Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ADVERTISING DURING "BAD TIMES."
BADGER CO. JNOW CONTROLS
Writer in Printers' Ink Points Out How Prom-
inent Advertisers Increase Appropriations
During Times of Depression.
The Victor Jobbing Business of
Wisconsin
Talking Machine Co.—McGreal Retail Store
Also Changes Hands.
Referring to the way in which national adver-
tisers have handled advertising problems in times
of financial depressions or panics, a writer in
last week's issue of Printers' Ink commented thus
on the policies of the Victor Talking Machine Co..:
"You may iemember how Hart Schaffner &
Marx, instead of "cutting down expenses" that
year, opened the advertising throttle wide—and
their timid competitors paid in the sales they
lost and H. S. & M. got.
(Special to The Review.)
MILWAUKEE, WIS V July 14.—The Wisconsin
Talking Machine Co., jobber in this State for the
Victo.r line, and the McGreal retail store at 312
Grand avenue, recently sold by Mrs. Edward
Yockey to C. M. Backus, Chicago, have again
changed hands. The jobbing and retail business was
sold last week by Mr. Backus to the Badger Talk-
ing Machine Co., just incorporated. The capital
stock will be either $75,000 or $100,000. The new
management assumed charge immediately.
"HOW VICTOR DID IT.
The following officers have been elected: Presi-
"The Victor Talking Machine Co. met the sit-
dent-treasurer, George F. Reuz; vice-president, S.
uation similarly.
W. Goldsmith; secretary, H. A. Goldsmith. S. W.
" 'Just to emphasize our own belief in the effi-
Goldsmith, who has traveled in the Wisconsin
ciency of good advertising, let me recall a little
territory for several years for the Victor Talking
incident that happened during the financial scare
Machine Co., will i>e general manager o.f the
of 1907/ said Advertising Manager H. C. Brown wholesale business. Just at the present time he
at the Baltimore Convention.
also has charge of the retail store, which is to be
" 'With the executive board of our company I conducted under the name of the Badger Victrola
sat at a little table in the office of our advertising Shop, but after August 1 his brother, H. A. Gold-
agents discussing ways and means of meeting the smith, will look after the retail store at 312 Grand
emergency that threatened serious curtailment in avenue.
the sales of many established lines of merchan-
dise, and, following the suggestion of one of
our officers, $287,000 was added to the regular POINTERS FROM_MANCHESTER. ENG.
appropriation and made immediately available for The United States Consul There Tells How
extending our magazine advertising.
Talking
Machines and Records Can Be
"'The wisdom of this move was absolutely proven
Profitably Introduced in That Territory.
when the Victor Co. held its sales up through
In a very interesting article published in the July
those panicky times and went into 1908 facing a
9 issue of the Daily Consular and Trade Reports,
demand far in excess of our factory capacity.
" 'This extra appropriation has since continued Consul W. Henry Robertson, stationed at Man-
available for each year's advertising, and the re- chester, England, calls attention to the fact that
talking machines and talking machine records could
sults gathered each year, by which the value of
our advertising is measured, will undoubtedly see be profitably introduced in this prosperous district.
Referring to Manchester as a market for Ameri-
it increased before any part of it is ever taken
can goods, the Consul remarked as follows: "The
away.'
"Mr. Brown might have added that in 1907 and Manchester consular district, with its tremendous
1908 the Victor Co. paid its usual 7 per cent, divi- population of well-paid consumers, should be one
dends on its $500,000 preferred, and its usual 6 of the best markets in the world for American
per cent, on its $5,000,000 common stock. Also he products, especially when the similarity of Ameri-
might have mentioned that in 1912 the Victor can and European tastes is considered. During the
Co, paid 7 per cent, on its preferred, and began last year this consulate has endeavored to show
paying 20 per cent, on its common—and, in ad- many excellent openings for articles here that are
not being properly pushed at present. In some
dition, had $3,655,260 undivided profits.
"Do you think this would have happened if the cases 'these articles could be readily sold directly
Victor Co. had rushed to cover and canceled here, while in others they could best be marketed
through general selling agencies in London. But
everything. I don't."
the chief point is that they are in demand and that
they can be disposed of at competitive prices, es-
GOOD RECORDJTURNS TRAITOR.
pecially if sent through the cheaper and more di-
The World of Records, the bright little magazine
rect route of the Manchester Ship Canal."
issued every month by the London organization of
the Columbia Graphophone Co., tells this story:
TO MOUNTAIN AFTER SEASHORE.
"An elderly friend of mine once won a grapho-
Chas. F. Bruno Now Touring the Berkshires
phone in a competition. One record only accom-
After Attending Talker Jobbers' Convention.
panied the instrument, a sacred piece, which was
played over and over again, to the great delight of
Not content with his Atlantic City "vacation"
the old gentleman and his wife. Their knowledge
during the convention of talking machine jobbers,
of graphophones was very limited and they had no
Charles F. Bruno, of C. Bruno & Son, Inc., 351-
idea that records of other songs could be bought
353 Fourth avenue, New York, finished out the
and played by the instrument. Getting to know
week by touring the Berkshires in his motor car.
this, I thought I. would have some fun with the old
Mr. Bruno is a believer in the "safety first" idea
couple. Having some records of the right size, I
that is meeting with such success wherever tried
called on my 'victims' one evening and managed to
out, and while he enjoys a brisk dash over the
substitute 'Salvation Nell' for their sacred tune
smooth roads occasionally, still he doesn't under-
record. Out came the instrument in due course,
take to rank as a speed king. "The average speed-
and I think I never saw such a look of blank
ometer only registers up to ninety miles an hour,"
amazement as was pictured on the faces of that
he commented, "so why should I attempt to break
couple as their graphophone gurgled out the words
it by running faster than its ability to register?"
of that song. They were as mystified as a pre-
historic man might have been in similar circum-
INCORPORATED.
stances. Before I went home I contrived to re-
place the original record, and until I took pity on
The Hutz Automatic Phonograph Co., of
the'm and explained how it happened, some weeks Brooklyn, N. Y., was incorporated this week with
later, the pair were quite unable tp account for that
a capital stock of $25,000 for the purpose of manu-
sad lapse of their strictly moral and religious facturing and retailing musical instruments. Those
graphophone."
interested are M. and H. Hutz and H. T. Reeb.
COLUMBIA CO. HAPPENINGS.
H. L. Willson Due Back from European Visit
—National Association of Masters of Danc-
ing Praise Columbia Dance Records—Staff
Members Enjoy Vacations.
H. L. Willson, assistant general manager of the
Columbia Graphophone Co., is expected back in
New York to-day o.n the steamer "Aquitania."
Mr. Willson has been abroad on a combined pleas-
ure and business trip, and his letters indicate his
keen enjoyment in this visit to the other side of
the Atlantic.
The Columbia Co. received recently an unusually
interesting letter praising its dance product from
a source of unquestioned reliability and prestige,
namely, the American National Association Mas-
ters of Dancing, which convened in Cleveland, O.,
last month for its thirty-first annual session.
Thomas McDougal, secretary of the association,
wrote the following letter to the Cleveland head-
quarters of the Columbia Co.:
"At a regular meeting of the American National
Association Masters of Dancing, in convention at
the Hotel Statler, Cleveland, O., the convention
highly indorses and recommends the use of Co-
lumbia Grafonolas and Columbia dance records
for the use of our members. Your records are
played in perfect time and their reproduction by
your instruments enables us to enthusiastically in-
dorse your product for our use. Very truly yours,
American National Association Masters of Danc-
ing. (Signed) Thomas McDougal, Secretary."
The advertising department o.f the Columbia Co.
now has ready for the trade a new muslin display
sign measuring 10 feet in length by 3 feet in
width. The sign embodies numerous improve-
ments over the first sign of this nature introduced
by the company some time ago. The well-known
Columbia trade-mark is prominently displayed and
a cut of the new "Favorite" lends additional
strength to, the sign. The color scheme is blue
and gold on a white background. It is quite at-
tractive.
H. A. Yerkes, manager of the Columbia whole-
sale department, returned to his desk Monday,
after a two weeks' well-deserved rest, which he
thoroughly enjoyed at his former home at Silver
Springs, Md.
H. E. Parker, of the Columbia advertising de-
partment, spent the week-end visiting friends in
Washington, D. C.
BEAUTIFULLVJ)ESIGNED AD
Was That Used by the Victor Co. in July 11
Issue of the Saturday Evening Post—Fine
Example of Trade Publicity.
The Victor Talking Machine Co.'s advertisement
in the July 11 issue of the Saturday Evening Post
was one of the finest pieces of trade publicity that
has yet been introduced for the development of
summer trade. This Victor advertisement occu-
pied the backbone two pages of the paper, and was
designed in a harmony of delicate colors which
was well worth commendation from the most criti-
cal connoisseur of art in advertising. The scene
depicted was that of an average summer bungalow,
showing the members of the family and their
guests in characteristic summer poses and appar-
ently greatly enjoying the music being produced by
a Victrola XVI on the porch of the bungalow. The
•text contained pertinent references to the value of
the Victrola as a means for ideal summer enter-
tainment.
i
Incidentally this advertisement cost the Victor
Co. $12,000, which is quite an impressive sum, even
in these days of enormous advertising appropria-
tions.
The Victor Victrola Store has been opened in
Pekin, 111.