The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1910)

Edison Phonograph Monthly, Jan., 1910 After the Holidays What ? Relaxation, mental and physical, for some Dealers, — an apathetic surrender to the conviction that all the business has been done during the holidays that the community is going to afford for some time to come. The sales force is cut down to a minimum; stocks are permitted to dwindle; the interior of the store revels in disorder and confusion; the window display is a sad looking reminder of the festal season ; newspaper ads are promptly removed, — in short, the energy that characterized the few weeks immediately preceding the holidays is succeeded by a general listlessness. That's true of some Dealers, happily not of all. That used to be the post-holiday attitude of retail merchants. It isn't popular any more because it isn't profitable. It is a "backwoods" method that present-day enterprise has retired to oblivion, and the Edison Dealer who pursues it will find himself in the same habitation. January is no more a month to take a supine view of business than any of the other eleven months of the year. On the contrary, the Dealer who has attracted public attention to his goods by unusual advertising owes it to himself to continue that publicity in order to reap the full benefit of the money he has invested for that purpose. He cannot afford to relax in his efforts to keep himself in the public eye. The advertising that he has done is but a foundation for the structure that enterprise and persistence will assure him in the coming year. January is the month in which the Dealer should begin to fortify himself for the balance of the year. He should start at once to put his store in order, to overhaul his stock and replenish it. His holiday ads should be replaced by more timely appeals to the public. His window display should give place to a new arrangement of goods. His mailing list should be revised at the earliest possible moment to take care of the new customers he has secured. He should look about him to discover new and untried methods to interest the public in Phonographs and Records during the winter months. There are many things to be done. They must be done promptly to insure the best results. January is a dull month for the Edison Dealer who convinces himself that it is going to be a dull month. If he starts it in that frame of mind he will not be disappointed. For the Dealer who attends to the immediate necessities of his business it will mark the beginning of a New Year of happiness and prosperity. Slezak Leo Slezak, the giant Czech tenor, continues to delight New York audiences with his marvellous voice. In the short time he has been in the country he has supplanted the other "stars" of grand opera in the affections of the musical public and is today the idol of the metropolis. The tremendous success that greeted his initial appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House, when, in the exacting role of the jealous Moor in "Otello," he made history in that temple of art, has been duplicated at his every appearance since. There were those who were inclined to believe, basing their judgment on the wonderful interpretation he gave the role, that he might be a one-part singer. That he effectually removed any such suspicion may be judged from the following criticism by the New York Globe and Commercial Advertiser, following his appearance as Manrico in Verdi's "II Trovatore," when the demonstration that greeted him was even more remarkable than on the evening of his debut: "As on the occasion of his first appearance here. Slezak disclosed a full, powerful, vibrant and manly voice of fine dramatic quality, while both his phrasing and enunciation commanded something more than mere respect. He sang all the famous airs of Manrico with fine effect, concluding the "Di quella pira" with a high C that brought the curtain down with a storm of applause in which even the members of the orchestra joined. Seven curtain calls followed this act." Slezak's contract with this company covers a number of years, and is exclusive, we having the sole right for talking machine purposes to his entire French and Italian repertoire, as well as to all selections used by him on his present American tour. Slezak's Records are bound to be eagerly sought by lovers of high-class music as his successes grow in number and emphasis. The ten Records that were placed on sale December 1 are among his very best and favorite selections. With them as an asset and the question of competition entirely removed, the Edison Dealer has an enormous advantage over competition from Dealers in rival products. There is only one Slezak and he is singing exclusively for Edison Records, and will be for some years to come. A "star" of his magnitude is not discovered every day. We intend to promote the demand for his Records by national advertising, as our January magazine ad proves. These ads will do a world of good, but the Dealer must supplement them by notifying his community that he sells Slezak Records, — Records by the world's most famous tenor, and at a price that in comparison with Grand Opera Records