The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

36 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. STOCK SHORTAGE CHIEF TROUBLE IN NEW YORK CITY Local Dealers and Jobbers, However, Losing Few Actual Sales for Machines and Records — Dance Craze Leaves Mark in Heavy Record Demand — Some Lively Advertising Campaigns Help Business — What Some of the Prominent Local Houses Have to Report. A shortage of both machines and records of the most popular types has been the most important feature of the local talking machine trade the past month. Shortage of product around the holiday season is expected, but the prosperity of the talking machine industry as a whole is well evidenced by the continued demand that has existed for machines of the more popular prices, and records of practically every type. Although the shortage has not been so marked that the dealers have been forced to lose many sales as a result, at the same time the jobbers and dealers are unanimous in stating that they could easily handle considerably more machines and records fhan are now being turned out by the factories. General business conditions the past month have been very satisfactory from every standpoint. Trade has kept up remarkably well and, what is more important, collections have been excellent. There is no doubt in the minds of the members of the local trade but that 1914 will be the banner year in the history of the talking machine industry, and this optimistic prediction is verified by the reports of the factories, which proclaim the month just ended as the best January they ever experienced. The jobbers and dealers throughout the country were responsible, of course, for this recordbreaking business, and New York and vicinity have certainly shared in this general prosperity. Dancing Craze in Full Blast. The dance craze continuing at full blast, it was to be expected that the demand for dance records would be correspondingly heavy, and in view of this expectation the majority of the dealers naturally ordered what they considered exceptionally large quantities of this class of records. To their great surprise, however, their stocks in most instances fell far below the demand and they are finding themselves in the position of reordering records which they expected would be in stock for at least the next two or three months. The country-wide popularity of the modern dances is beyond adequate explanation, but the talking machine dealers are not trying to solve it, as they are finding it sufficiently difficult to take care of the trade that this dance craze has created. The Victor and Columbia factories are working to full capacity to turn out enough of the popular priced machines to take care of the needs of the trade, while the Edison disc factory cannot supply its dealers with sufficient stock in the machines retailing at $150 and over. All three companies are behind in their record shipments, but are doing their utmost to catch up with their trade. Steady Advertising Campaign. A steady advertising campaign in the local newspapers has been carried on by the trade during the past month, and the talking machine advertisers, taken collectively, have probably used as much space within the past few weeks as many of the merchandise fields that far outranked them in earlier years. The advertising is well conceived and impressively worded, many of the separate advertisements utilizing educational selling arguments as well as straight-from-the-shoulder "reason-why copy." A Talking Machine Block. With the opening of the new store of Landay Bros., at 427 Fifth avenue, there will be presented the spectacle of two Victrola stores and one Edison disc establishment on the same street, and within two doors of each other. This conditoin is common in several other large cities, but this will be the first instance in New York of three talking machine stores and departments being situated on one of New York's business streets. The new Lord & Taylor store, which will open next week, is located on Fifth avenue, between Thirty-eighth and Thirtyninth streets, directly opposite the new Landay store, and will have a handsome Victrola department, equipped with about ten sound-proof demonstration rooms. At 433 Fifth avenue, New York, a few doors north, is the beautiful home of Hardman, Peck & Co., the prominent piano house, which recently opened an Edison disc department on the fifth floor of its building. There is doubtless plenty of business for all three stores on this one street, as with the opening of the Lord & Taylor store this particular location will be traversed by thousands of shoppers who concentrate their purchases on the highest class of goods and pay cash almost invariably. High-Priced Machines in Demand. "We are more than satisfied with the success of our Edison disc warerooms," stated Ashley B. Cohn, vice-president of Hardman, Peck & Co., 433 Fifth avenue. "Our clientele has always been an essentially high-class one and in establishing our Edison disc department we placed before them a line of phonographs and records which appealed to their love for the beautiful and the best. Practically all of our sales of Edison phonographs have been confined to the types selling at $150 and over, and we find that our patrons are sufficiently impressed by the musical and artistic qualities of the Edison disc product to order the more expensive machines in preference to the cheaper ones. We have heard nothing but praise for the Edison disc record, which, many of our visitors have stated, is the acme of musical perfection in a disc record." Record Demand Is General. "No, the dance record is not the only class of record that is selling particularly well," answered V. M. Moody, sales manager of the New York Talking Machine Co., 81 Chambers street, Victor distributer, in response to a recent inquiry. "The present record demand is far from being confined to any one type of record, but, on the contrary, embraces practically every class of record in the Victor catalog. Take, for instance, this red seal, light classic record sung by John McCormack. During the past ten days we have sold more of this one number than we did in the entire month of October last year. Bear in mind also that October is the time of the year when dealers are popularly supposed to be stocking up for the holiday trade, while January and February constitute a straight sales business. On another light classic record we sold twice as many in January as we did in November last year at the height of the holiday trade. We are very short of machines of certain types, and with our shortage in records, I need hardly state that we are busy — in fact enjoying the best February in our history." Columbia Trade Very Active. "We cannot get enough of many of our new machines," states R. F. Bolton, manager of the Columbia Graphophone Co.'s wholesale and retail store at 89 Chambers street. "Our stock is practically exhausted on the following machines : 'Leader,' at $75 ; 'New Mignonette,' at $100 ; 'Nonpareil,' at $150, and 'De Luxe,' at $200. All our dealers report a demand for these machines that is simply remarkable, and it is certainly a tribute to Columbia quality to note the complete satisfaction that our machines and records are giving. We opened a number of new accounts during the past few weeks that give promise of closing an excellent all-the-year-round business, and everything in general points to 1914 as the banner year for our institution." January Beyond Expectations. "January business was beyond all our expectations," states Dana F. Parkhurst, manager of the Edison department of the Tower Manufacturing and Novelty Co., 326 Broadway. "We are adding new names to our list of clients day after day, and with our location in the heart of the business district we are in a position, of course, to make an impressive appeal to the downtown business man. This has helped our business considerably, as, in addition, this class of trade has no use for a lowpriced machine and very seldom think of purchasing a machine for less than $100. The Edison disc machine retailing at $150 is our big seller and is gaining in popularity rapidly." Landay Bros. New Store. "When our new store is completed we will have one of the finest Victor shops in the country," recently remarked Max Landay, of Landay Bros., the prominent Victor distributers, with four stores in the best shopping districts in the city and a new one at 427 Fifth avenue now in course of construction. "We expect to be open for business about the 1st of next month and are leaving no stone unturned to make this new store distinctive and artistic to a degree. We are using a new process for sound-proofing our eleven demonstration rooms that' is guaranteed to shut out the slightest outside noise, and this all-important problem was only solved after lengthy experiment and considerable expense. The front of our new store will be absolutely original, consisting of an illuminated glass front that has never been shown in this city, and, as far as I can learn, will be the first one of its kind constructed in this country. All our decorations and furnishings will be dignified and refined to a degree" Difficult to Get Enough Records. "We simply cannot get enough records to handle the demands of our patrons," stated Hayward Cleveland, manager of the Twenty-third street store of the Columbia Graphophone Co. "From our operatic selections down to our dance records, we are behind in filling our orders, and the true musical value of Columbia records is becoming more and more appreciated by music lovers in all parts of the city." Blackman's Satisfactory Business. The Blackman Talking Machine Co., 97 Chambers street, Victor and Edison cylinder jobber, is closing a steady, satisfactory business in both its lines, as indicated by President Blackman's cheery report : "The month of January showed a substantial increase over the corresponding month of last year and February business to date is equally as good. Victor records and certain types of Victrolas cannot be supplied to our trade in sufficient quantities, which fact certainly seems to indicate a general prosperity in the Victor business that is very gratifying." What Others Say. "We are gaining new customers for our piano warerooms every month through the medium of our Columbia department," is the pleasing report of F. G. Smith, the prominent piano house, 142 Fifth avenue. "We are convinced that the Columbia division of our business has not only proven successful on its own account, but has also helped our piano and player business." "All our twelve booths are filled during the greater part of the day," states Miss Ruby Spaulding, manager of the Victrola department of the Aeolian Co., 29 West Forty-second street. "Last month was the best January in our history and the outlook is very encouraging." Other optimistic reports were received by The World's representative from the following: Benj. Switky (Victor), Krakauer Piano Co. (Edison disc) ; Fuller, Bagley & Beers (Columbia), Bremner Co. (Victor), Guy Warner (Edison disc), F. G. Smith, Brooklyn (Columbia). F. K. DOLBEER IN SEATTLE. Sales Manager for Thomas A. Edison, Inc., Attends Opening of Pacific Phonograph Co., Northwest, Edison Distributers in That City. (Special to The Talking Machine World.) Seattle, "Wash., February 6. — F. K. Dolbeer, sales manager of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., was recently in the city in connection with the establishment of the Pacific Phonograph Co., Northwest, which will be distributers of the new Edison disc line of the machines and records. A. R. Pommer, of Los Angeles, is interested in the company. C. O. Baker will be the resident manager. INCREASES CAPITAL STOCK. The North Chicago Talking Machine Co.. Chicago, increased its capital stock recently from $1,000 to $6,000.