The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 15 69 BASINGHALL STREET, LONDON, E. C, W. LIONEL STURDY, MANAGER. TRADE HAPPENINGS IN LONDON. Trade Conditions Show Improvement — Coal Strike Hurts Business — The Price-Cutting Evil Rampant — A Few Conditions That Tend to Upset Trade — Now Want Talker Dealers to Handle Cycles — Improving Record Reproduction— Booking Artists Exclusively for Columbia Co. — News from the Provinces — Sales Unsteady — First Amberolas Arrive — New Record Lists — Keeping Trade Active — Interesting Decision Anent Commissions — Vanload Thieves Rob Twin Record Co. Premises — Bureau of Commercial Information for Cape Town — Other Interesting News of the Month from Great Britain. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) London, Eng., April 8, 1910. During the course of my rounds in the trade this month I have noticed that, somewhat contrary to last month, there are signs of a cheery nature which leads one to the conclusion that talking machine sales, especially in records, have much improved. And this is all the more satisfactory in view of the general uneasiness brought about by another threatened disturbance in the coal trade. Up to a day or so back the outlook was very serious and it was stated that directly and indirectly over a million hands would be thrown idle in the event of a strike, in addition to the usual disastrous effects which it would entail upon the many sources of industry whose very existence largely depends on a plentiful supply of fuel. The Board of Trade, whose intervention had been sought, is now busily engaged in trying to effect a settlement, and a report just to hand from that department promises more hopeful results. An Era of Price Cutting. Following upon the mention in these columns last month of the price-cutting of records by some of the large stores, further startling offers have been published this month. Upon inquiry we learn that Gamages still hold a large stock of the old "Imperial" disc records, and these they were recently advertising at lOd each, or 9s. 6d. a doz. Harrod's go one better in offering (we believe, the "Star") disc records at the ridiculous price of 74£d each, or in parcels of twelve assorted single and double records Cs. And we believe there is another American record offered by a well-known city dealer at an even lower price than this. Naturally the public have taken full advantage of these prices, but the poor dealers all over the country are loud in their complaints of a system which permits of the dumping of foreign bankrupt stocks on this market entirely free of any duty whatever. Result of American Patent Litigation. This is one result of the prolonged patent litigation in the American courts, in more than one case the losers' stocks having been jobbed by the receiver at scrap prices. Thanks to our open-door policy, this country proved very obliging when these goods were to be picked up cheap, and it can therefore cause no surprise that the market is entirely upset. The lack of stability which marks the talking machine trade in this country has been brought about in the first place by new manufacturers entering the field with a cut-price article; by that I mean at a price below the standard figure then existing, and in consequence forcing other manufacturers to reduce prices to that level, which could not possibly stand the strain of competition. Result, several of our best firms were forced to go under, their stocks — usually pretty big — were auctioned off very often at more than 50 per cent, less than the cost prices, and for the past twelve months or more the small dealer has had to contend with competition in the shape of first-class cylinder records priced as low as 3d. each and first-class discs at 7yad. each, or even slightly less. Not a very satisfactory state of things, it must be admitted. A Ridiculous Suggestion. Hitherto the music shop proper has not devoted itself to selling cycles, the majority were somewhat slow in taking up the sale of talking machines, and it is therefore somewhat surprising that a certain Coventry cycle firm should not have better acquainted themselves with the conditions and exclusiveness of the musical industry before issuing the following circular: "Music warehouses throughout the Kingdom should be handling cycles as a fixed and important feature of their business. The demand is so great, the net profits are so considerable, that progressive tradesmen cannot afford to be indifferent to a practice that is growing by leaps and bounds. The vital consideration is not 'Are cycles worth handling?' but 'Which are the best to handle?' i. e., Which will give the most satisfaction to buyers and the biggest profit to the seller? Our special offer to music warehouses enables you to add this lucrative adjunct to your business without extra capital, without interfering with the present routine, and practically without risk." Whatever obtains in other countries, as applied to England the statements . in the above circular are quite erroneous, and I do not hesitate to say that the great majority of musical instrument traders think too much of their calling to even consider such a ridiculous suggestion. Eliminating the Scratch in Records. It is but three months ago since 1 drew attention in these columns to the objectionable surface scratch which characterizes most disc records of any make. At the time I remarked that manufacturers constantly experimented for improvements in that direction, and it is but fair to say that there is already a noticeable change for the better. Having tested a large number of the current issues of various makes, I find that greater care has been taken in obtaining that even and smooth surface without which any record, however well recorded it may have been in the first place, is something to fight shy of. Want Queenstown as Cunard Port. A deputation recently waited upon the Postmaster-General to ask him to use his influence to induce the Cunard Co. to make Queenstown a port of call, both on the outward and homeward passages from New York for their mail steamers. The Postmaster-General pointed out that the "Lusitania" and the "Mauretania" carried 90 per cent, mail for Great Britain and he could not advise delaying the mails nearly four hours to land the 10 per cent, of Irish mail in Queenstown. It would not be wise or businesslike. Selling Balance of "Star" Machines. The balance of the stock of the "Star" machines, now in the American liquidator's hands, it is reported, will be sold in this country by the Star Manufacturing Co., located at 15 City Road. Exclusive Columbia Co. Artists. The Columbia Phonograph Co. have been going ahead under the management of Louis Sterling, one very fine move of his being the fixing up of no less than eleven well known artistes to sing exclusively on Columbia records. Another recent departure is the issue of an all Scottish list, a special Welsh supplement and a splendid list of descriptive record by Eric Poster, in the original Tyneside dialect. There are also some special Irish selections in the same ' list (April). Provincial Notes. Reports to hand from Provincial trade centers would seem to indicate that sales have eased up somewhat, which is not a little due to the fact that our cycle friends have, as is usual about this time, lost all interest in talking machine goods, and are devoting their energies to the sale of cycles, etc. Particularly is this the case in the great Yorkshire centers where phonograph and disc machine factors now have to stock innumerable lines to make both ends meet. As a matter of fact the wholesalers' profits of the old days have vanished, and their present position in the majority of cases is simply that of giving change for a penny, so to speak. Up Manchester, Liverpool and the great north way generally, things are little better. There is no steadiness in the labor market, thousands of mill hands are still on short time, money is tight and altogether the outlook is not of a very hopeful nature. It is noticeable that record customers are satisfied with the purchase of one or two selections where formerly in many cases the quantities sold were in half-dozen lots or more. Machine sales, while not bad, are not by any means satisfactory, and those dealers who do pay a little attention to the business during the spring and summer months have a very good selling line in the large variety of portable disc machines now on the market. Up Newcastle way traders received good fillip through the special series of Tyneside Rena records. In each case the selections were composed and spoken in the Tyneside dialect, by the inimitable Eric Foster. "By Gum, the'r Champion!" is the local opinion of these splendid records. Teaching of Languages by Talking Machines. The recent interesting lecture in Belfast by Professor Savory upon the uses andvalue of the phonograph as an aid in the teaching of foreign languages has inspired some of the students of Queen's College, Belfast, with icleas. T. Edens Osborne, the well known Belfast factor, sends us a copy of an interesting monthly entitled Q. C. B., wherein we notice certain references to the talking machine, a direct outcome of the professor's lecture. Here is a sample: "We have classical surroundings and a scientific zone, A philosophic temper and an ultra-English tone, While we're taught to parlezvous upon the gramophone. Comme on marche en avant." First Amberolas Arrive. Notice is given by the National Phonograph Co. that they have received a first supply of Amberolas and that orders will now be filled as quickly as possible. A further series of grand opera titles have been issued on the Amberol The STROH VIOLIN A new instrument pos sessing a VIOLIN TONE of great beauty and remarkable power. fl|The "Stroh" is conNl'tructed largely of aluminium, but the absence of any me alhc quality of tone is another n (table feature. fflMusical Instrument NlDealers ani others interested should write for free descriptive booklet to the Sole Maker. GEO. EVANS (Successor to CHAS. STROH' 94 Albany St.. Regents Park, London, Eng.