The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 9 OLD SONGS WOULD BE PROFITABLE. Constant Search for Novelties for Slot Machines — Batteries of Bugle Records and Massed Effects of Operatic Selections to Draw the Public— Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. "There must be, I suppose," said a man wlio finds more or less enjoyment in the penny-in-theslO't phonograph parlors, "there must be somebody who decides on what songs and music shall go into the machines, and I should say that the success of a place must depend in considerable measure on him. True, you can tell whether what you've got is taking or not by the returns from the machines; there couldn't very well be any better demonstration than that; but what you want to know is what to put in in place of a piece that has ceased to draw profitable returns, and you also want to know what will draw better than anything you have got — and you want novelties. "In one place where I go they have lately equipped a dozen or less of the phonographs, all right along together in a row, with bugle records. Of course they've had bugle records here before, a single one here and there, but here was a regular battery of bugle phonographs. "This novelty attracted me to the extent of five cents. I walked along the line and tried five of these bugle phonographs that I thought I'd like to hear, and as far as my observation went this battery of bitgle records thus brought prominently to my attention drew very well. "Another massed effect here is produced by a string of a dozen or so of phonographs placed all together, all with selections from operas. This was suggested very likely by the opening of the opera season; and of course the advent of a popular singer in any line, as on the vaudeville stage, finds a prominent echo here. Let a singer that people talk about come and straightway you find his songs on the records, paying a royalty to the singer and yielding a revenue to the proprietors of the phonograph parlor. "And of course any song or music, however or wherever produced, that hits the popular fancy is at once reproduced on the phonographs, but there are here scores of machines for which records and constant changes must be provided, and I should think it would keep a man guessing what to choose. With the most earnest desire in the world to put on records that will draw pennies this is still a most difficult thing to do. The songs written and sung are innumerable, but the really good songs are very few. Certainly 1 have paid many a penny to hear things that I never want to hear again, though tastes vary, and things that I might not like at all might hit other people very hard. "I have an idea myself that we don't find on the records enough good old songs. I would immensely prefer a good old song to a poor new thing. We do, to be sure, always find here some old songs sung or played on musical instruments; but I think we ought to have more of these; a good old song always preserves its appealing melody, just as good architecture always keeps its satisfying beauty. "In the search for new things that will draw they put on the records other things than songs and music. On one machine here the other day I found Lincoln's Gettysburg address, and promptly I dropped a cent in the slot to hear again that noble utterance. And it seemed to me, thinking of it in a business way, that here was the germ of an idea; that quite apart from things said in current political campaigns there might be other great or famous speeches, old as it may be, but still alive with human feeling, that might prove profitable records for the phonograph parlor. "But perhaps we don't need to tell them this, for they are always seeking for new things, or for things that are different, that may be old hut that are new here, and always seeking to invest old things with new attractiveness. For instance, among the many slot machines of many kinds other than the song and music phonographs is the fortune-telling machine. Here not long since sitting in a glass case was the lifesize figure of an old lady attired in old fashioned garments, and you drop a cent through a slot in the base of this machine and the old lady up in the glass case would 'bend her gaze downward upon array of cards spread out on a table before her and as she scanned the cards she v/ould swing her hand back and forth over them, her lips moving as she made her selection, and then presently she'd stop and sit up straight again, and then out of an opening in the machine below would pop a card fox you with your fortune on it. "And so many people want a fortune! So many people are willing to pay a cent to have their fortune told; and people swarmed around this machine to drop their pennies in the slot; but then — I don't know whether the old lady had ceased to draw or not, or what — ^but then they took the old lady out and put in her place to tell the fortunes the figure of a young and handsome woman. "So it's novelty, novelty; they are always seeking, in the phonograph parlor, something new or something old or different, something that will draw; and a man's job, it would seem to be, here as in any other business line, to know and to be able to provide things that the people want to buy." THE ORIENTALS AND THE TALKER. Chinese Thought Machine Was Possessed of the Devil When First Demonstrated — Now Visitors to Chinatown Hear the Music of the Flowery Kingdom Coming from the Horns of Hundreds of Talking Machines. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Los Angeles, Cal., Dec. .5, 1908. Chinatown has the talking machine fever. This would not seem strange if it were any other quarter of the city. But any one who knows the deep-rooted superstitions of the yellow men cannot help but be surprised to see them calmly sitting and smoking around a contrivance so mysterious to the unschooled as a talking machine. The first attempts made to introduce the talking machine to the Orientals by a local dealer were very interesting. One night he visited several well-to-do Chinese merchants and asked them to visit his store. Some accepted his inviation through curiosity more than anything and sat about his store till he started a machine with a comic laughing selection. When the instrument started to talk, they looked at each other, and when it started to laugh they rushed out of the store to the sidewalk and would not listen to the much amused dealer who tried to pacify the excited Mongolians, but they neither stopped or looked back until they reached their homes. Later they held council and finally decided the white man's was devil-possessed. They carried their woe to the joss houses, where long and loud the gongs sounded to summon the gods. The joss house keeper blinked and said nothing on account of being kept from his hard bed, for a double portion of silver fell from the hand of each worshiper. Later another dealer thought' out a plan to overcome the superstitions. He had some circulars printed on red paper at a Chinese print shop, describing the talking machine and what it could do; he procured several sets of Chinese records, it may be said several songs, as one song sometimes takes ten ten-inch records. He then packed his outfit and visited the most prominent Chinamen, whom he presented with his Chinese circular and asked to be allowed to demonstrate. His experience was almost the same as that of the first attempter, but finally made a success of his venture and a customer of the Chinaman. Now, as one passes along the streets of Chinatown, anywhere from dark to midnight, he can hear the weird music, which falls upon the American ear as discord, being reeled off the talking machine in every store. The Chinese merchants have recognized it as a business proposition. Where there is music men will congregate and where there are men someone will buy something. We also have several Chinese who are bona fide dealers in talking machines and are among the best customers in the wholesale trade. A retail customer relates a little experience which shows the Chinaman as a talkin j machine enthusiast. On going to a mining camp where he had interests he took with him a talking machine and a number of records, and remembering the Chinese cook there he also purchased two or three Chinese records for him. When he had played all the records of American title for the members of the camp he thought he would surprise the Chinaman who was busy clearing the table after the evening meal. He therefore started the machine with one of these Chinese records, whereon the Chinaman looked around and said in an unconcerned tone, "Me Get Him." This was to the white man a great surprise and not thoroughly understood until the Chinaman led him to his cabin and showed him a large talking-machine and a good supply of Chinese records. His dearly loved companion in that desert spot. POWERS BUYSJHJT DOUGLAS CO. Will Change Name to "The Talking Machine Co." and do a Retail Business Only. P. A. Powers, proprietor of the Talking Machine Co., Rochester, N. Y., and also of an establishment in Buffalo, N. Y., his home, has purchased the stock and lease of the Douglas Phonograph Co., 89 Chambers street. New York city, taking possession November 25. He signed the lease for the premises, which has three years yet to run, November 27, going to Buffalo the same evening. The place will be conducted as dealers only, the Edison jobbing end being discontinued, and under the name of the Talking Machine Co. handling Victor and Edison goods, and also a number of side lines. John Kaiser, formerly sales manager of the Douglas Co., will be the general manager of the new concern. Mr. Kaiser, in speaking of the new deal, said: "Mr. Powers is the sole proprietor of the business heretofore known as the Douglas Phonograph Co., and I will be the general manager. C. V. Henkel, who has been the president and general manager of the Douglas Co. for several years, will have no connection with the Talking Machine Co., of which the Rochester store will be a branch. Mr. Henkel, I understand, will give his attention to developing the General Phonograph Supply Co. We will retail exclusively, and as business is improving rapidly now, I will add to my clerical force right along. Whether we shall occupy the same space remains to be determined, but no change will be made for some time. I am satisfied Mr. Powers has acquired a good property and made a profitable investment." In due course, the Douglas Phonograph Co., Inc., will be formally dissolved. PAYS TO STOCK LAUBEIl RECORBS. It is, perhaps, safe to say that never before have we had an artist from "the auld countrie" who compares in his own particular field with Harry Lauder, the Scotch comedian, who has virtually "captured" New York and Brooklyn during the past month. He is now "bound west" on a tour of the United States, and he is certain to stimulate an increased demand for the Lauder records which are proving among the big sellers of the season with talking machine men. Lauder is inimitable in his special field, and his records are peculiarly "individual." One has only to hear him through the talking machine to appreciate his humor and his ability, and those who hear him "in the flesh" are certain to appreciate him still more, and vice versa. Wise dealers are they who watch the coming of these European artists, and prepare for their visits to the principal cities. The publicity received helps out the records, provided, of course, the dealer is wideawake enough to appropriate this publicity to his own ends. Nowadays it doesn't pay the talking machine man to sit down and wait for business to come to him; he must take advantage of every opportunity and get the public interested in his goods and in his store.