The talking machine world (July-Dec 1918)

The Talking Machine World Vol. 14. No. 8 MICKEL BROS. CO. BUY BUILDING Purchase Structure Where Headquarters Are Now Located in Des Moines — Some Interesting Visitors — A Worthy Service Flag Des Moines, Ia., August 5. — George E. Mickel, general manager of the Mickel Bros. Co., Victor wholesalers in this city, recently purchased the structure in which the company's business is located at 411 Court avenue. The building is a four-story and basement brick structure, 133 by 22 feet, and is located in the heart of the Des Moines wholesale district, convenient to the business center of the city and to the freight terminals and depots, and will be known hereafter as the Mickel Building. Among the recent visitors to the Mickel Bros. Co. were Mark W. Duncab, of Albia, la.; L. P. Heinrich, of the Heinrich Drug Co., Osceola, la.; H. J. Schalekamp, of Sioux Center, la., and J. F. Baylor, of the Baylor Furniture Co., What Cheer, Ia. Another visitor of note was Harry Z. Swartz, manager of the Victrola department of Roshek Bros. Co., Dubuque, Ia., who reported that his company was moving the Victrola department from the third floor to the second floor of the building and installing three large demonstrating booths. Mr. Swartz reports exceptional success with the Victor Marconi wireless course. W. P. Beale, manager of the Mickel Bros. Co., Des Moines, has returned from a business and pleasure trip through the West, visiting various points in Colorado, Wyo. A service flag with eight stars now adorns the Mickel Bros. Building, four of the stars being credited to the local store, for E. W. Lundquist, who travels in eastern Iowa is now at an Officers' Training Camp in Kentucky; Don Peters and Roy Banta, of the company's staff, are at Camp Cody, and Harold Anderson is in France. Incidentally, Hugo Heyn, sales manager of the Omaha store, is playing with Sousa in the Great Lakes Naval Training Station Band. GIVES A GOOD ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF Lieut. J. A. Cromelin, Whose Family Is Well Known in the Industry, Severely Wounded Lieut. John A. Cromelin, of 400 River street, Hackensack, N. J., an officer in the Twelfth Field Artillery, now in service in the Western front in France, is listed in recent casualty lists as severely wounded. In a letter to his mother, however, Lieutenant Cromelin describes his wounds as slight, but details have just been received from France which indicate that the lieutenant, with customary American bravery, belittled his sacrifices and injuries in order to avoid worrying those at home. According to the official reports Lieutenant Cromelin, who is a son of Paul Cromelin, formerly vice-president of the Columbia Graphophone Co., and a nephew of John Cromelin, general sales manager of the Otto Heineman Phonograph Supply Co., was subject to an attack of German machine gunners at a distance of ten feet. Three bullets went into one of his arms side by side and two through his right leg. He is now recovering from his wounds, and is anxious to return to the firing line. Lieutenant Cromelin was a junior at Princeton University when war was declared. He entered the First Reserve Officers' Training Camp at Fort Meyer, Va., and was assigned to the Twelfth Field Artillery, sailing for France last January. His father, Paul Cromelin, was for many years one of the most prominent members Of the talking machine industry here and abroad, and at the present time is president of the Inter-Ocean Film Corp. of Manhattan. New York, August 1 5, 1918 TALKING MACHINE EXPORTS GROW Exports, Including Records, for Eleven Months Ending May 31, Totaled $4,363,496, as Compared With $3,247,006 for Same Period of 1917 Washington, D. C, August 5. — In the summary of exports and imports of the commerce of the United States for the month of May, 1918 (the latest period for which it has been compiled), which has just been issued, the following figures on'talking machines and records appear: The dutiable imports of talking machines and parts during May, 1918, amounted in value to $26,033, as compared with $22,333 worth, which were imported during the same month of 1917. The eleven months' total ending May, 1918, showed importations valued at $310,757, as compared with $435,748 worth of talking machines and parts imported during the same period of 1917. Talking machines to the number of 9,986, valued at $337,865 were exported in May, 1918, as compared with 6,615 talking machines, valued at $184,071 sent abroad in the same period of 1917. The eleven months' total showed that we exported 88,319 talking machines, valued at $2,506,617, as against 69,221 talking machines, valued at $1,797,028 in 1917, and 36,819 talking machines, valued at $1,081,815 in 1916. The total exports of records and supplies for May, 1918, were valued at $203,489, as compared with $192,448 in May, 1917. For the eleven months ending May, 1918, records and accessories were exported, valued at $1,856,879, as compared with $1,449,987 in 1917, and $867,795 in 1916. PROMINENT VISITOR FROM INDIA Valabhdas Runchordas, of the Talking Machine & Indian Record Co., Bombay, at Present in the United States in Connection With Establishment of a Record Plant in India Valabhdas Runchordas, sole proprietor of the Talking Machine & Indian Record Co., of Bomhay, India, and with branches in Calcutta and Madras, is at present in San Francisco, and plans an extensive tour of the United States for the purpose of studying the record-making situation and trade conditions generally, in the furtherance of the business plans of his house for the future. Mr. Runchordas was one of the founders and is now sole proprietor of Valabhdas Runchordas & Co., Bombay, the importing division of the Talking Machine & Indian Record Co., being among the pioneers in the phonograph importing field in that country. Before the war the company had a practical monopoly of the products of the Beka Record Co., of Berlin, in India, Burma and Ceylon, and also featured Odeon records extensively. It is the plan of the Talking Machine & Indian Record' Co. to start a factory in India for the making of records, and Mr. Runchordas' present tour is in the furtherance of that project. Just before the outbreak of the present war Mr. Runchordas visited Switzerland and England, and on his present tour stopped in Japan for a month before coming to San Francisco. His present address in this country is care of the International Banking Corp., San Francisco. INITIATIVE PLAYS NO FAVORITES Initiative made of an unknown Corsican the most famous conqueror in history. Less than a century later a train-boy out in Michigan tied up to it — and the result was Edison, master of modern miracles. Initiative plays no favorites. It would just as soon transform a $10-a-week messenger into the head of the firm as to increase the general manager's salary $5,000 a year. Price Twenty -five Cents A NEW RECORD SELLING SCHEME How One Salesman Managed to Interest Customers in Records That Ordinarily Wouldn't Be Called for or Even Listened to An Eastern talking machine salesman has developed a little stunt for selling slow-moving records that is worthy of passing consideration. The scheme works particularly well when there is a vacant demonstrating room at hand, and is as follows: The salesman follows the usual course of ushering the customer into a booth, inquiring as to his particular desires and testing out the records. He uses the usual selling tactics and arguments, together with some of his own devising, and demonstrates as many records as possible while the customer is in the booth. When the sale is closed, however, and the customer is waiting, frequently in the passageway, for his package and change, the salesman starts playing one of the slow-selling records in the empty booth and goes about his business. Nine times out of ten the customer will stop and listen to the record, while making inquiries regarding it, the result being that frequent sales are made of records that ordinarily would not be listened to by the average customer. The salesman in question first attempted to play slow-selling records for the customer while the latter was still in the booth, but found that the results were not satisfactory, inasmuch as the customer felt that he had finished his business for the day and was inclined to be anxious about getting his package and going on his way. Out in the corridor, however, the customer can see the package being wrapped and does not feel that in listening, apparently by accident, to another record he is wasting his time. One of the secrets of the success of the plan, of course, lies in selecting records of a type that will appeal to the customer, judging from the selections he has already tried out and ordered. There is a psychological appeal in this kind of salesmanship that interests. IOWA VICTOR DEALERS TO MEET State Association Plans Annual Convention to Be Held in Des Moines August 27-28— Interesting Addresses to Be Made at Gathering Des Moines, Ia.. August 5. — Extensive plans are now being made for the annual convention of the Iowa Victor Dealers' Association, to be held in this city on August 27 and 28. The program is a most elaborate one, covering two days, and includes a demonstration by W. O. Swenker, of the Victor; a discussion on "How to Make a Record Department Profitable"; an address by C. G. Childs, director of the recording laboratories of the Victor Co.; a patriotic address by Dr. Titus Lowe, and an address on the educational value of the talking machine by C. A. Fullerton, of the Iowa State Teachers' College, Iowa Falls, Ia. Some interesting features are also planned for the business meeting of the association. -The entertainment features include a special luncheon on August 27, an informal banquet the same evening, and a trip to Camp Dodge as the final event of the convention, on the afternoon of August 28. The chairman of the official entertainment committee, reports that from present indications there will be a large number of dealers in attendance at the meeting from all parts of the State. The officers of the association are: Charles Gaston, Gaston Music Co., Hastings, Neb., president; J. E. Gaskill, Gaskill Music Co., Nebraska City, Neb., vice-president; H. S. Thorpe, Huse Publishing Co., Norfolk, Neb., treasurer, and W. E. Mickel, Mickel Bros., Omaha, secretary.