The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 17 tion. The mechanical toy fits any talking machine and dances automatically when the machine plays. The wife of J. H. Becker, manager of the Hoeffler Victor department, is recovering from her five months' illness. Now in New and Larger Quarters. The Roethe-Buelow Co., an enterprising talking machine house located on the Milwaukee south side, formerly at 395 Grove street, has opened in new and larger quarters at 396 Eleventh avenue. The company has been meeting with a steady increase of business and the larger quarters became necessary. The Roethe-Buelow establishment has been termed "the south side's handsomest talking machine store." The company handles the Columbia line and has been meeting with a fine business of late. The Gensch-Smith Co., 730 Grand avenue, handling the Victor line, is now nicely settled in its additional quarters, which it recently secured, adjoining its store. The company's business during the month of November showed a decided increase over the corresponding month a year ago. Milwaukee talking machine houses have advertised in the local papers more freely than ever this fall, and it is believed that the big increase in business which has been experienced is one of the direct results. The J. B. Bradford Piano Co., the Edmund Gram Piano House, the Badger Victrola Shop, the George H. Eichholz Co. and Gimbel Bros, and the Boston store, handling the Victor line, A. G. Kunde, carrying the Columbia goods, and the Edison Shop and the Flanner-Hafsoos Music House, selling the Edison line, have been carrying on an especially aggressive newspaper campaign with the best of results. Paul A. Seeger, manager of the Victor department at the Edmund Gram Piano House, is finding that his total business this season is showing a decided increase over the same period a year ago. The demand for the high priced Victrolas has been especially strong at the Gram house. The Roethe-Buelow Co., 396 Eleventh avenue, made a sale of considerable interest recently, when it disposed of one of the $500 Columbia machines to Fred Oesterreich, a well-known manufacturer on the Milwaukee south side. A. G. Kunde, 516 Grand avenue, Columbia jobber and dealer, has been receiving many inquiries from teachers and schools all over the State of late regarding the Columbia line, as a result of the successful demonstration of the Columbia machines before the annual' convention of the Wisconsin State Teachers' Association, held in Milwaukee last month. General business at the Kunde store has been exceptionally good since the concern opened in its handsome new quarters. The Edison people are also having their troubles regarding a shortage in some lines of machines, according to William A. Schmidt, manager of the Phonograph Co., of Milwaukee, jobber in this territory for the Edison goods. The scarcity in the Edison field seems to be especially noticeable in the various oak styles of disc machines. Mr. Schmidt says that dealers in this territory have been buying much more freely than had been anticipated. The disc line has been placed with several reputable Wisconsin houses of late. Business at the Edison Shop, the leading downtown retail Edison store in Milwaukee, is very good at the present time. Miss Henrietta Kane, formerly with the Koerner Bros. Piano Co., of Milwaukee, has joined the sales force at the Edison Shop, where she is meeting with much success. HOW THE DEALER IS HELPED. The Co-operation of the Victor Co. in Helping the Dealer Again Illustrated in Some Remarkable Advertisements in the New York Papers — Names of All the Dealers Given. The Victor Talking Machine Co., on December 4 and 5, used a full-page advertisement in the local newspapers which marked an era in newspaper advertising in the talking-machine industry. This advertisement appeared in every New York evening newspaper on the 4th of the month, and was repeated in every local morning paper the day after. The size of the advertisement and its simultaneous appearance in all the local papers was sufficient in itself to attract the attention of the public, aside from the forceful copy used and the decidedly unique character of the text. This full page was headed "Victor Supremacy," and the heading was followed by two short and pithy paragraphs calling attention to the fact that the world's greatest artists make records for the Victor Co., and emphasizing that the scope of the Victrola in unlimited. To support this text, a border was used portraying twenty-eight of the worldfamous artists who record for the Victor library. This border was completed by an unusually sharp and clear cut of a Victrola XVI, with the internationally popular Victor trade-mark. The unique and remarkable phase of this advertisement, however, consisted of the listing of all the Victor dealers in New York and vicinity, this list being the first one of its kind ever published. The publication of these names represented more than a mere list of representatives of the Victor Talking Machine Co., as it served to permanently impress the reader with the prestige of the Victor products and the remarkable popularity that they have achieved in the past few years. The sales value of the page is unquestioned, and the Victor Co. has been in receipt of congratulations from its dealers throughout the country, who regard the advertisement as a publicity and sales masterpiece. The numerical strength of Victor representation in local territory may be gathered from the fact that 241 names were listed in the advertisement. Exactly 100 Victor dealers are located in the Borough of Manhattan, fourteen in the Bronx, and seventyfive in Brooklyn. The remainder of the list included Victor dealers in Staten Island. Queens, Westchester County, Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken, X. J. The dealer who understands the power of advertising will not be a price cutter. He will be a conservationist, not a pirate. He will push his business on service lines. Service brings him the good will and fixed habits of satisfied customers. W E H A V E THEM few assorted finishes Fellow -Distributors will be accommodated with moderate quantities of Victrolas XVI on an exchange basis. We foresaw the present shortage and are prepared to take care of dealers and distributors. PHONE, 7531 MADISON SQUARE BENJ. SWITKY, NEW YORK Victor Specialist