The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1909)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Edison Phonograph Monthly, Jan., 1909 market in October the demand for them has been of a phenomenal character, and the sales would have been much greater had the Edison factories been able to secure a larger production. The manufacturing difficulties incident to the introduction of a new Record so radically different from the older one, have for the most part been eliminated, and there should be no obstacles to making enough of both kinds of Records, Amberol attachments and combination Phonographs to meet every demand in 1909. Aside from the additional sales caused by the new Record and attachments, the demand for Phonographs and the shorter Records has been of a healthy and most encouraging character. Without any new features the increased business each month since August would have been very satisfactory. Combined they have made a total equal to any similar period in the past. The same conditions promise to continue during 1909. General business seems certain to continue to improve month after month, and with it will come an increased demand for Edison goods, especially for Amberol Records and attachments. Every month will see more and more employes put back at work in the factories and mills, and the working hours will be increased until all are working on full time. Then the Phonograph business will come into its own, for the Phonograph after all, is the poor man's luxury — his only means of securing music for himself and his family — and as soon as he gets back to work and pays off some of the debts incurred while idle, he will buy. Reports from the trade in all sections and confirmed by the volume of orders, show that business in the East is not keeping pace with the West in recovering from the financial depression. The farming sections of the West did not really have hard times. Based on the reports from the East it was afraid it might have and acted according to its fears. Now that the reports from the East are optimistic and the crops have again been phenomenally good, the West has resumed its wonted business way. Consequently it is buying and selling as if nothing had happened or was likely to happen. Jobbers and Dealers in the West are writing daily, stating that business is better than ever before. The new policies of the National Phonograph Company inaugurated since October should also play an important part in increasing the volume of business in 1909. They are going to give greater stability to trade and protect Dealers in a manner that will encourage them to put more capital in the business and push it more vigorously than ever. In making plans for the year don't build air castles. Be satisfied with plans you can be sure of carrying out. Don't try to plan results ! Plan ACTION! Be original! Your business isn't just like your neighbors, so don't imitate him or copy his plans. In some things )rou have failed ; in other things you have succeeded. Benefit by this experience of the past and thus minimize the failings and multiply the successes of 1909. To show that owners of Edison Phonographs appreciate what Amberol 4-Minute Records mean to them, we take pleasure in printing the following letter: I own an Edison Standard Phonograph which I have had for twelve years. When the Gold Moulded Records were first introduced I attached one of the new-style Reproducers, known as Model C. This Reproducer, with the Gold Moulded Records, was a great improvement, and has given me no end of enjoyment. Now comes the Amberol Record and the attachments for using them on the same machines that play the Gold Moulded Record. My old Standard of twelve years ago is now equipped with this last improvement and I am now enjoying this very great improvement. Now the fact that this old machine of mine could be equipped with the most up-to-date attachments, appeals to me as something remarkable. It also indicates that the National Phonograph Company is not merely looking out for its own financial betterment entirely, but is also looking out for the interests of those who already own Edison Phonographs. This is indeed a great thoughtfulness deserving of much credit and the thanks and appreciation of all owners of Edison Phonographs. — H. C. W.. Peekskill, N. Y. The above letter is only a sample of many others of similar nature which are being received. The reference to the fact that the new Amberol Record can be played on any existing Edison Phonograph will explain why we were so long in putting on the market a Record which would play over two minutes. We could easily have made a six-inch Record, or one of greater diameter, years ago; but it would have required another and more expensive machine, and no owner of the present type of Edison Phonograph could have enjoyed the longer Records without considerable additional outlay. Mr. Edison has always insisted that this should not be done and he and his assistants have worked for a long time to perfect a Record that would be used on all existing Edison Phonographs. The Amberol Record is the happy solution of his difficult problem. If you have any Defective or Cut-out Records (not surplus) to return, look for the Exchange Proposition papers being mailed with this issue.