The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 9 COWARD LYMAN BILL, • Editor and Proprietor J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor. Trade Representatives: Geo. B. Keller, F. H. Thompson, W. T. I>YKES, L. E. Bowers, B. Brittain Wilson, A. J. NiCKLIN, L. J. Chamberlin. Boslen Office: Ernest L. Waitt, 100 Boylston St. Chieai^o Office: E. P. Van Harlingen, 156 Wabash Ave. PhiltLdelphia Office : Minneapalis and St, Paul : H. F. Thompson. Adolf Edsten. St. Louis Office : San Francisco Office : Chas. N. Van Buren. S. H. Gray. 240 Sacramento St. Cleveland Office: G. F. Prescott. Cincinnati Office : Bernard C. Bowen. London, England, Office: 69 Basingwell St., E. C. W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager. Berlin, Germany. Chas. Robinson, Breitestrasse 5. Published the 15th of eveiy monlh at I Madison Ave. N Y SVBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico, One Dollar per year; all other countries, $1.25. England and her colonies, five shillings. _ ADVEKTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; special position, $75.00. R.EMITTANCES. should be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill by check or Post Office Order. inFORTANT.— Advertisements or changes should reach this office by the first of each month. Advertisements arriving too late for insertion in the current issue will, in the absence of instructions, be inserted in the succeeding issue. Long DistSLnce Telephones— Numbers 4677 and 4678 Gramercy. Cable Address: "Elbill," New York. HEW YOR.K. JULY 15. 1908. IT must have been apparent to all who were present at the Talking Machine Jobbers' convention at Atlantic City that the principal object of this organization is truly for . trade good and not for selfish or personal motives. The papers which were read before the convention showed a splendid line of argumentative thought, and proved conclusively that there is no desire on the part of the members . in this organization to assume a dictatorial attitude toward anyone inside or outside of the organization. Serious-minded men have recognized that there are certain accomplishments which can only be won through organized effort, and they are willing to spend their time and their money toward the advancement of objects which are of obvious interest to the entire trade. They show at once that they are willing to make sacrifices for the good of the entire industry. It should be undei-stood in this connection that the good resulting from the organization work does not merely benefit those connected directly with the Talking Machine Jobbers' Association, but, broadly, all those interested in this particular industry to which The World directly appeals. The papers were full of sound views and are reproduced in another portion of this publication. They should be closely read, because they represent the views of practical men and not theorists. The subjects chosen all have direct bearing upon the industry, and therefore the utterances of the men whose interestslie in this particular trade will be of interest to those who were not present at the convention. THE arguments which have been made in recent issues of The World for quality trade against quantity trade have created considerable interest. One well-known jobber recently addressed a communication to this paper, in which he stated the following: "I believe that you are doing good work in advocating quality trade, and I feel that I would rather have a dozen dealers who are good ones than to have fifty representatives who treat the talking machine business in an indifferent manner." Of course, it is much better to have a few good representatives who work the territory carefully and thoroughly and who use progressive methods in the conduct of their business than to have a lot of pins-and-needles fellows who treat the talking machine business either as a joke or in an indifferent manner. Territory becomes wasted under such management, and these are not times to have wasted territory lying around. Every bit of it should be available and worked carefully and systematically. TO our minds the most careful investigation should be made regarding the business aliility, character and standing of talking machine dealers before they are placed on the regular list. Suppose, when an application is made for stock by a dealer, that in sending the name to the manufacturer, a request should also be included . to investigate the business standing of the applicant. Suppose, for illustration, that he is found to be a man of no local standing and no tested ability, just a man who simply desires to get two or three talking machines in stock because Mr. So and So in his town has worked up a profitable business. Now, the good dealer should be encouraged in every possible way, and it is not encouraging to him to start in a lot of irresponsible men without character and without business backbone, to poach upon his territory. If a man is doing well and making the most of local conditions it is rather discouraging to see three or four men of small business caliber start in and act as feeders upon his trade. In the end no profit is made unless the sales in that particular locality have materially increased, so that the manufacturer can count upon a larger output in that vicinage. We believe that one of the slogans of the talking machine trade should be quality trade against; quantity trade, and certainly no harm can come from the agitation of this subject and much good is possible, because it will set men to thinking as to business possibilities, and they will be apt to make the most out of their local conditions. THERE was considerable nervousness evidenced in talking machine quarters over the result of the recent Supreme Court decision in the Bobbs-Merrill-Macy case upon copyright rights. To our minds there was not the slightest occasion for anxiety in this matter, because the court decision has made clear that a copyrighted article and a patented article are entirely different. The Macy establishment advertises that after seven years' litigation the court decided that they had a perfect right to sell copyrighted books as cheaply as they chose, but to sell articles which are covered by letters of patent like talking machines would be an entirely different proposition, and we are inclined to believe that anyone who attempts it would find that he would be face to face with wholly different conditions. And then it must be considered, too, that in fighting for a right to sell a copyrighted article it took seven years, before the contest was finally settled in the courts. It certainly cost a lot of money and time to adjust this matter, and we do not believe that anyone would care to test the legal right of talking machine manufacturers to continue the sale of their products. AMONG the members of the Talking Machine Jobbers' Association there was a unanimity of opinion regarding the chief executive of the organization for the new year. No other name save that of James P. Bowers was mentioned, and every member felt that Mr. Bowers' wise guidance had been of material benefit to the infant organization during the past twelve months, and his retention in office should be insisted upon. Mr. Bowers, who is a very busy man, having large drafts made upon his time by business and other organization demands, consented to yield to the wishes of his fellow-members, and the organization is to be congratulated upon its leadership for the new year. WE have frequently urged upon salesmen the necessity of obtaining a closer acquaintance with talking machines. Success cannot be won in the field of salesmanship unless the one who offers the product for sale has himself a thorough knowledge concerning that which he desires to sell to customers. It is easy enough to learn prices and to distinguish the difference between a disc and cylinder machine, but the salesman should not stop there. There are many things further which may be acquired with advantage and profit. It should be seen that every machine is in perfest order before it is placed before a customer. There is nothing which will remove confidence from a customer's mind as to have a machine not in perfect condition, and everything running smoothly, when records are placed upon it for exhibition purposes. Then, too, salesmen should not have purely a superficial line of selling talk upon which to draw for argument, but they should have figured out in their own minds a comijlete line of tactical argument which will go a long ways toward convincing a customer. It isn't necessary to talk too much, because that is dangerous, but the more knowledge a salesman can display of sound reproduction and everything which pertains to machines he will find it to be a powerful factor in helping him to clinch sales, and after all it's results which count. IT is surprising how well the talking machine trade has stood up under most adverse conditions. It is refreshing too to see how the business has withstood all kinds of shocks. Praise the Lord and the manufacturers that we have been free from the cut-throat business which has been rampant in nearly every trade since the hard times commenced. Through January and February the columns of the daily papers have fairly blazed with lurid announcements of special sales and of all kinds of cut prices. Where would the talking machine trade be if the sale of the instruments was not regulated judiciously? The business would naturally have gone to pieces during the past few months. It would have reached such a point that it would have taken a year or more to have built It up. Undoubtedly a lot of dealers under pressure would have slaughtered prices and once having started there is no telling what men would have done in order to have beaten their competitors on sales. We have seen therefore the wisdom of maintaining prices. The conditions imposed at the present time secure legitimate profits and save the trade from the slaughter conditions which exist in almost every other industry.