The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1906)

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.

THE TALiaNG MACHINE WORLD. 53 BUSINESS BOOMING IN TEXAS. Jobbers and Dealers Report Unprecedented Demand — The Texas Phonograph Co.'s Big Task of Covering State — Womble Opens in Winston Salem — Edison Line With Oliver House — Reduction on Freight Rates on Talking Machines from 1 1-2 to First Glass Granted by Texas Railroad CommissionSouthern Music Co. Now Handling "Talkers." (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Houston. Tex., Oct. 10, 1906. The talking machine business in Texas is booming. During the heated season there has been no let-up and all the jobbers and dealers report unprecedented business. The newspapers have enjoj'ed splendid advertising patronage from the progressive phonograph dealers. Many are using quarter and half-page copy to exploit talking machines, and great rivalry exists for supremacy. The largest establishment in Texas is the Texas Phonograph Co., at Houston. They job Edison and Zonophone lines, requiring two traveling salesmen to cover the State. Texas is so large that outsiders, crossing the State for the first time, are amazed that when they enter the State at Orange. Tex., on the east, that they are a thousand miles from El Paso, in the western part of Texas. The fare is |30, and in this distance (equal to a ride from New York to Chicago) a traveler often rides 100 miles without seeing a town of 100 people. There are three cities en route — Beaumont, 20.000: Houston, 75.000, and San Antonio, 93,000, the largest city in Texas. It cannot long remain sparsely populated, as the tide of immigration is taxing the railroads to handle. Last month the roads brought over 40,000 homeseekers from the Middle West on their low-rate homeseekers' excursions, and nearly all bought some of the cheap school lands, and at least 10.000 will remain as permanent residents. In a few years the Empire of Texas will be a good deal better territory and more economically covered by traveling salesmen. S. H. Womble, secretary of the Texas Phonograph Co., has resigned to engage in business for himself at Winston Salem, N. C. He will retain his interest in the above corporation until a successor is found who will pay the bonus he asks for it. The Oliver Music House, in this city, has taken on the Edison line. For many years they have been extensive handlers of pianos and organs, hut this is the first time they have shown an interest in talking machines. The Texas Railroad Commission has at last recognized the arguments of H. M. Holleman, of Houston, and reduced the State rate on talking machines from one and one-half to first class, and they now conform to rates in eastern and central states territory. Better late than never, but until now the rate between cities in Texas has exceeded the rate from New York to same points, and it was a wonder the New York jobbers did not take advantage of this feature and grab the Texas dealers' business upon the argument that their freight charges would be less. However, the opportunity passes with the redtiction in rates effective October 1. Mr. Holleman, who worked very hard with the commission for many months, was formerly in the railroad service, and is one of the best-posted men on railway mr.tters in the talking machine business, and possesses a wide acquaintance among railway officials throughout the United States. C. B. Haynes, who recently established himself as a jobber at Richmond, Va., is well known to the Texas trade, and there have been many good-will expressions sent to Mr. Haynes in his new venture. The Southern Music Co., Edward Anderson, president, have extended their business to include talking machines, which they plan to handle extensively on the piano instalment basis. TRADE NEWS FROM ATLANTA. Talking Machine Business With the Dealers Has Assumed Undreamed of Proportions. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 1, 1906. The talking machine trade throtighout the Southern states, and especially in this section, has assumed tmdreamed of proportions and is still steadily growing, with no immediate prospect of a decline. With the dealers it is not a question of securing business but of getting sufficient goods to satisfy the demands of present customers, and it is a tough proposition in many cases. The National Phonograph Co. have opened a correspondence school in languages at the branch here. A special demonstration was held lasting a week, and results are said to have been excellent. Phillips & Crew were the pioneers in this direction in Atlanta, having opened a language school some time ago, although not on the correspondence plan. Phillips & Crew, by the way, are having great success with the Victor line, due, perhaps, to a handsome wareroom environment and attractive window displays. They have also successfully introduced the new Victrola. and predict a great future for this model. The Victor is also handled by the Alexander Elyea Bicycle Co. who, in order to acquaint the public with their new line, have been giving talking machine concerts in various parks. The Cohimbia Phonograph Co.'s branch has been the subject of much favorable comment recently owing to the artistic and novel window displays devised and carried out by the managemonc. Special efforts in store decoration were made receully in order to attract the crowds here to welcome W. J. Bryan on his visit to Atlanta, and the results were very satisfactory. "TALKERS" EVERYWHERE. How a Visitor to the Backwoods of British Columbia Made a Discovery. "One song hit out of a thousand songs in a year seems a small percentage, but it is true that very few of all the songs written are out-and-out hits," said a publisher recently to T. 0. McGill. This publisher is the man you seldom see, who hires six or seven hundred people a year for one of the big theatrical firms. "What particular song makes you speak thusly?" we asked. "I'm thinking of 'Bill Simmons,' which one of the clever comic artists on the Evening World has developed into a funny series. " "Bill Simmons' has just begun to move forward into the backwoods, where a New York hit don't reach in all its volume for about six months after it has begun to be whistled in the metropolis. " 'Bill Simmons' has attracted the attention of everybody. A man who has just come back from Alberta, B. C, says he was gliding down the waters of what seemed to him to be undiscovered streams after trout, and he had reached a part of the wilderness where it seemed no man could ever have been, and out of the deep shadows of the forest he heard the tickling sound of 'I've Got to Keep a Dancin'.' And he set up and pinched himself. "He felt sure he must be dreaming. "Just then the canoe turned a tend in the stream and he came full in view of a camp vv-here a party, who were lounging around a camp-fire, were listening to a talking machine that was singing out loud and free to the echoes of that wilderness the troubles of 'Bill.' "The party had come upstream from Fort Roe, and they had secured the 'Bill Simmons' record from a pack peddler, who makes the trading post twice a year." BALL-FINTZE CO.'S GREAT STOCK, E. F. Ball, of the Ball-Fintze Co., Newark, 0., recently made a sworn statement the company had in stock over 163.000 records, including Edison, Victor, Columbia and Zonophone makes. The company contemplate carrying in stock over 300,000 records during the winter, as large shipments are already being received. For a Powerful Organ-like Tone the New M. Hohner "XRUIVIPEX CALL" Harmonica Surpasses any mouth-organ that has ever been placed on the market. No. 220. This instrument which has lately been offered to the trade is endowed with a phenomenal amount of tone power. The reeds are directly connected with a wooden sound-bo.x, into which the tone passes, and finds an outlet through live Brass Trumpet Horns which protrude from the box. No Harmonica of this kind has ever been shown to the trad" before, nor is there any which increases the tone so wonderfully. In the hands of an expert plaj^er this instrument can be made to sound like a church organ. In producing this instrument the house of Hohner has again shown great results from its constant effort to bring the Harmonica on the level with a high-class musical instrument. The mouth-organ has 10 double holes, 40 reeds, brass plates and is full concert. HOHNER, 475 Broadway, NEW YORK 76 York street, Toronto, Canada