The plan used by the Jordan Marsh Co. is as
simple as it is effective. They offer what is
known as "The Record-of-the-Week Club."
Members of this club merely signify their desire
to have the "Record-of-the-Week" sent to their
homes each week. They are not under any
compulsion to take this record if it does not
meet their approval nor are they obligated to
take records every week unless it meets their
full approval. All records are interchangeable
and may be returned for cash or credit. All
the club members do is to give the company
permission to send them, at their homes, the
selected record each week.
In a plan of this sort the judge is most im-
portant. He must be a person who is well-
known in the community and whose ability in
music criticism is beyond question. In other
words the public must have confidence in his
ability. The Jordan Marsh Co. was particularly
fortunate in the choice of a judge. His name
is Arthur Martel, popular organist of the Metro-
politan Theatre in Boston.
Mr. Martel is well known to Rostonians, not
only as a theatre organist, but as a radio artist
as well. His programs of request music have
gone on the air over all the local radio stations.
Thousands of letters have piled in on him from
all sections of the country. He is not only a
producer of good music but a teacher as well.
Many of his pupils are already accomplished
musicians in their own right. He has not con-
fined his talents to Boston alone, but has ap-
peared at the organs of some of the finest
theatres in the country, in New York, Chicago,
Detroit and other cities.
Being so well known and so universally liked,
Mr. Martel makes an excellent man to have as
a judge, and so once a week he makes his selec-
tion of what he honestly thinks is the best
record to appear that week. Only one side of
the record is selected and featured, although of
course, the other side is mentioned. Four other
records are chosen as being good as well as
the one that is featured.
On Thursday of each week the selections are
announced and on Friday the records are de-
livered to the club members. The management
reports that very few of these records are ever
exchanged. Many of the club members have
not only the feature record of the week sent
them but one or more of the others that are
named. In fact approximately half of the mem-
bership take all five records each week, a sur-
prising statement, yet true.
No particular make of record is featured-
One week it might be a Brunswick, another
week a Victor, and the next a Columbia. In
fact the five selections are pretty much mixed
up, the point being that they are chosen on
merit, not name.
The membership of this club is made up,
for the most part, of people who do not, ordi-
narily, get into the city to hear these records
played at the store. The manager is very en-
thusiastic about the club and intends to see to
it that it becomes a permanent fixture. It does
not in any way interfere with his regular record
sales, in fact he is sure that the records sold
through the club system would not have been
sold if the club were non-existent. It really
provides a new source of sales that shows every
indication of growing into large proportions 'ere
many months have passed. If it were to in-
crease no more than it is at the present time
it would be still very much worth-while.
Only for a very short period of time did the
club show a decline. That was during the early
part of September. At this time the manager
thought the club was going to fizzle out, but
he had confidence in the idea and kept at it.
Within a week the membership started to pick
up again and the momentary lapse did no dam-
age whatsoever. This falling off he attributes
to the return of the vacationists. Now they are
back home again the club continues to show a
healthy increase each week.
The promotion activities of this club were
not very extensive. A small newspaper ad of
about 140 lines double column was used once
a week, and continues to be used, to announce
the selections. Each week a circular is mailed
to a selected mailing list also announcing the
record selections and giving a few brief point-
ers on what the club is and its function. On
the bottom is a membership blank that may be
torn off and mailed in asking to have the
Record-of-the-Week selection sent to them. At
the bottom they are to indicate, by a check
mark, if they want it charged, C. O. D. or cash.
11
A few signs in the department, much the same
as the body of the circular, is the extent of
the advertising of this club. The mailing list
is chosen from the names of all those who pur-
chase records at one time or another in the
department. The circularizing does not cover
the whole mailing list of the store. It is ex-
pected that this list might be used later to send
out brief notices in the form of inserts with
the monthly statements.
The records, to date, have been restricted t<>
dance music and popular selections in the
seventy-five cent class. The management finds
• m m m m m i
enroll today in Jordan's
Record-of-the-Week Club
Arthur Martel
Popuiar Or&anist
of the
Metropolitan Theatre
selects for this week
OX REVERSE SIDE.
Eye* that Wanna make Eye*
4510
B«n Btrnit and Orchestra
A Sit . . . . by a ftreat band
1.
2.
3.
Brunswick
Other Selections
Me Queres? (Do you love me)
22084
Victor
R u d y V a l l « and O r c h e . t r .
smooth . . . . v e r y Vallee
Beautiful
22086
Victor
Henry Bun* and Orchestra
Catchy tune with vocal refrain
The World'* Greateit Sweetheart is You
Paul Specht and Orchestra
Columbia
1 9 4 3
Very tuneful and easy to danc* to
4.
Jun&le Mama — Dofc Bottom
4450
Brunswick
The Junfrle Band
To each member we will send, once each week, on Friday, a new 75c
dance record (charged or sent C. O. D.) . . . An outstanding hit
personally selected by Arthur Martel, popular organist of the
Metropolitan Theatre . . . yonr membership in this club
may be discontinued at any time . . . or the weekly
record exchanged, if not satisfactory.
MEMBERSHIP
BLANK
JORDAN MARSH COMPANY, BOSTON
Please send Record-of-the-Week Club selection to *
Na
Addrtu
City
Charge
Q
75 C .
JORDAN MARSH
One of the Announcements
this type of record best adapted to club use as
the cost is small and this type of record by far
the most universally popular with their cus-
tomers.