The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1906)

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THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 19 TRADE NEWS FROM ST. LOUIS. October Trade Very Active — T. P. Clancy With Columbia Co. — Fuhri Changes in Chicago— Thiebes-Steirlin's Fine Department — Other Items of News from Saintly City. CARUSO TELLS OF HIS SUCCESS. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 10, 1906. Talking machine trade for tlie month of October was very active, and showed a nice improvement over that of September, and the demand for high priced machines was particularly good. The demand for records has been most excellent, and there are complaints of shortage in both machines and records. Trade is expected to establish a new record for the winter season. Thomas P. Clancy, who has been manager of the talking machine department of the Conroy Piano Co. for the last several years, and one of the most popular and energetic men in the talking machine business, has accepted the local managership of the Columbia Phonograph Co., and will assume his new duties about Dec. 1. W. C. Fuhri, who has charge of the Columbia Phonograph Co.'s interest in this territory and West, will move his headquarters to Chicago, but will have charge of all the Western territory. The departure of Mr. Fuhri from this city has caused many expressions of regret, as he has established a very excellent standing here as a high class business man, and one who does business on a very lofty basis. He will leave about Dec. 1. Manager D. S. Ramsdell, of the St. Louis Talking Machine Co., states that trade is very good, but that they are handicapped in getting goods. They are having an excellent demand for their new ?200 Victrola machines. The Thiebes-Stierlin Music Co. have just completed a fine talking machine department on their first floor, which is in charge of S. R. Brewer. It consists of four fine booths, handsomely equipped, and constructed strictly with all the modern arrangements. Mr. Brewer is to have an assistant at an early date. The Val A. Reis Music Co. now have their talking machine department running nicely, and they report a good volume of activity. Marks Silverstone, president of the Silverstone Talking Machine Co., reports a nice trade and that he is doing exceptionally well with the new Victrola of the Victor Talking Machine Co. E. B. Walthall, manager of the talking machine department of the 0. K. Houck Piano Co., reports trade good, and that he has sold a number of Victrolas that are yet to arrive. The talking machine department of the H. A. Phipps Piano Co. is now complete, and they are pushing it with good results. Mr. Brown, of the advertising department of the Victor Talking MachineCo. at Camden, N. .1., was a recent visitor here. WORKING OUT THE PHONOGRAPH. James Creelman, the well-known writer, in the course of an interesting article in Pearson's Magazine, on "The Cry for 'Brains,' " refers to Mr. Edison's connection with the development of the phonograph as follows: "One of Mr. Edison's assistants has recorded the fact that, in working out the phonograph, the inventor has spent from 15 to 20 hours a day, for six or seven months at a stretch, shouting the word 'spezia' against the wax cylinders, in his effort to have the sibilants distinctly reproduced. The intense and prolonged labor which has resulted ill the new business man's phonograph can scarcely be realized. But it took Immense capital and a widespread organization to place the million or more phonographs of all kinds now in use." After establishing and selling out several talking machine concerns, Pat E. Powers now owns and manages the furniture department in one of the leading stores of Buffalo, N. Y. The traveling men passing through the city stop off and josh Pat on his change of base. One Man Gave Him $3,000 for Two SongsGot $8,000 for Making Four Records. acting, gave him a beautiful scarfpin of diamonds and rubies bearing the imperial initials in jewels. The management of the Berlin opera has engaged him for the next season. Caruso sings again with the Metropolitan opera forces this season. The great success in Berlin of Caruso, who is so popular it took a squad of police to prevent the people from mobbing him, led the great tenor to give a very interesting sketch of his early life to the local press of that city. "Up to eighteen years of age," Caruso said, "I was in doubt whether I had a tenor or a baritone voice. I started to sing in Italian churches when I was ten years old, and then at eighteen I tired of* thinking over the problem of my voice, I began to take lessons, but I quit my first teacher very soon because he could not tell me anything about the quality of my voice. Another teacher found that my voice was so thin the other fellows in the school called it a glass voice, perhaps because it broke easf^y. "While I was doing military service at Rieti I used to sing while shining the buttons of my unform. Major Mogliati heard me and made me spend leisure hours for many months studying with a teacher he procured for me." The great tenor says he is pleased now with his lot in life, and speaks freely of his success in America, where, when engaged by a millionaire named Smith to sing two songs, he got a check for $3,000 and got $8,000 from a talking machine firm for four songs, which because of a percentage on the sale have already brought him $4,000 additional in one year. It is said that Bonci, who is also engaged to sing m New York this winter with Hammerstein, has studied much more than Caruso, and had a harder time of it. He used to walk eight miles every day from Pano to Pesaro to attend the conservatory lessons, and he did this for over four years, no matter what the weather or the season. The German Emperor, who was present with the Empress at a recent opera performance in which Caruso appeared, sent for the great tenor and after complimenting him on his voice and SWITKY'S NEW STORE. Opens Handsome Establishment on 42d Street With Mrs. Switky in Charge. Benj. Switky, the enterprising talking machine jobber, has equipped a third retail wareroom at 253 West 42d street, near Eighth avenue. In these new quarters there will be carried a full line of all talking machine supplies, and the various styles of Edison and Victor machines. In the front are two large show windows in which samples of the various lines are displayed in a very effective manner, and is due to the ingenuity of Mrs. Switky, who will have charge of this branch of the business. Mrs. Switky is thoroughly familiar with the talking machine business, a very clever saleswoman, and will demonstrate the fact that a woman can make a success in the talking machine field. A $2,000,000 CORPORATION ( ?) Among the incorporations filed with the Secretary of the State at Albany on Monday last was that of the Atlantic Phonograph Co., for the purpose of manufacturing and dealing in all kinds of musical merchandise. Capital, $2,000,000. Incorporators: Joseph L. Adrian, Peter Mannebach and C. D. R. Adrian, all of New York, and Frank C. Hamilton, Syracuse, N. Y. START INSTALMENT DEPARTMENT. An instalment department on a large scale has been installed by C. C. Mellor Co., Ltd., Pittsburg, Pa., under the supervision of Ollie Oldhansen, the talking machine manager who is so popular with the traveling men. They have recently added the Zonophone line. The BtaeKMHN Cylinder REeoRD Trhy (PATENT APPLIED FOR) A Record Tray and Record Label for Less Than One Cent We ship them Flat and they can be FOLDED into a STRONG TRAY in a few seconds, as shown above. This tray, with the RAPKE Record LABEL, makes a HANDSOME looking stock and a SYSTEM that you can't beat. Full particulars on request. Prices for Trays to bold RECORDS $5.50 6 50 7.50 8.50 9.50 Smaller quantities, same rate PER 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 Rapke Isabels with Edison numbers and names Domestic Selections No. 2 to No. 9433 which includes Dec, 1906 S3.50 Year's Supply Labels Iherealter 1.00 FREE SAMPLE of tray and labels to any Edison dealer or jobber who writes on his business letter head. Bla c R ro a n Talking IVIacliiiie Co. (J. NEWCOMB BLACKMAN, Prop.) 97 Chambers street. New York Cily