The talking machine world (Jan-June 1928)

Music Dealer Is Equipped to Profit From Radio Stabilization of Industry and Quality of Product Fit Merchandising Plan of Trade By Chas. Freshman President Chas. Freshman C, Inc. THE fact that so great a number of firstclass music dealers in every section of the country have installed radio departments is ample proof of the stabilization of the radio industry. It is recognized that the music trade comprises the most substantial group of merchants in the country. To sell radio these i merchants must be definite^ convinced of the salability and utility of an instrument before handling it. Naturally, the music trade demands a musical instrument. To-day good radio receivers are musical instruments of the highest calibre. Not only are they musical instruments, but they provide varied other entertainment features which cannot be supplied by any other instrument or machine. The Electric Radio With the advent o'f the electric radio which operates from the same electric socket that supplies ordinary home requirements, without the necessity of batteries, liquids of any kind, eliminators, or other accessories, the last objection of the musical trade to radio has been done away with — that of service, and the necessity of carrying an assortment of small and large parts. The electric set of to-day has reached that stage of development where it is practically fool-proof. After being installed there should be no need for service on the part of the dealer. All that is necessary to turn it on is to snap or pull a simple switch similar to that used on ordinary lamps. Turn the dial to the station desired — no other operation is necessary to secure the most desirable results. Manufacturers of electric radio receivers today offer the public an assortment of cabinet work equal to any other line of musical merchandise. There are many styles, period and other console designs. These handsome consoles contain everything necessary to operate the radio — the set itself, power unit and a loud speaker, which is built right in the cabinet so that there isn't a wire visible to mar the appearance of any room. The benefit of the electric set, the ultimate in radio, is easily perceived. It assures the dealer of the sale of a complete unit at an established, complete price, assuring fair profits with little if any responsibility for installation. The only thing the dealer usually has to do with the installation of an electric radio is to put up an aerial and make a few simple connections and adjustments before the set is functioning to the entire satisfaction of the purchaser. Great Strides in Radio Let us also consider the great strides that radio has made in its short history of scarcely five years. Only in this short time has the general public realized its countless benefits. During this period there has been more news and publicity on radio matters given by the press of the country than any other subject. Every newspaper of any consequence publishes daily a list of the programs which are being broadcast in all parts of the country. Newspapers devote column upon column of space to the artists who are on the air and their programs. Not only that, but a great number of papers and magazines publish large sections devoted to nothing but radio so that every person in the entire country who is able to read is well acquainted with radio. The public has demanded this information. The days of technical mystery regarding radio are past. Radio is as much a necessity for the home to-day as practically any other piece of furniture. Music Dealer Is Equipped for Radio The music dealer is probably better equipped ALLEM Jvl^poRTABLESl^ Dealers know our policy. It has made money for them. For we help them sell. Give them only guaranteed merchandise, and on helpful terms. If you havenotdone so, write today for samples, and catalog of Allen Portables — the finest complete line ever presented to the trade, and nation* ally advertised. ALUMINUM SPECIALTY COMPANY 3.28 N. Ervay Street DALLAS :: TEXAS Chas. Freshman than any other type of merchant to handle radio. About 90 per cent of all radios are sold on the instalment basis, a reasonable down payment and monthly instalments carried up to twelve months before the final payment is made. And, there is no type of merchant better equipped or better versed in the instalment method of selling than the music dealer. However, the music dealer should be most careful in the selection of the radio manufacturers he represents. From the experience of a good many large music dealers with whom the Freshman Co. has close contact, it is advisable to carry the lines of not more than three large, financially responsible manufacturers who support their dealers with sufficient national and co-operative dealer advertising to create consumer interest in their product. This, of course, is all that the manufacturer who is making" standard, well-inspected merchandise can do. It is up to the retail merchant to capitalize on the advertising of the manufacturer to the best of his ability. Considering all factors, radio fits mighty well into the operating plan of a good music dealer, and it is gratifying indeed to see the enthusiasm and action that these merchants are putting behind the world's newest industry — Radio. A. Atwater Kent Gives Fund to University of Vermont A new application of the practical bent of "Green Mountain" boys is seen in an award provided by A. Atwater Kent, himself a Vermonter by birth and education, to the engineering school of the University of Vermont. This award — the income from a fund of $5,000 — is to be made annually, not to the boy who stands highest in his classes or who can show the best general average of academic scholarship, but to that student who best shows "excellence of judgment and general grasp of the principles of electrical engineering." A bronze tablet commemorating the award, on which the names of the first twenty students to win the prize will be inscribed, has been placed in the engineering hall of the college. U. S. Exempts Batteries From "Poison" Labelini Storage batteries and electrolytic rectifiers are not "poison" and need not be so labeled, according to a U. S. Government decision. This ruling will relieve radio and other manufacturers who feared that a new law would require a "poison" label, possibly with skull and crossbones, on harmless radio batteries and rectifiers. In some quarters it was even feared that the "poison sign" might have to be placed on a receiving set shipped in interstate or foreign commerce. The Tonkawa Radio & Music Co. was recently opened in the See Building, Tonkawa, Okla., with a complete line of phonographs, radios and other musical instruments. W. W. Reser is manager of the establishment. 40