Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 19U
Combination
Business
Phonographs ... Records ...
Radio-Phonographs
Music Merchant Best Equipped
to do Successful Recording Business
That the music merchant has made an
oustanding success of the home recording
business is the statement of Warren Hase-
meier. sales manager of Wilcox-Gay
Corp., Charlotte. Mich., manufacturer of
the famous Recordio line. "The music
merchant is the most successful in selling
home recording as it seems that his sales
organization has been taught to sell
rather than take orders," he points out.
"To prove this point." he continued, "1
have in mind a small music dealer in a
town of 2500 population, which is below
the average in regard to purchasing pow-
er. This dealer purchased last season
$4750.00 worth of Recordios, net. and in
turn sold them at full profit. Another Re-
cordio dealer of the department store va-
riety in a town of 80,000 population, with,
above the average purchasing power, and
less than 30 miles away from the small
dealer, purchased less than $500.00 worth
net of Recordios last season.
"The reason for this is that the small
man goes out after the business. He real-
izes that home recording is new and every
customer is a prospect. He also is proud
of his merchandise and takes patience in
demonstrating to an individual just how
easy it is to make a recording.
"The department store salesmen were
too lazy to make a demonstration. They
preferred to wrap up a $9.91 package or
to sell a combination that had been dras-
tically reduced in price because all they
have to do is to embarrass the customer
by saying that the reduced unit is a swell
buy and that they, the customer, would
be foolish not to take advantage of it. This
is the average radio salesman's selling
talk, I believe."
Blank records have proven highly profit-
able for dealers selling home recording
equipment. Surprising many of the re-
tailers is the apparent fact that demand
for blanks is increasing faster than the
number of machines sold. Authorities tell
us that over half a million blanks were
sold last year and that this should be
doubled for 1941.
Recording needles also have brought
excellent profits to the dealer, with a con-
stant cash call from customers. Plain steel
needles, good for one record, sell at ten
for the dollar. Stellite needles at $1.50
each will cut longer and can be re-sharp-
ened for half a dollar or less. Most pro-
moted are the sapphire cutters at $5,
which are re-sharpened for a little over
a dollar.
RCA portable
recorder
A portable disc recording equipment
for cutting high quality instantaneous re-
cordings both in the radio studio and on
remote locations, has been announced by
the engineering products section of the
RCA Manufacturing Co. Although a qual-
ity instrument in all respects, the device
is compact enough to be enclosed in two
handy carrying cases when ready for mov-
ing. It is designed as Type OR-1.
Designed for years of service and built
to the same standards set for RCA's radio
studio equipment, the portable unit is a
complete recording channel, with the ex-
ception of a microphone. It consists of a
turntable, a record cutting attachment,
and an amplifier and loudspeaker unit.
The turntable and the amplifier-speaker
unit may be used together as a high-
quality record player.
The turntable unit consists of a 16-inch
aluminum turntable, rim-driven by a high
quality synchronous- motor. A unique
feature is the use of two rubber-tired
driver wheels (instead of the usual one)
between the motor shaft and the turntable
rim, thus virtually eliminating slippage.
Decca doubles
net profits
Decca Records, Inc. reports net profit
of $211,159 for the first quarter of 1941
ended March 31, after all charges and
Federal income taxes (at the 24 per cent,
rate), but before Federal excess profits
tax. This is equivalent to 56 cents per
share on 376,657 shares of capital stock
outstanding. Net profit for the similar
period of 1940 on the same basis
amounted to $105,159, equivalent to 28
cents per share on 374,991 shares of out-
standing capital stock.
21
Philco Meetings
in May and June
Philco's line of 1942 radios was in-
troduced at conventions in Atlantic City
May 29-31 and Del Monte, Cal., June 9-11.
Approximately 550 attended the Del
Monte convention at which distributors
from) the Northwest, Southwest. West
Central and Pacific Coast divisions will
be present. Philco's six eastern divisions
are expected to turn out about 850 for
for the Atlantic City session.
Launching of the new line is accom-
panied by an advertising and promotion
campaign of national scope, using every
available medium of publication as well
as radio. This program will break this
month and continue on an intensive scale
throughout the year.
As indication of the terrific radio mar-
ket in prospect, vice-president Sayre M.
Ramsdell cited the fact that Philco por-
table sales were up 200 per cent this
spring in comparison to 1940, an increase
matched by automobile radio orders.
One of the highlights of the conven-
tion program was the presentation of
Sales Manager's Trophy by Thomas A.
Kenally, general sales manager.
Speakers on the three-day program at
each convention included James T. Buck-
ley, president; Larry E. Grubb, executive
vice president; James Carmine, assistant
sales manager; Larry Hardy, manager
compact sales; John Gilligan, head of the
specialty division; C. E. Carpenter, man-
ager auto radio sales; W. Paul Jones,
vice president in charge refrigerator divi-
sion; Harry Boyd Brown, head of air con-
ditioning division, and Thomas A. Ken-
nally, general sales manager.
Decca buys
Brunswick radio
Jack Kapp, president Decca Records,
Inc., has announced the purchase from
Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. of all of
the capital stock of Brunswick Radio
Corporation, one of the Warner Brothers
Pictures, Inc. wholly owned subsidiaries.
The Brunswick Radio Corporation owns,
among other things, plant properties at
Dubuque, Iowa, and Muskegon, Michigan.
Radio Star at the Wurlitzer
Jane Froman, one of radio's brightest
stars, recently appeared at the Orpheum
Theatre, Minneapolis, Minn. During her
engagement there she visited the M. L.
McGinnis Piano Co.. and tried one of the
new Wurlitzer Spinettes which was on
display. Miss Froman echoed the reaction
of musicians everywhere when she told
Bob McGinnis, "I just love the touch of
this piano."