Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
APRIL 8,
1922
VALUE OF WINDOW DISPLAY
VOCALION ARTISTS TO APPEAR
HE WHO READS MAY WIN IDEAS
Pennsylvania Dealer Realizes Value of Service
Furnished by Columbia Co.—Robert Porter
Makes Address—Other Columbia Items
John Charles Thomas, Marie Sundelius and
Yerkes Orchestra to Be Present at Annual
Banquet of Talking Machine Men, Inc.
The Man Who Keeps in Touch With the Mail
Literature Reaching His Desk Will Often
Strike a Vein of Gold—Don't Discard It
The value of the window display service issued
by the Columbia Graphophone Co. was empha-
sized recently by the experience of C. C. Baer,
Columbia dealer at Oxford, Pa. Mr. Baer de-
cided to cut down expenses on January 1 and
canceled his window display service. However,
after going one month without it he found that
the service was a necessity and not an expense,
and he reordered it immediately, stating that he
intended to use it regularly despite any adverse
business conditions.
Robert Porter, field sales manager of the Co-
lumbia Graphophone Co., was the principal
speaker at the monthly meeting of the Philadel-
phia Columbia Grafonola Dealers' Association
held on Tuesday, March 23. Mr. Porter gave an
interesting discourse on general business condi-
tions, which was received with keen interest by
the dealers.
Dolly Kay, exclusive Columbia artist, recently
completed an engagement at several Philadelphia
theatres. Practically every local dealer featured
this artist in window displays, and her theatre
engagements, coupled with these displays, stimu-*
lated the sale of Miss Kay's records materially.
Columbia dealers in adjacent Philadelphia ter-
ritory are enthusiastic regarding the special Graf-
onola advertising allowance made by the Colum-
bia Graphophone Co. Over twenty dealers are
already using the advertising campaign, and the
Philadelphia branch expects many additions to
the list as soon as the dealers appreciate its sell-
ing possibilities.
Among the recent visitors to the Philadelphia
branch were: S. Kline, Philadelphia Supply Co.,
Bridgton, N. J.; S. E. Meister, Lancaster, Pa.;
S. B. Speigle, Woodbury, N. J.; I. N. Sortman,
Wilmington, Del.; H. B. Newkirk, Salem, N. J.
E. G. Brown, secretary of The Talking Machine
Men, Inc., announces that in addition to the artists
already scheduled to appear at the annual banquet
and entertainment of that organization on April
20 the Aeolian Co. has arranged for the appear-
ance of John Charles Thomas, popular baritone,
Marie Sundelius, grand opera soprano, and the
Yerkes S.S. Flotilla Orchestra, all exclusive Vo-
calion record artists, at the Pennsylvania during
the course of the evening.
Quantities of direct mail literature are received
by business men—manufacturers, dealers, job-
bers—every day. A great many people have
made it a practice of throwing practically all
circular matter into the waste basket without
investigation. The other day the general man-
ager of a company, who was receiving a lot of
this literature, conceived the idea of literally
putting the waste paper basket on a pedestal.
He read and digested the business literature
thrown away, not only by himself, but by other
people in the same firm, and as a result was
able to give the "Boss" a suggestion which got
him his first raise in salary.
The cost of labor turnover shrivels into noth-
ingness compared to the cost of preparing sales
literature which is consigned to the waste basket
unread and unwept. Even trade periodicals are
slighted—but not by the successful business
man! The business man who is always too
tired to be interested in new developments in
his own line of business is on the toboggan slide
for the sanitarium.
There is a great deal of excellent direct liter-
ature being sent out by manufacturers and job-
bers of the talking machine industry, and it be-
hooves every enterprising member of the in-
dustry who is on the mailing list to receive
this literature to look it over for new and val-
uable ideas.
TROUP BROS^TO REMODEL
Work Started on Rearrangement of Company's
Store in Harrisburg, Pa.
HARKISBURG, PA., April 3.—Troup Brothers,
whose music house is located at 8 North Market
Square, are making a number of improvements
to the store. The remodeling will involve a
new entrance to the store, and the removal of
an off-set in the front part of the storeroom,
permitting of six or seven additional feet in
width at the front of the store. Skylights will
be torn out and a metal ceiling installed.
A large stairway leading from the front of the
store will give convenient access to the base-
ment, which will be remodeled and extended to
a depth of approximately 125 feet, and finished
with hardwood floors. The basement will be
utilized for the display of pianos and talking
machines, relieving the congested condition of
the first floor and permitting the showing of
greater stocks.
HINTS FOR VICTROLA SALESMEN
New Booklet of Valuable Seling Arguments Just
Issued by the Victor Co.
The Victor Talking Machine Co. has just
issued to the trade a particularly interesting little
vest pocket volume bearing the caption: "Hints
for Victrola Salesmen," and including a wealth
of material of great value to the retail salesmen
in discussing intelligently the features of the
Victrola and answering questions propounded by
customers. The booklet is the development of
a series of articles on Victrola selling that have
appeared in "The Voice of the Victor" with
much additional material included.
SITUATION IN THE FRENCH TRADE
Talking Machine Business Over There Reported
to Be Slow—Some Interesting New Inventions,
Including an Artificial Shellac for Records
One of the prominent French music trade
papers in a recent review of the conditions in
the talking machine industry in that country
declares that the volume of business is still
low and ascribes as one of the reasons the fact
the French still stick to the sapphire repro-
ducing point, although all the rest of the world
has adopted the metal needle.
The review also calls attention to a number
of new inventions which are expected to stimu-
late business to a certain degree, among them
several improvements in tone chambers; a cabi-
net with shelves that may be arranged hori-
zontally or at an angle; a new talking machine
that looks like a lamp with the horn in the
base and the motor at the top, covered by the
shade, and a means for softening the sound.
It is also stated that there has just been in-
vented a new artificial shellac for records which,
it is declared, has the desirable qualities of
genuine shellac, but can be manufactured and
sold at a much lower price.
ROBERTSON'SJTNE NEW HOME
The Robertson Music House, of Terre Haute,
Ind., Completing Work on Spacious New
Quarters—Elaborate Equipment Installed
TERRE HAUTE, IND., April 3.—The remodeling
of the building purchased some time ago by the
Robertson Music House is rapidly nearing com-
pletion and the company expects to move in
within a week, according to Mr. Robertson.
Extensive remodeling and redecorating is be-
ing done and the building is to be one of the
most completely equipped and attractive music
stores in the State. The entire structure, of three
stories and basement, will be used by the music
shop. The main floor will be used for offices and
there will also be eight sound-proof demon-
strating rooms. The same number of demon-
strating rooms are to be used in the basement
for demonstrating records and player rolls. The
second floor will be used for displaying grand
and reproducing pianos and the third floor for
pianos and players, with a work shop in the rear.
The front is to be one of the most attractive
in the city. It will be of marble stucco; above
the first floor will be a large tile and stucco
sign, "Robertson's Music House."
Mr. Robertson has been in the music business
here for the past twenty years. He formerly
had the Victor and Edison agencies, but several
years ago took over the Columbia agency.
MUSIC ALWAYS A PLEASURE
Music, even in the most harrowing moment,
ought never to offend the ear, but should always
remain music, which desires to give pleasure.—
Mozart.
SELLS PHONOGRAPH TO DEAF MAN
Steger & Sons Salesman Shows That Deafness Is
No Handicap to the Fellow With Pep
Selling the talking machine to a deaf man
would be considered in most quarters as repre-
senting the accomplishment of practically an im-
possible feat, but the Steger Magazine, published
by Steger & Sons Piano Mfg. Co., tells in a re-
cent issue how a salesman in the company's retail
department in Chicago managed to do just that
little thing. The story was as follows:
"One of the customers upon whom he waited
was an elderly gentleman who had the misfortune
of being very hard of hearing. It was very diffi-
cult to converse with him, not to speak of demon-
strating a phonograph. But our salesman was
resourceful. After the first call, which naturally
was unsatisfactory, he persuaded the prospect to
come in again. In the meantime our enterprising
phonograph expert got busy and rigged up a de-
vice which would have done credit to a Goldberg
cartoon.
"The material consisted of a pair of dictaphone
hearing tubes and a 10-cent tin funnel. The fun-
nel inserted in the end of the flexible rubber tube
was held in the sound chamber of the Steger,
while the customer put the prongs of the hearing
tubes to his ears. Great results! The customer
was happy as the deal was closed."
BUTTE FIRM FEATURES COLUMBIA
Intensive Advertising Marks Selling Campaign
of One Week on Columbia Line
BUTTE, MONT., April 3.—The Dreibelbis Song
Shop, of this city, featured Columbia Grafonolas
in a big selling campaign recently which covered
a period of a week. An unusually large publicity
and advertising program was carried out in the
local newspapers and those of the surrounding
communities. H. A. Doyer, manager of the estab-
lishment, is a firm believer in advertising, and his
faith in this medium of getting a message across
to the public was amply justified by the sales.