Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
DECEMBER 31,
1921
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
43
COLUMBIA NEWS FROM MICHIGAN
VICTROLA SHOW WEEK A SUCCESS
FOR CARUSO ANNIVERSARY WEEK
New Dealers Handling Columbia Line—Grubb
Opens New Store—New Location for Allman-
dinger Music Shop—Other News
Lion Dry Goods Co., Toledo, O., Closes Sub-
stantial Business as Result of Show—Public
Keenly Interested in Details of the Event
Week of February 27 to Be Observed in a
Musical Way Throughout the Country in
Memory of the Great Tenor
DETROIT, MICH., December 27.—H. E. Gardiner,
manager of the Detroit branch of the Colum-
bia Graphophone Co., has been calling on the
trade in several of the smaller towns in the
Detroit territory. He states that business is
on the upper trend and is getting more encour-
aging every day.
Recent additions to the list of Columbia deal-
ers are: the Harper Music Co. of Detroit; the
Ypsi Phonograph Shop, of Ypsilanti, and Grubb's
Music Shoppe, of Toledo. Each is to be an ex-
clusive Columbia shop and to carry a full line
of Columbia products.
The opening of the Grubb's Music Shoppe at
411 St. Clair street, Toledo, O., was an excep-
tionally attractive affair. On the afternoon and
evening of the opening day at least 2,000 people
attended. During the afternoon an orchestra
played selections and in the evening the famous
songsters, Furman and Nash, exclusive Colum-
bia artists, who were appearing at Keith's The-
atre in Toledo, scoring "touchdowns on the grid-
iron of song," entertained the spectators. Mr.
Grubb, who is a young "go-getter," is bound to
be a winner, and is at it with a flying start.
The Allmandinger Music Shop is to be con-
gratulated on securing an excellent location for
its new shop, within a block of the University
of Michigan campus. In the beautiful new
quarters will be a complete Grafonola and
record department. The opening, at which one
of Michigan's best orchestras rendered selections
throughout the evening, secured much publicity
around the university.
TOLEDO, O., December 26.—Victrola Show Week
at the Lion Dry Goods Co., of this city, pro-
duced business. The advertising told people to
come in to see the "toy Victrola," the forefather
of the universal music instrument of to-day; to
see a "glass" Victrola, to see Rhadames, Gilda
and all the opera stars in their proper setting, to
see a complete showing of Victrolas, prices rang-
ing from $25 to $1,315. Crowds came, saw, and
once more the Victor conquered. People went
away talking of the care of cabinet construction,
beauty of finish, variety of price and the unique
ability to reproduce all kinds of music—bass, so-
prano, banjo, piano, violin, quartets—superiorly
well Mr. Pete, the manager of the department
which is Victor exclusively, feels the week's work
the best he has ever done. Prospects and actual
sales far exceeded expectations.
A unique feature of the Lion Victrola Show
Week was the hand-embroidered Victor trade-
mark. At first glance one takes it for an oil
painting, so perfect are the stitches. The work
was done by the mother of a salesman of the
Toledo Talking Machine Co., and was most
highly commended.
Mr. Pete, manager of the Lion Dry Goods
Victrola department, has found the Red Derby
Plan most successful. The girl who sells the
most Red Seal records wins the "Derby"—and
during a given time every girl works. Such a
plan shows the actual Red Seal sales of every
girl, no guesswork about it.
The eight-day period beginning February 27,
1922, has been set aside as "Caruso Anniversary
Week" by the Caruso Memorial Foundation, and
it is planned to have the week observed in all
parts of the country with special concerts and
other features of a musical nature in memory
of the great tenor. The opening day of the
celebration was the forty-ninth anniversary of
the birth of Caruso.
Public schools, musical organizations and
clubs, artists and music lovers generally will
be asked to participate in the observance of the
week. The organization of committees in all
parts of the country has been started. Assur-
ances of co-operation from many organizations
and artists have been received by the Executive
Committee of the Foundation, but appeal is being
made to every city and town, large or small, that
can boast of a movement for musical art, to co-
operate in the anniversary celebration.
The music industry will be actively interested
in the observance of the week, particularly sev-
eral trade members, including R. B. Aldcroftt,
president of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce. R. W. Lawrence, C. G. Child, T. M.
Pletcher and others are on the official com-
mittee.
SAUL BIRNS OPENS SECOND SHOP
Oklahoma Talking Machine Co. Organized in
Oklahoma City Headed by B. W. Gratigny—
P. A. Ware a Big Factor in New Concern
Handsome Victor Establishment in New York
Enjoys Brisk Business on Opening Day—One
of the Finest Stores in the Vicinity
An exclusive Victor shop was formally opened
a fortnight ago at 113th street and Fifth avenue,
New York City, by Saul Birns, well-known talk-
ing machine dealer and proprietor of several
establishments in Greater New York. The store
is one of the handsomest in the Harlem section
of the city. Spacious double windows furnish
the means for artistic displays. The interior is
decorated in ivory and along both sides of the
front of the store various models of Victrolas
have been placed on display. A glass service
counter and a record rack with a capacity of
about 10,000 records are also part of the equip-
ment.
A feature of the establishment, however, is
the demonstration booths. These booths, eight
in number, are finished in various colored tints,
including old rose, pale green and blue. The
colors are all harmonious and add to the effec-
tiveness of record or machine demonstrations.
An exceedingly brisk business marked the
opening day of the new Victor shop and many
friends and acquaintances of Mr. Birns were
present to extend in person their congratula-
tions. Floral offerings were received from many
of the local Victor wholesalers, who were also
present personally at the opening.
CONCERT HELPS EDISON BUSINESS
WAKEFIELD, MASS., December 26.—I.. L. McMas-
ter, local Edison dealer, through the medium of
an Edison concert and comparison tests with
Re-Creations and the artists, has stimulated inter-
est in Edison machines and Re-Creations con-
siderably. Invitations to the concert were sent
out to more than a thousand residents.
NEW VICTOR JOBBER IN OKLAHOMA
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA., December 24.—Authen-
tic information was secured to-day to the effect
that in January, 1922, the Oklahoma Talking
Machine Co. will make its debut in this city as
an exclusive Victor wholesaler. Headquarters
will be located at 315 East Grand street, and the
activities of the new concern will embrace the
territory contingent to Oklahoma City.
The principal figure, and, in fact, head of the
new jobbing enterprise, is B. W. Gratigny, who,
as vice-president of Bush & Gerts Piano Co.,
Dallas, Tex., has had an extended and successful
experience in the distribution end of the music
industry in general, and the Victor business in
particular.
P. A. Ware will be associated with Mr. Gra-
tigny in this company. Mr. Ware is one of the
best-known members of the Victor trade, having
served for extended periods with the Victor Co.
and with one of the prominent Victor whole-
salers located in the Middle West.
HACKETT SAILS FOR ITALY
Columbia Artist to Fill Important Role with
La Scala Opera in Milan
Charles Hackett, American tenor of the Met-
ropolitan Opera Co., and exclusive Columbia
artist, sailed recently for Milan to fulfill an en-
gagement with Arthur Toscanini as chief light
tenor of the Scala opera. After the close of the
Scala opera, Mr. Hackett goes to Paris to sing
at the Opera Comique. This is said to be the
first time that an American tenor has ever sung
at this famous opera house.
The Ideal Music Co., of New York, has leased
new quarters in John street.
BOOKLET OF JDISON PLAYLET
William Maxwell's Playlet Presented During
Caravan Convention Issued in Book Form for
Use of Dealers and Salesmanship School
ORANGE, N. J., December 24.—Thomas A. Edison,
Inc., to-day mailed to Edison dealers throughout
the United States a booklet containing in full
the playlet, "School for Salesmen," a comedy
with music in four acts. This is the play written
by William Maxwell, first vice-president of
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., which was presented
during the 1921 Edison Caravan Convention at
the Knickerbocker Theatre, New York; Tulane
Theatre, New Orleans; Blackstone Theatre, Chi-
cago; Avenue Theatre, Vancouver, B. C.
There is an introduction by Iden Payne, gen-
eral stage director for Charles Frohman, Inc.,
entitled "If Salesmen Were Actors." This was
delivered in the form of an address by Mr.
Payne during the Caravan Convention, between
the third and fourth acts of the play, "School
for Salesmen."
This play in its printed form will be used in
conjunction with the Salesmanship Schools, which
are to be conducted the early part of 1922 by
the Edison organization in twenty-two of the
large centers throughout the United States. The
play booklet is in a very handy form and provides
some very interesting material for study in the
bright and finished style which has ever charac-
terized the work of Mr. Maxwell, the play-
wright and author.
CENTRAL CO. BANKRUPT
The Central Phonograph & Musical Instru-
ment Co., 1149 Third avenue, New York, has
filed a petition in bankruptcy, listing liabilities
of $20,200 and assets of $12,000 in accounts re-
ceivable.
NEW VICTOR CO. DIVIDEND
The Victor Talking Machine Co., of Camden,
N. J., will pay its regular quarterly dividend
for the three months ending December 31 of
$1.75 a share on preferred stock and $10 a share
on common stock January 15.