The talking machine world (July-Dec 1923)

112 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD July -15, 1923 DALLAS H avert y-Columbia Deal — fFatkin H onored — N en Concerns — Distributors Make Satisfactory Reports Dallas, Tex., July 5. — The Columbia Graphophone Co. has just closed a deal whereby the Haverty Furniture Co., of Dallas, has purchased the entire stock of the former company carried in its Dallas and Atlanta warehouses. This is said to be the largest talking machine deal ever made in the Southwest and includes transfer of more than 1,000 machines for a little more than $100,000. Five different models of the Columbia machines were included in the lot. The purchase was made by B. T. Stanford, secretary of the Haverty Furniture Co. and general manager of the Dallas store. Victor B. Lowrey, advertising manager and in charge of talking machine sales, has already launched a big advertising campaign and has placed the newly purchased machines on sale at special prices. Mr. Lowrey has already sold more than three carloads of talking machines so far this year and reports business unusually good for the Summer season. He anticipates little difficulty in disposing of the entire lot of Columbia machines. Work of R. N. Watkin Robert N. Watkin, of the Will A. Watkin Co., 1207 Elm street, Dallas, who, as reported in The World, was recently elected president of the National Association of Music Merchants, has been largely responsible for the remarkable growth of the musical industry in the Southwest in the last few years. To his efforts is largely due the success that has attended the inauguration of Music Week in Dallas, which has now spread to other cities and towns in Texas until there is hardly a community that does not observe Music Week, and the musical industry receives a big impetus therefrom. Plan National Musical Week ■ Mr. Watkin reports that the National Association of Music Industries, through its chairman, Otto H. Kahn, of New York, is now at work on plans for a National Music Week next year. Governors of all the States that have held Music Weeks have been invited to become members of the honorary committee, and Mr. Watkin, president of the National Association of Music Merchants, and Mrs. John F. Lyons, of Fort Worth, president of the National Federation of Alnsic Clubs, have been chosen to represent Texas on the general committee. Dallas is one of the three cities in the country that have held music week for the last three consecutive years. About 150 cities in the entire country have held music week for two consecutive years. Dallas now boasts of three presidents of music industries organizations: D. L. Whittle is president of the Dallas Music Merchants' Association; William Howard Beasley, of the State Music Merchants' Association, and Robert N. Watkin, of the National Association of Music Merchants. New Concerns Organized The Gunst Music Co. has been organized at Fort Worth, Tex., and has opened a retail store at 500 Houston street, with Ernest L. Conkling, formerly with the Citizens' Savings & Loan Association, as sales manager. The Gunst Music Co. has secured a long lease on the building at 500 Houston street, formerly occupied by the Conkling-Grimes Piano Co. The company will handle pianos, sheet music, various musical instruments and several standard makes of talking machines. Jesse S. Aldridge, well-known music merchant of Fort Worth, is manager of this company. The Mason Music Co., Inc., is the style of a recently organized music company in San Antonio, Tex., which has been incorporated with capital stock of $20,000. Incorporators are G. W. Parish, L. E. Robinson and J. W. Mason. The company will retail pianos, musical instruments of all kinds, sheet music and talking machines. The Phonograph Co., of Oklahoma City, Okla., has been organized with capital stock of $25,000 to conduct a retail store, dealing in Edisons. The incorporators are A. C. Dennis, R. H. Sherman and W. J. Davidson. Good Business Enjoyed Dallas distributors of various makes of talking machines report continued good business. Good crop prospects over Texas have induced a marked feeling of confidence and the retail trade in the various cities and towns continues good, despite the seasonal dullness, according to reports received by Dallas jobbers, and their sales bear out these statements. Sanger Bros., jobbers of Victrolas and Victor records, which firm perhaps sells more talking machines to the small town merchants in this trade territory than any other firm in Dallas, owing to the fact that it is an old well-established firm and has been selling goods for more than half a century, reports an unusually heavy demand for new machines and for records. The TEXAS=OKLAHOMA_CO. IN NEW HOME Prominent Dallas, Tex., Edison Distributor in Permanent New Quarters — Former Warerooms Destroyed by Fire Some Time Ago A SIGNIFICANT QUESTION NEwllllSON COMPARISON WIThI THE' LIVING ARTIST REVEALS no; difference \/fORE than 5,000 times this test has been made by more than 75 artists. Five million music lovers could detect no difference between the Edison performance and the living performance. OIGNIFICANT indeed is the ^ question asked on the back cover of this magazine. The answer would reveal that more and more discriminating music-lovers are demanding the one phonograph that dares the test of direct comparison with the living artist. Texas Oklahoma Phonograph Co. 2025 Jackson Street DALLAS, TEXAS Dallas, Tex., July 2. — The Texas-Oklahoma Phonograph Co., Edison distributor, whose headquarters in this city were so badly damaged by fire recently that the concern was compelled to secure other quarters in order to avoid in Texas-Oklahoma Phonograph Co. Headquarters lerruptions in supplying its large clientele with Edison instruments and records, is now located in the spacious and well-equipped building shown in the illustration, in front of which are standing part of the warehouse and office personnel. Despite the confusion and loss occasioned by the fire the Texas-Oklahoma Phonograph Co.'s service to its dealers suffered little interruption and business is now going ori at a normal pace. development of radio in the Southwest is believed in part responsible for the heavy demand for Victrolas and records. Many homes in the small towns and rural districts have installed radio receiving sets to pick up programs from Dallas, Fort Worth and other broadcasting centers and once the programs are picked up there is created at once a desire for more music. Investigation shows that nine out of ten homes equipped with a radio receiving set also have talking machines and good selections of records. The Texas-Oklahoma Phonograph Co., distributor of Edison machines in Texas and Oklahoma, is now well established in its new building on Jackson street, and O. G. Feltner, manager, reports business is altogether satisfactory. The Sonora Distributing Co., cf Texas, of which Earle D. Behrends is president, distributor of Sonora phonographs and Vocalion records, reports a satisfactorj demand for both machines and records. The record business is somewhat better than the machine business, according to Mr. Behrends. Numerous retail music stores in Dallas, dealing in talking machines of various makes, are following the lead of the Haverty Furniture Co., which has put on special sales of Columbia discontinued models. Early Closing in Effect The Dallas Music Industries Association, which includes all merchants in Dallas dealing in musical instruments, has voted to close their places of business on Saturday afternoons during the months of July and August. The Association has discontinued its weekly luncheon meeting for the Summer and the next luncheon will be in September, at which Robert N. Watkin will be the chief speaker. MATT HOHNER^IN EUROPE Matt Hohner, of M. Hohner, harmonica and musical instrument manufacturer, of New York, sailed for Europe recently on the "George Washington." He will visit the Hohner factories in Trossington, Germany, and will return to New York some time in September.