Exhibitor's Trade Review (Mar-May 1922)

1414 EXHIBITORS TRADE REVIEW Volume 11. Number 20 This is the theatre concert grand phonograph. There are various types and sizes. When installed, the instrument is given the name of the theatre. Thus, if installed in a Rivoli, it becomes known as the Rivoli concert grand phonograph occurred to him because of his advertising experience. He saw in it the mutual exploitation value to the theatre and the record dealer, by which both could increase their business. He figured in this fashion : There are many millions of movie fans, by far they represent the largest army ; baseball fans rank second in numbers, and the record fans (who are also music fans) stand about third in numbers. "There was no way I could think of" said Mix, "to get the baseball fans into the theatres, I did realize, however, that the sheet music publishers were jumping over each other to have their music played in motion picture theatres because tests proved that the motion picture theatre was the greatest booster of sheet music sales on earth. "Having had considerable experience in the manufacture of phonograph cabinets and records I knew that while records are as popular as ever the fans will buy only after hearing the record played. But few fans care to sit down in a small soundproof booth and listen to the record. But up to the time we put out our first concert grand phonograph there was no public place where the new records could be heard without being bored to death. "Like feature pictures the record companies release so many musical hits a month. The record fan is very anxious to hear them, and the thought occurred to me that ESTIMATE SHEET THtATRt SPtCIFICATIONS This estimate sheet is printed to show how thoroughly the Dodge Manufacturing Company has gone into the theatre phonograph project. By usinsr this sheet, the value of additional publicity secured through a tie-up with the record dealers is recorded, the reduction in cost of music and the time it requires for an instrument to pay for itself is carefully figured the place to give the initial concerts was in a motion picture theatre where between pictures, or during intermissions a special program could be played. Of course, the small phonograph couldn't be used so we evolved the concert grand. Our horn has no vibration ; it is the reverse of the horn used on the ordinary machine and inaddition we employ a small electric fan to propel the melodies out through the horn. The secret of its success, however, is that the nasal sound heard on the average record is removed by a set of nostrils which we have installed in our machine. Thus the music we produce is lifelike and mellow and is as nearly human as possible." How It Is Exploited As the Seabrook phonograph is operated at the Blackstone Theatre, it amounts almost to a civic enterprise. Dealers in Victor, Edison, Brunswick and Okeh talking machine records supply the theatre with a full line of their product as received. The dealers then advertise the records in the newspapers, stressing the point that they will be played at the Blackstone Theatre and urging customers to hear them there. Several advertisements of this nature are reproduced herewith. The "publication dates" of the record companies are such that this arrangement assures the theatre of a steady supply of new material and a record library more extensive than could be obtained in any other way. The record dealers' advertisements augment the theatre campaign and add materially to box office returns. G. E. Berkson, former manager of the Blackstone, predicts that Mutual Music, as the service is called, will ba adopted by exhibitors everyw^here, and continues: "Up to a few months ago our music program consisted of a large orchestra and a Kimball organ. Upon discontinuance of the orchestra we experienced an unpleasant void during the organist's rest period, which is now satisfactorily filled by the big phonograph. Our audiences have received the idea of playing all makes of current dance records in the light of an added service to them and one which they cannot obtain elsewhere in the city." At the Princess Theatre, Laporte, Ind., where the machine is also in operation, the management has added actual financial return to the general benefits of cooperative advertising by charging record dealers $25 per month for playing their records and an additional $12.50 for running slides. Here, also, organ accompaniment is provided with vocal records and patrons are reported as having indicated great satisfaction with the arrangement.