The talking machine world (July-Sept 1921)

8 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD July IS, 1921 WQQJD PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc. I'mldrnt and Trniunr, C. I Dill, HJ Founti Art. New York; v.. . [•«•! I.-, i II Hplllinr, HI I'nuflh Ave, N«» Ynrk; SmotcI Vic PirHdml. Riyin™cl Hill. JM founti Nr* York: Srtirnir, K. I Ilill[ Aulnint Trwurrr, Wei. A. L*i*. J. II. SPILLANE. Editor HAY BILL, H. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors L. M. ROBINSON. Advertising Manager L. E. BOWERS, Circulation Manager n.. i. r.. Illtlilen Ur,.,iM(r Iliill.lJnif. 20V So Sl.le Slr«l, Chlrafo. III. Ttl«>hoi.r, W*t>»li iM IVoMoni Jo,r» II. w,,. ... ii Wuhlndon Street talBtftl, Kn|., <ifti, , 2 Qrmhm HulliHngi, llininihill Si. W. Liomt Sruior, Mir. Published llm Ifllh of -vary month at 373 Fourth Av*„ New York. ADVBnTIiauKNTI l ut Truly runlf»cti . ■ ■ ■ I IlKMITTANI KN ibnulil It POM Office '■(■■■. ■>.■'■ irjl, CUlldl, 11,30 per ("fli, ilnttle fnlumn, prr Insertion. On quarterly (lliioiinl I* ■Unwed. ArlterlUIng piRt*. IIS0.0O. K.dwinl Lyman Bill, Inc., by check or tar NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS— Advertising copy ihould reach thli office before the firit of end) month. By following thl* rule client* will greatly facilitate work nt the publicntion headquarter!. Long DUtance Telephone*' Number* 6982-5983 Maditon Sq. Cable Addre**! "Elbill," New York. NEW YORK, JULY 15, 1921 | TREMENDOUS GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY | Till', report <•( i lie Bureau "i Census regarding the talking machine liiulc in l1*]1' and comparing tin condition ut" I he trade iti that year with the situation in 1914, which appeared in last month's World, is of unusual interest, for it represents official information relative to the tremendoui growth of the industry within that period. Ii is to In assumed, of course, thai there ran be found sonic errors in the CeTiSua figures which are hased mi information eolteeted from sources which may not take in ever) detail, but even though they be discounted i«> a certain degree tbey cannot but impress the casual observer with the real importance "i the talking machine industry as a whole. An industry ihe products of which grew in value from $27.11<>,000 in 1911 lo $158,548,000 in I'M", nearly 500 per cent, is an industry that is distinctly worthy of consideration and one that the average business man Should lie glad in he lied up with. In the same period all othei branches of the music industry, including pianos, band instruments musical merchandise, etc.. showed a growth in value of products from $96,198,000 to $17<>.141,000, or about 83 per cent. It is in. wonder thai the manufacturers and retailers in other lines of musical instruments regard the talking machine trade with so much interest and to a certain degree with envy. From only IS establishments in 1914 the industry grew to 166 in I'll", and (here is reason in assume that quite a number of socalled manufacturers were overlooked by the Census Bureau in the Utter year. Should the census be taken again this year it would be round ili .i the number of establishments had dropped materially, for during the past twelve months a substantial number of concerns listed as manufacturers have closed up shop and vanished. In the face of this, however, the value of the products will be found to be pretty close to the !1>1Q level. As it stands now, or as it stood in 1919. the value of talking machine products came pretty close to representing 50 per cent of the total value of all musical instruments ami parts manufactured in the country, for they represented a total of $158,000,000. as compared to $176,000,000 for all other products. These figures are indeed significant and should provide a fitting answer to those who vear after year, for the pftsl decade, have pretended to see the passing of the peak of the talking machine demand. The fact remains that the industry stands well among the other industries of the country and is of sufficient magnitude to insure permanence and a certain measure of growth for many years lo come. The talking machine is no longer a passing fad or fancy, for the public of ihe country do not absorb fads at the rate of $158,000,000 a year. | THE BUSINESS SITUATION SUMMARIZED | THE popular business slogan of the day, "Hard times are not coming but soft times arc going," sums up in a few words the actual conditions as they are regarded by the business men of wider vision. There is a wide difference between the business depression under which industries have been laboring and hard times as they have been known lo exist in this country, but there is no question regarding the fact that to keep business moving at all an unusual amount of effort is required. The talking machine trade, taken as a whole, is fortunate in that it has suffered less than the majority of the industries of the country. It was one of the last of the trades to feel the weight of depression at all, and at no time has the industry been at a standstill. The worst that has happened is that there has been a falling off in demand, and the abnormal conditions that existed during the past few years have given place to a situation that demands salesmanship and careful business management. The chief handicap under which certain talking machine dealers are operating is that they have not heretofore been called upon to exert any great amount of selling ability. With most of them this ability existed, although it had for a long time been more or less dormant, and in the emergency it was a comparatively simple matter to develop the selling end along the recognized lines. There have been a number, however, who have become so used to having the business conic In flioiii that they have been unable to meet the new situation successfully and have suffered accordingly. In view of the close co-operation offered by the various leading manufacturers, however, including Ihe advertising and sales helps supplied to the dealer, he is free from most of the worry of planning the selling campaign anil is simply called upon lo go out directly and sell. The man is indeed lacking in energy or the ability to apply the principles of good business if he cannot get results from the material thus placed at his hands. The distribution problem in the trade has changed from that of '•sit and take it" to "go and get it" when it comes to business, There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the industry. There is no really tangible buyers' strike such as was reported in other lines of trade. It is simply thai Ihe public instead of buying is in a frame of mind where it demands to be sold. It will be found that the retailer recognizing this principle is not going to have much time to complain that business is gone to the dogs. SUCCESS OF CARAVAN CONVENTION IDEA T-Mlh Edison Caravan Convention which opened in New York so 1 successfully as The W orld went lo press last mouth closed its sc--,ons, a fo r visits to New Orleans and Chicago, in Vancouver on June 27-28 in a blaze of glory. The various sessions brought together a great body of enthusiastic and optimistic dealers and wholesalers, and ihe sessions were, as a whole, most inspiring and stimulating. I he program was original and excellent in quality ; the sales talks and the many interchanges of views arousing not only confidence hut a new spirit of enterprise among those present. The various gatherings again demonstrated the success of the Edison Caravan Convention idea, and the fact that an ambitious program, such as that represented at this convention, could be successfully presented in four cities in widely separata! sections of the. .■onniri. before ni.,re than five thousand dealers, is in itself a tribute to the ability and foresight of those responsible for the development and execution of the idea. The thought back of the Caravan Convention is that instead of taking several thousand dealers from their businesses and bringing them across the country for one general convention, it is belter to reverse the process and bring Ihe convention to the dealers, hence it is that in New York. New Orleans, Chicago and Vancouver Mr. Maxwell's play and Ihe program that accompanied it served to arouse the enthusiasm of audiences that in each city exceeded a thousand in number. Il is but natural thai Ihe Edison Caravan Convention idea should altract attention from many other industries who see in the plan a solution of the problem of maintaining contact between manufacturer and retailer successfully and, according to the general standard, economically.