The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

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The Talking Machine World Vol. 10. No. 1. FATTENING THE MAILING LIST. How Dealers Can Double and Treble Record Sales of Their Purchasers' Lists. The dealer was going over his mailing list preparatory to sending out a monthly supplement — ■ 256, 257, 258 — that was all. There was always the same number, every time, 258 homes with graphophones — the possibility for 258 sales — no more. And all of them would not buy! The dealer's eye stopped at a name, Joseph Smith. The dealer looked at it long and longingly. Joseph was a rich man with a large family. Each month he had received his Columbia supplement and immediately purchased four or five records. The dealer suddenly remembered that Joseph Smith had a son. Joseph Smith, Jr., was a strapping boy of thirteen, a very active member of the Boy Scout Patrol in the town. Mr. Smith, Sr., was sixty-five years old, and therefore beyond the Boy Scout limit, but (and this was the dealers thought), if Smith, Jr., ever heard that Ernest Thompson Seton record, Smith, Sr., would have to dig down in his pockets for the "wherewith-all." The dealer took one of his cards, wrote on the back, "Your son will want Record A-1331, Scout Patrol 'Calls ; send him around to hear it," and slipped the card in the supplement for J. S. One thing often begets another, and no sooner had that dealer glanced at the next name on his list than he remembered that Mrs. Blake had a G. A. R. grandfather sitting at home. Out came another card and the notation, "Captain Blake would enjoy our record A-360. Let us send you our collection of old-time melodies and war songs." The dealer's thinking, having a good start, soon swelled the mailing list up to three times its previous sales possibilities. He canvassed the family, situation with every name on his list. A house with a graphophone was not only a house with a graphophone — it was a house with a baby, or a house with a boy and two babies, or a house containing a grandmother, or a school-girl. Some special suggestions went out with all sales. Lullabies were suggested for the baby, slam-bang band records for the schoolboy, piano records for sister's musical studies, war-time selections for grandfather, old-time melodies for grandmother, and always the choice of the "favorite selection" for all. "Did the sales of this dealer increase?" asks the Columbia Record. Try it yourself. DID A LARGE H0L1DAY~BUS1NESS. The talking machine department recently opened by the F. G. Smith Piano Co. at 1217 F street, Washington, D. C, is proving a successful venture. It is located on the first floor of the warerooms, and the Victor and Columbia machines and records are represented. W. P. Van Wickle, vice-president of the company, reports having transacted a very large business during the holiday season. R. L. HOLLINSHEAD TAKES CHARGE. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Buffalo, N. Y., January 9. — Rubert L. Hollinshead has been appointed manager of the Victrola department of J. N. Adam & Co., the prominent department store in this city. Mr. Hollinshead succeeds H. V. Kautzmann, who has accepted a position with Mason & Risch, Toronto. ENTHUSIASflCOVER TRADE OUTLOOK H. B. McNulty, general sales manager of the Union Specialty & Plating Co., Cleveland, O., manufacturer of the Union phonograph specialties, was a visitor last week to the offices of The Talking Machine World. Mr. McNulty spoke optimistically of the business outlook, being enthusiastic over the rapid strides in popularity that the company's products are making in the East. New York, January 15, 19 14. LOCAL COMMERCE BUREAU IS LIKED. Business Men Find It Very Valuable in Getting Information on Foreign Markets. Much appreciation has been expressed in New York by prominent business men of the action of the Department of Commerce in establishing a branch of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce at the local Custom House. This bureau has for some time rendered a great deal of valuable assistance to manufacturers and exporters who have needed information on various foreign markets, and the establishment of the local branch has made this service more rapid, and therefore more valuable. A great deal of interest has been shown in the manuscript Consular reports shown at the local office, according to George W. Doonan, who is in charge. "Many manufacturers and merchants have availed themselves of the opportunity to inspect the tenders for bids, plans and specifications which have been sent to this office," he said to a newspaper man this week. '"Previous to the opening of the local office these documents were loaned in the order of application, and sometimes a list of forty or fifty firms would be interested in the same thing. As time is the essence of value of much of this material, it can be readily seen that by the time a document had gone the rounds it might be useless to those who received it last. "Hundreds of applications are being made for the 'reserved information' connected with the foreign trade opportunities service, and almost numberless inquiries have been made for statistics of exports and imports of various foreign markets. Again, foreign tariff rates are often asked for. "Other brandies will be opened in large cities soon, and these offices, it is thought, can be made of the utmost value by making them the local headquarters for American Consular officers visiting the United States and for the bureau's commercial agents returning to this country on the completion of special investigations, for the purpose of conferring with manufacturers and merchants interested in trade conditions in the Consul's district or in the trade made the subject of the commercial agent's special investigation. Recent visits of these men here have proved the value of the scheme, as both the Government officials and the business men have been benefited by the interchanging of ideas and information." FIRE CAUSES HEAVY LOSS. Large Stock of Talking Machines and Records Destroyed in Fire Which Gutted Big Department Store of C. T. Sherer, Worcester, Mass. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Worcester, Mass., January 3. — The large department store of C. T. Sherer was almost totally destroyed by fire, causing a loss of $250,000, on the morning of December 21. On the sixth floor of the establishment was a large stock of talking machines and records, and these were made useless. In the lot of goods were 1,000 disc records, which were either burned or smashed to hits. As the store was having a large holiday trade, the fire came at a most inopportune time, especially as the sale of machines and discs had been particularly heavy and much of the stock destroyed was for immediate delivery. COMPLETE IMPROVEMENTS. The New York Talking Machine Co., 81 Chambers street, New York, has just completed a number of additional improvements in its sales offices, conducing to the maximum convenience and comfort of its clients. All of these new changes permit of the handling of the company's dealers' requirements at top-notch efficiency. Price Ten Cents MR. EDISON SEES MISS KELLER. Inventor Thinks He Can Give Her Actual Sound Perceptions — Hats Prove Medium. A meeting, which had been much desired tor many years, was arranged between Helen Keller and Thomas A. Edison at the Edison home in Llewellyn Park recently, just before Miss Keller and her teacher, Mrs. Macy, started west to continue a lecture trip. Miss Keller was much interested in all that Mr. Edison told her of recent experiments and inventions. "Tell me more about your wonderful inventions," she said over and over again. Mr. Edison showed deep interest in Miss Keller's keenness and delicacy of touch perception. After testing it in various ways he declared his confidence that he could translate sound waves into electrical vibrations, which would give Helen Keller actual sound perceptions. One method of conveying the vibrations of the disc to Miss Keller on this occasion was by inserting an ordinary derby hat into the horn of the phonongraph with the crown of the hat outward. Putting her fingers on the crown of the hat, the vibrations of the music were conveyed to Miss Keller. A silk hat was tried in place of the derby, and still better results were accomplished. The ragtime pieces seemed to afford Miss Keller the most enjoyment, probably because the vibrations were clearer and stronger; band music, also, was very successfully conveyed to her through her fingers on the crown of the hat. At no time, however, can it be said that Miss Keller "heard" the music. What she did get was the vibrations, and the lively pieces were most enjoyed. Miss Keller and Mrs. Macy will spend a day with Mr. Edison in his laboratories on their return from the West for the purpose of assisting in experiments to this end. CASE SETTLEDOUT OF COURT. Action Brought by Burton H. Corbett Against President of Boston Talking Machine Co. Settied Out of Court When Near Hearing. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Boston, Mass., January 9. — Burton H. Corbett. of Brookline, formerly of Denver, who was mentioned in The World last month as having left here following the financial difficulties of the Boston Talking Machine Co., of which he was manager, brought suit for $100,000 against Henry M. Whitney, president of the company. Corbett alleged that he entered into a written contract with Whitney on July 31, 1913, to enter the employ of the talking machine company, of which Whitney was president and a large financial owner. He claimed that he was to act as manager, to have control of the factory in Cambridge, and was to received $26,000 a year and a percentage. He broke up his business to come here, he claimed, and worked for a few months for the talking machine company. He says he asked Whitney for money and was refused. He alleged Whitney did not pay him in full for the work he did ; that he performed his part of the contract, but Whitney did not perform his, and that he was entitled to damages. Twenty-four hours after the announcement of the suit came a statement that an agreement had been reached between the attorneys representing Messrs. Whitney and Corbett. The case, it appears, had been settled out of court. HANDSOME WALL HANGER. In order that its dealers might call the attention of the public to the new record catalog it recently issued, the Victor Talking Machine Co. sent out to its trade last week a handsome wall hanger or window display portraying a page from the new catalog.