The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1910)

32 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. VALUE OF FREE CONCERTS. No Better Method for Attracting Public Attention to a Dealer's Business — Talker Men Agree That Concert Work Is a Profitable Investment — The Experience of a Kansas House, No better means of concentrating the attention of the public on the talking machine — at least of those musically inclined — can be conceived than the giving of concerts by dealers. Not only are the possibilities of the talking machine brought home to hundreds of people at each concert, but the people come to your store, become acquainted with your staff of salesmen, and in this way an important and valuable connection is established. Of course if this concert publicity is to be conducted along the right lines everything in connection therewith must be right. If the store is not large enough it would be best to hire a small hall, send out either engraved or wellprinted invitations and have the programs daintily printed and well selected. Whatever expense is involved will be well repaid in a short time. We have on file letters from talking machine men in widely separated sections of the country who have been and are giving concerts for several seasons, and in each instance they have found this concert work a profitable investment. And these people do not include the dealers in the larger cities, such as Wanamaker in New York and Philadelphia, who has been giving talking machine concerts on a palatial scale. No matter how humble the effort, it can be made a success if properly carried out. We know of no better scheme of publicity than this. Only recently we received a letter from the Emahizer-Spielman Furniture Co., Topeka, Kan., regarding their Victrola and piano concerts, which they state were a great success, adding: "They were the means of bringing us a large number of Victrola sales. We are so pleased with this way of advertising that we feel it would be of benefit to others who would like to enlarge their Victrola sales." We reproduce herewith for the benefit of dealers generally one of the programs of their concerts which was given in Chickering Hall in Topeka, Kan., recently. It will be found interesting: PROGRAM. No 1 Valse Lente, "Adorable, Tournients" Caruso Barthelemy Enrico Caruso, (Tenor). No. 2, Faust, "Air des Bijaus" (Jewel Song) . .Gounud Emma Eames (Soprano). No. 3. "A Born Inventor" (Reading) Miss Ernestine Klein. No. 4. Lucia, Sextette, Act. II. Chi mi fren a (What Restrains Me) -....Donizetti Sembrich. Caruso, Scotti. Jaumet Severina, Daddi. No. 3. "The Breeze that Blows the Barley" Miss Grace Clark No. 6. Martha, "Last Rose of Summer" ....... Moore Marcella Sembrich. No. 7. The Wayside Chapel Wilson Melody in F Rubinstein Behning Player-I'iano. No. S. Les Deux. Grenadiers (The Two Grenadiers) Schumann M. Pol Plancon No. 0. "Christopher Cobb" (Reading) Miss Ernestine Klein No. 10. "Carmen" Habanera (Love is Like Woodbird Wild) Bizet Emma Calve No. 11. "If I Build a World for You." Lehmann Miss Grace Clark No. 12. Rigoletto, quartet, Act 3, "Bella figlia dell' amore" (Fairest Daughter of the Graces) Verdi Caruso, Abott, Homer and Scotti Miss Marjorie Erwin at the piano. We claim to be the first to feature the combination ol Victrola with the real piano accompaniment in Topeka. and will use on this occasion the largest Victrola and Red Seal records, together with a Chickering Grand Piano. We have secured the services of Miss Marjorie Erwin, late of the New England Conservatory of Music of Boston, to render the accompaniments The accompaniments will be played with each voice the same as though the artists. Caruso, Sembrich Plancon, Farrar. and others stood beside the piano. The effect is truly wonderful. GOOD COLUMBIA TRADE IN DETROIT. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Detroit, Mich., April 6, 1910. "I have never seen trade in talking machines as good as it has been since last fall," says K. M. Jons, manager of the local Columbia Phonograph store. "We are doing more business every day than we have ever done, and it is almost im possible for us to get enough machines to fill our orders, to say nothing of getting a sufficient number to use for exhibition purposes. We are not only selling many of the cheaper talking machines, but our business in the high-grade machines has been phenomenal. Our high-grade machines are fast becoming popular and we can not get enough of them in stock to show a complete line. TRADE FABLE No. 6 Smith was some picker. He picked a dad that was well fixed, in the first place, then he picked a wife that certainly showed class, and then a little bungalow that was certainly the goods, that is, to speak mildly. Finally, as a business in which to carve out his future wherewithal he picked the talking machine business. Any flies on Smithy had to pay fashionable rents. But When Old Man Smith passed over the coin Smith fils got careless and let him slide — to an 8 x 10 hall room in a cheap prune dispensary. Then the wife was shoved past till she felt like hiring a Pinkerton to guard the lone nickel in her pocketbook. Finally the bungalow ran for Sweeney till the neighbors' chickens mistook it for a hen house and used it for a roost. About the business, more anon, brother, more anon. At first that talking machine store of Smith's slimed out from the neighboring emporiums like the Great White Way, from Main street, Punkinville, and the sound of the demonstrations issuing therefrom had Barnum's calliope beaten by a mile, so strong was the business. And the stock — just ask for something in the machine or record line, that was all, just ask. It was not long, however, before the welching instinct got the better of Brother Smith and he started in to economize by bouncing two of the highest-priced salesmen, men who could sell a talker to a deaf and dumb man who hated music. Bad stuph. Then he began to get palpitation of the heart every time a jobber or his salesman hove into view, and declared solemnly and with much apparent sorrow that business was rotten, punk and even more. Those people bustling in empty handed and rushing out with bundles were simply a bunch of pikers who were taking records home to try out. Gee! if business didn't improve he'd study embalming and get busy on the dead ones of the town. Naturally the stock began to get frazzled at the edges, then get holes in the middle, and finally reached a point where the local cut-ups could amuse themselves by walking in and asking for any of the latest records, feeling sure that they would not be supplied. It eventually got to a point where there was really a decided shrinkage in the Smith business because there were not enough first-class records left in stock to supply one lone family, let alone an entire town, and it looked very much as though the sheriff would pitch in and muss up things. Still, in the face of it all, Smithy stuck to his roll closer than a flea to a Newfoundland dog and refused to see where spending a little money on new stock would put him back into the game on a winning basis. There finally came a day, however, when a live jobber hit the town and called upon Smith for the first time. It took said jobber just about two minutes to size up the proposition he was up against, and he proceeded to get into action. He first asked to be shown several of the latest disc records that had proven successful and were in demand all over the country. Nothing doing. A lequest for cylinder records brought the same response, while the latest attachments were an unknown quantity. Naturally Smith began to rave about the bad business, and then the jobber sat into the game with a few trite remarks about investing money in stock being the real dope for a live business man to follow. The result was that Smith finally took the rubber bands from around the remainder of his roll and loosened up to the extent of $100 in new goods as a means of saving the §1,000 worth of stock lying idle upon the shelves. When the new records arrived and were properly announced business again began to wake up. The run of customers increased steadily and were held by the continual freshening up of the stock as the new record lists came out. The lesson thus learned in the talking machine business was applied to Smith's other interests, with the result that the bungalow was saved for an amount equaling a small per cent, of its cost, and Mrs. S. began to look so good that she was a positive asset. Incidentally the treatment of the old man gained the good will of all the neighbors, and as a result everything was rosy at the store. Moral — Success does not lie in the hand you hold but in how you play it. C. J. SCHMELZER A VISITOR. Charles J. Schmelzer, of the Schmelzer Arms Co., Kansas City, Mo., Edison jobbers and Victor distributers, was a visitor at the factory of the National Phonograph Co., Orange, N. J., last week. Substantial orders for Columbia goods have recently been placed by Mathis-Youmans & Co., successors to Mathis & Coleman, music dealers, Valdosta, Ga., and D. L. Halbert, Athol, Mass. Needles Free To Prove Quality " THE BEST THAT MONEY CAN BUY" MARK NEEDLES "THE NAME TELLS WHAT THEY DO" Best for VOLUME, TONE and LASTING QUALITY. PLAY RIGHT from START to FINISH. PRESERVE RECORDS and can be used on ANY DISK MACHINE OR RECORD. Packed only in RUST PROOF packages of 100. RETAIL, 10c. per 100; 25c. 300; 75c. 1,000. ^— -**^ TRADE MARK NEEDLES "GIVE A MELLOW TONE" REDUCE VOLUME and DON'T SCRATCH. Make records last longer. Can be used on ANY DISK MACHINE or RECORD. No special attachments needed. PACKED only In RUST PROOF packages of 200. PRICE,, 25c. per package. F"RFF Samples °' " Playrite " and "Melolone" Needles to Dealers or Jobbers who write on 1 IVLiLi business letterhead. Special Prices to Jobbers and Dealers. Write Now. Dealers are requested to buy from their Jobber. If he won't supply you, write for name of one who will. BLACKMAN TALKING MACHINE CO. J. NEWCOMB BLACKMAN, President 97 CHAMBERS STREET NEW YORK CITY