The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1906)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 55 in the West and reporting to New York. In reality lie started the Chicago office, as within five months it became necessary to have headquarters in Chicago, where a stock of machines and records could be carried to fill emergency orders from jobbers. When the National opened general Western offices in Chicago, Mr. Nisbett was made assistant manager, and in 1904 was promoted to the Western managership, which he retained until the company closed its offices here on June 1 of the present year. Babson Bros., who were preparing to go into the wholesale business as exclusive Edison jobbers on a large scale, were quick to snap up Mr. Nisbett and with him the old Edison offices and warerooms at 304 Wabash avenue. During his career in the talking machine business Mr. Nisbett has done an immense amount of traveling throughout the West, and he has a fellow feeling for talking machine travelers, and, indeed, for road salesmen in general. ■'I often wonder if employers as a rule realize what the men on the road have to contend with, and how little time the conscientious man has to himself," said Mr. Nisbett the other day. "If you economize your time to the best advantage you must get up at all hours of tho night to make trains; must frequently get out long before the breakfast hour at horhe in order to catch a dealer before the rush of the day begins, and often you find it impossible to get his attention during the day at all, and must make an appointment at night. Then no matter how late the hour, the report to the house must be made out; you get only a few hours' sleep— " STANDARD " ELECTRIC PIANOS sometimes none at all — before the jump to the next town. "Not so very long ago I had an experience in a Northern Wisconsin town, which is quite typical. The conditions were not conducive to comfort. The thermometer was 18 degrees above and there was no heat in the hotel, as the boilers had been ripped out for repairs. I called on my dealer, and when I opened up found my concert machine had been smashed. Consequently 1 couldn't demonstrate records. The dealer suggested a way out, but it meant that I would have to wait four hours until the store closed. At six o'clock I met him, and he saw about as frozen a mortal as you would want to find. We went to a saloon where there was a phonograph slot machine. We were preceded by a tall, ungainly lumberman, who made a dash for the machine and dropped in his nickel. The result pleased him so that he actually played the record a dozen times in all, spending sixty cents in the operation. We stood by reciting soul stirring poems to ourselves. Of course, we could say nothing, as the man was making money for the house. Well, we finally got hold of the machine and I demonstrated my records. It all ended satisfactorily, as the man gave me an excellent order. "Just to show the way the business is developing from the dealer's standpoint, I have exclusive talking machine dealers come in here every day who first added talkers as a side line and finally found it advisable to drop their origiral business altogether and devote their entire time and energy to 'canned music,' as Mr. Sousa ■ has so courteously termed it." FAVORITE HENRY J. HAGEN'S GREAT TRIP. BIG IVIOIMEY In Handling Automatic Musical Instruments ELECTRIC PIANOS STANDARD and IFAVORITE ELECTRIC^; PIANOS contain expression devices and oilier lealures which raise Ihem way above the ordinary coin controlled class. NOT ONLY CAN WE SELL YOU THE VERY BEST ELECTRIC PIANOS AND OTHER AUTOMATIC MACHINES ON THE MARKET, BUT OUR LONG EXPERIENCE IN PLACING COINCONTROLLED MACHINES IS AT YOUR SERVICE. We can help you plan a winning campaign PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINES BOYD-HARRIISON CO. 6 and S MADISON STREET, CHICAGO PREMIUM GOODS AND ADVERTISING iNOVELTlES WE CAN TURN YOUR SURPLUS STOCK INTO «^ «^ «9 «^ *iw «^ «^ List anything you want to dispose of with us. Others are doing it, WHY NOT YOU? We issue a Jobbers' Exchange Bulletin monthly. November Bulletin contains 5,356 Machines. 41,800 Records of all makes. If you failed to receive it write without delay; prices very interesting. We are also direct factory representatives for everything pertaining to the Talking Machine business. Western Talking Machine & Supply Co. DILLBAHNER & FEINBERG, Props. 185 Deapbopn St. Cliicago Visited South America to Secure Records of Creole and Spanisin Songs — Got Some Fine Operatic Records in Italy — I nstrumentals by Leading Orchestras — Interesting Chat With This Expert Record Maker. While Henry J. Hagen, who recently returned from a record-making tour to Sotith America and Italy, was unusually successful, he secured a number of unique examples in voice reproduction upon which the Universal Talking Machine Manufacturing Co. may well plume themselves. Chatting informally with The World of his trip in New York the other day, Mr. Hagen, who is nothing if not modest in his manner, said: "I was two months in Buenos Ayres, going by the way of Hamburg from New York, and my main purpose was to obtain records of the Creole of Spanish songs, and many excellent reproductions were secured, remarkably few being lost. I also got some Italian operatic records, but the expense was too great, as the singers, when in South America, generally demand ridiculous fees — several times higher than when at home in Italy — therefore I had to cut them out. Then their status in the profession is exaggerated beyond all reason. For example, a tenor lyric (Henry always speaks by the card) who would stand second rate in Buenos Ayres, would be, without question, about sixth on his native heath. See That Ball? The IVcw ALL-METIIL-BIILL-ilND-SOGKETSWIVEL-JOINT Horn Connection Increases tone volume and quality. Stops blasting. Also makes better home-made records. Soft rubber connection deadens the sound. "TIZ-IT" makes it louder and clearer. It consists of ball and socket. Ball swivels freely in all directions. Made of brass, nickel-plated and polished. For Edison Phonograph and Columbia Graphophone RETAILS AT 50 CENTS Regular Discount to Dealers KREILING 6 COMPANY Inventors and Sole Manufacturers 855 North 40th Ave., CHICAGO