The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 35 Columbia dealers' record business during the first forty-five days of 1914 has been twice any previous sales record. Did you share in this ? (Write for "Mutic Money," a book "full of meat" for those dealer a interested in quick and frequent turnover of capital.) Columbia Graphophone Company Woolworth Building, New York DEMAND FOR DANCING RECORDS ALSO HITS DETROIT. Incident in Store of Columia Co. Indicates That the Craze Hits All Classes — Machine Sales Keep Up Well — Salesmen Enrolled in Efficiency Course of Board of Commerce — Piano Houses Find Profit in Talking Machines — Other Interesting News of Past Month. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Detroit, Mich., February 9. — The correspondent of the Talking Machine World stopped and took a second look as he entered the Columbia branch store the other day for his usual confab with Manager K. M. Johns. Skipping about the floor with all the abandon of a primary grade school girl, was a fashionably attired man, apparently having the time of his life, but nevertheless, as sober-faced as a magistrate in a murder case. The cause of his skipping was a hesitation waltz record, being played by City Sales Manager S. E. Lind, who also was impersonating, facially, an owl. Following the music painstakingly, missing not a step, and apparently fearful of beinginterfered with, the dancer persisted until the record was finished. Then he spoke up briskly : "I'll take that one. And I think that'll make enough, for this time." After he went out Mr. Lind explained: "He's (he head of a dancing academy, William J. Garand, selecting a new orchestra for this month. In the past few months we have sold a good many grafonolas to parties who wanted them for dancing in their homes, but not until a few weeks ago did we sell one to take the place of the orchestra in a dancing academy. "He wasn't dancing in here just to be gay, bu to ascertain if the tempo of the record was right throughout. He tries every record he buys in that way. They must be a pretty good lot of records, for he never has turned one down.'' The sale of records is the feature of the talk'ng machine business in Detroit just now. It is so tremendous that it makes the sale of the machines a matter of secondary consideration. The dealers are generally agreed that the wonderful stimulus is the craze for dancing. It was a craze two or three months ago, as mentioned in this correspondence at the time, but it has become more pronounced every week. Perhaps three-fourths of the records sold are dance records, mostly hesitation, one-step and tango. As the business in the other classes of records has not diminished, some idea of the general increase can be had. The sales of machines have not slumped, however. "As a matter of fact," said Harry Rupp. manager of the talking machine department of Grinnell Bros, "the late highly prized holiday trade turns out to have been but an incident. If it were not for the calendars we might think that January and February were the holiday months. A year ago January and February were almost as good as December, and this year we have double the space and all the rooms are occupied most of the time. For Christmas we sold a lot of machines, which created a tremendous demand for records, and the records, 'heard by friends of the owners, creates a demand for more machines. The consequence is that we are short of records, and I guess everybody else is in the same position" Out in the State conditions are largely similar. Piano houses who took on talking machines a few years ago just as a little side line, are now handling them on equal terms with the pianos, if not actually as the leaders. They are attractive because sales are easier made at the lower prices, and the money is turned over more quickly. The J. L. Hudson Co. will soon make alterations in its talking machine department, which will almost double the space devoted to it. Another row of demonstrating rooms will be built and the number of record cases will be about tripled. A complete catalogue of Victor and Columbia records will be carried hereafter. Manager E. K. Andrew, of the talking machine department of the Hudson Co., recently duplicated S. E. Lind's feat o'f selling a Columbia to a dancing academy owner. Another notable sale by him was a $200 Victrola to William B. Thompson, twice mayor of the city, and one of the best known among Detroit's business men. A. J. Fedewa, one of the company's talking machine salesmen, who has been ill since last May, returned to his work February 1. The talking machine salesmen are all participating in the "Efficiency Course" of the Detroit Board of Commerce. This is a series of lectures by prominent business and professional men, on the various features of commercial life, salesmanship being a strong leader. Most of the companies pay the attendance fees for their salesmen, considering it a' good investment. All sections of the city are now well covered with talking machine stores. Detroit's suburban business is spread out over a wide area, and the talking machine jobbers have looked up every cluster of business houses worth while, and have established an agency in the neighborhood. All these stores begin with the talkers as a side line, but most of them, in the course of a year, find that it is more profitable to make the talking machine business the mainstay, and carry the other things as side lines. "The situation resembles the automobile situation a good deal," said one of the jobbers. "People are just finding out that they are able to have something which they want very much. Perhaps there are a couple of million families in the country that have talking machines. They represent ten million of our hundred million population. Of the other ninety million, count out about twenty million as unable to buy a machine, and that leaves us about seventy million prospects, all getting ripe fast. That is why we do not consider what seems to be a phenomenal trade now, as phenomenal at all, but only what we ought to expect, and. which we have every reason to expect will be doubled in a year from now." The talking machirfe business is attracting some of the best piano houses which hitherto have not designed to consider this line of the musical trade. J. Henry Ling, head of the oldest piano house in the city, stated recently that he was seriously considering closing out one of his piano departments and substituting talking machines in its stead. "I have practically determined on this course," he said. "I want to make one little inquiry to satisfy myself on a certain point, and I am going East soon to do it. Talking machines are becoming one of the biggest forces in the music trades, and affairs have reached a stage that makes it bad policy for a piano dealer to ignore them longer." EMPLOYES' ASSOCIATION A SUCCESS. The Victor Co-operative Beneficial Association Makes Excellent Record During First Few Months — An Example of Victor Co. Generosity— Big Increase in Membership. The manner in which the Victor Talking Machine Co., of Camden, N. J., has the interests of its thousands of employes at heart is indicated by the first report of the Victor Co-operative Beneficial Association, covering the period from its organization, on April 15 of last year, to December 31, and the best proof of the success of the new venture and its appreciation by the employes of the company is found in the fact that the membership in the association, commencing at 1,647, during the first weeks following the organization, rapidly increased until at the end of December there were 4,210 employes enrolled. Since the launching of the association, the Victor Co., as per its agreement with its employes, has contributed to the treasury, dollar for dollar in proportion, the amount paid by the employes up to December 31 being $8,359.50, and by the company an equal amount. With accrued interest the amount raised last year for the association was nearly $17,000, all of which was devoted exclusively to requirements of the association, the Victor Co. paying all the operating expenses of the association, which amounted to nearly $2,000. In less than nine months the association paid to 208 sick members, benefits totaling $5,861.75, and paid death benefits aggregating $900 for six members, leaving nearly $10,000 in available funds in the treasury. All cases of sickness are carefully investigated by the proper officer of the association and when any doubt exists as to the right of the member to receive benefits, the matter is placed before the trustees. Where possible the member is given the benefit of any doubt that may exist. All concerned acknowledge the Victor Co-operative Beneficial Association as a powerful factor in cementing the cordial relations existing between the Victor Co. and its employes. The officers of the association appointed for 1914 are : Trustees — A. W. Atkinson, I. F. Burton, C. S. Wickes, E. T. Kieffer, E. K. Smith, W. B. Fulghum ; president, R. L. Freeman ; vice-president, E. F. Haines; treasurer, G. W. Jaggers ; secretary, E. K. MacEwan ; visiting secretary, M. W. H. Holden.