The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1913)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 49 NEWS HAPPENINGS IN QUAKER CITY. Business Activity Pronounced During January and the Outlook Excellent — This Applies to All Establishments and to All Makes of Machines and Records — Interesting Review. (Special lo Tlic Talking Machine World.) Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. !), 1913. The talking machine business in this city in Januuary was most gratifiying. The dealers all did more business than they had done the previous January, and the only complaint is about the difficulty in getting goods, and even that is being relieved as rapidly as possible. The handicap seems to have come with the big holiday business during which time the retailers were not able to supply by any means the demand made upon them. At every store there was a shortage. The better part of January was spent in trying to satisfy those who had made purchases in December, and naturally they were given the preference over January sales, so that when the month went out there was a number of orders held on the desks that could not be filled. The dealers take a most hopeful view of the situation and believe that they will be able, during February, to catch up, although thus far the demand seems to be growing rapidly. The Philadelphia-Chicago Opera Co. returned to Philadelphia on Monday evening of last week. From this on for a number of weeks there will be five performances of opera each week, and already there is an increased demand for operatic records. Manager Elwell, of the talking machine department of the Heppes, states that they have had plenty of business in January, but the great majority of the stock they were able to get has had to go towards filling orders which were held over from their Christmas business. Among the visitors to the Heppe department were Charles McLaughlin, of the Stall Blank Book & Stationery Co., Trenton, N. J. ; Harry F. Cake, of Pottsville, and J. Harry Halt, of Pottsville, Pa. They all report that the talking machine business in their various cities has been excellent, but they complain of their inability to get sufficient machines and records. Mr. Elwell says that the Victor people are doing very much better by the retailers than they did last year, but the business is growing with such rapid strides that it seems utterly impossible to keep up with it on the part of the manufacturers, and if things keep on as they have been increasing it may possibly be necessary for the Victor Co. to purchase the whole of Camden to get a plant sufficiently large. The Pennsylvania Talking Machine Co. has been having quite a phenomenal business. It is very much larger than it was last year. Their new road man, Charles Gorham, has been doing most excellent work and has been able to establish a number of new dealers in the firm's local territory. Manager W. L. Eckhardt says that they started off the new year a little quiet, but after the first ten days business began to take a spurt and they finished up a very good month. The Pennsylvania Talking Machine Co. has received the first shipment of the new Columbia Grand, which has been attracting all kinds of attention, not only from the public who are interested in instruments of this character, but from many competitors who desire to examine it. Mr. Eckhardt says that when he came to Philadelphia he imagined that his company had too much room, but the way business has been increasing they find themselves constantly handicapped for space, and they have been compelled to still further double-deck the store to add to the room. Manager Frank Butler, of the Strawbridge & Clothier house told me this week that they have been doing very well with the Columbia and that they are now adding a great many new racks to their stock department in order that they will be able to carry a full line of the Columbia records, as they have been doing the Victor. Lit Brothers are planning two additional hearing rooms for their talking machine department, and have been given considerable additional floor space. The present manager, Harry Hovey, is SOLID WOOD (NOT VENEERED) MUSIC ASTER Solid Wood Horn Leads in Tone Quality REGISTERED Up! Up! Up! That's the way the sales show. How the Music Master Solid Wood Horn (The only Horn Guaranteed) is getting acquainted with users of Talking Machines of the Country. You can search the world over, you cannot find its equal for tone in any other horn or hornless machine. For samples simply write us. SHEIP & VANDEGRIFT, Inc. PHILADELPHIA, PA. likely to be transferred to the music roll department of their player business, which has been growing so rapidly and in which they have recently almost doubled their space in racks. The manager of the talking machine department at Gimbel Brothers reports that they have been doing a very good business ever since the holidays and they made a big increase over their January business of last year, although last January they had the memorandum proposition at work. They have no complaint coming regarding their ability to get goods, but they are still short on the $200 machines, upon which they have not yet been completely able to fill their holiday orders. David Davidson, who has been connected with the Gimbel talking machine department for some time, has left the city and has accepted a position in Montreal, with the Berliner Gramaphone Co. He will travel for that company. They have found a renewed interest in the public school business, and just recently they closed with six schools. Manager Walter Lipton, of the Estey talking machine department, is very well satisfied with January sales at that store, and while there is no comparison to be made with other years, yet their January business ran ahead of what he had anticipated. The new organ is now installed in the concert hall and he expects to use that hall, in conjunction with other instruments, in a series of most attractive concerts for which he expects to be able to secure the Columbia grand as a feature. Business has been very good with Louis Buehn & Bro. They are still having some difficulty to get a complete supply of both Victor and Edison goods. They have also had a most satisfactory business on the Edison dictating machine, are advertising it heavily, and are placing it in some of the largest firms here. They have added two new men to their selling force, Joseph R. Bradley and Raymond Stark. They are having a large demand for the remodeled records which were formerly single face and are now being made into double-face records. Manager Doerr, of the Weymann talking machine department is spending several days this week in south Jersey and is meeting with very good success; like the other firms here, the Weyman house has enjoyed a busy January.