The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1916)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 73 From Our Chicago Headquarters E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, Manager HENRY S. KINGWILL, Associate World Office Consumers' Bldg., 220 South State St., Chicago Telephone: Wabash 5774 Chicago, III., November 9. — -The situation does not greatly differ from that of preceding months. October was a record-breaker with local jobbers in point of shipments, and November bids fair to follow suit, and yet the shortage, relatively speaking, is as great as ever. The demand for records has been immense, and dealers generally are evidently pushing this branch of the business as never before. Locally, the retail departments as well as stores report sales both of machines and records steadily increasing as the season advances. October was a good month and ahead of last year, but the volume of business in November, from present indications, will exceed it. Lyon & Healy's Big November L. C. Wiswell, manager of the talking machine department of Lyon & Healy, is again in the East in the interests of the National Talking Machine Jobbers' Association, of which he is secretary, together with representatives of the leading talking machine manufacturers, at a. meeting of the official classification committee. The talking "machine men are opposing a new proposition by the roads to raise the classification on talking machines from third to second class. They are also arguing in favor of a reduction in the minimum weight of carloads from 24,000 to 16,000 pounds. J. B. Ryder, assistant to Mr. Wiswell, said that November was an exceptional month in point of shipments in spite of the shortage on some models of machines. "Our record sales are simply enormous," said he, "the dealers responding to the arguments we have been making continually through letters, and our salesmen as to the advantage of making a special effort on the record proposition." Lyon & Healy are having a remarkable demand for their latest poster on the Victrola for Christmas, one of the most attractive of the remarkable Victor posters they have issued from time to time. It is a twenty-four-sheet poster, nine feet in height, twenty feet in length, printed in four colors, and is a most artistic production in every respect. Lyon & Healy are now ready to furnish their trade with a set of attractive highly polished mahogany frames for special decorative window display cards on Victor goods, four of which are issued each month. There are two single frames and one containing two cards. These cards have proven efficient business builders for the dealers, and they will welcome the opportunity to show them in a still more attractive manner than heretofore. Columbia Business Soaring C. F. Baer, local manager of the Columbia Graphophone Co., is one of the busiest men in the entire Columbia institution, judging from appearances as witnessed this week. Clattering typewriters and continuous 'phone ringing joined with hustling clerks and worrying visiting dealers in taking care of the big orders and the question of securing sufficient goods to fill them. "October was the biggest month this office ever had," said Mr. Baer. "It beat October of last year by 97 per cent., and also beat September of this year — a busy month — by 20 per cent. Every class of machines and records is enjoying a big call, and as for the electric machines, we simply cannot get enough of them. My principal trouble is keeping the dealers satisfied, and this is quite a job when you realize the amount of goods that they are demanding. Some of the new dealers who are realizing how busy the talking machine industry can be at this season of the year, and the Columbia business in particular, are the Austin Talking Machine Shop, 238 Chicago avenue, Chicago; Geo. E. Taylor, Genoa Junction, Wis., and Geo. Brand & Sons, Bloomington, 111. Six Best Sellers The six' best sellers in the Victor list the past month were, "Cradle Song, 1915," sung by John McCormack; "There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl," "Saxaphone Sobs," "On the Beach at Waikiki," "Sweet Genevieve" and "Sing Me to Sleep." The Columbia Co.'s six best sellers included: "Aida-Celeste Aida," "La Boheme-Che Gelida Manina," "L'Africana — O Paradiso!" "I Puritani — A to O Cara," all sung by Lazaro; "Parla Waltz," and "Lo, Here the Gentle Lark," and "Carmen — Two Spanish Dances" and "Sleeping Beauty Waltz," played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The six best Edison sellers for the month as reported by the Edison Shop are: "San San SooHip, Hip, Hooray," "Little Cotton Dolly," "Vissi D'Arte," "Monologo," by Verdi; "Home to Our Mountains — II Trovatore." H. K. O'Neil, manager of the State Street Pathephone Shop, gives as his best sellers for the past month: "I Pagliacci," "Out of the Cradle Into My Heart," "Aloha Oe," "I Ain't Got Nobody," "Serenade" and "On the .South Sea Isle." Wurlitzer Increases Sales Force Fred. A. Sieman, manager of the talking machine department of the Wurlitzer Co., states that, owing to the increased volume of business being done by the retail department, they have materially added to the sales force. He reports a special demand for the $150 and $200 styles of Victrolas. Because of the recitals given here by McCormack and Gluck, there has been a large call for records by these artists. Mr. McCormack's "Cradle Song" has proven one of the best sellers of the month. Other best sellers at the Wurlitzer rooms are, "On the Beach at Waikiki," "There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl," "Walking the Dog," a saxophone record, and Pietro Diero's "Poet and Peasant." L. F. Noble, assistant manager of the wholesale talking machine department of Wurlitzer's, is equally optimistic in his reports concerning shipments made to dealers, and emphasizes the fact that the $350 styles of electric Victrolas are selling as never before. New Brunswick Dealers The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. are getting rapidly lined up through the country with a most desirable class of dealers who are pushing vigorously the Brunswick phonographs in connection with the Pathe records, for which the company is a distributor. The national advertising campaign which was started with an imposing double page spread in the Saturday Evening Post of October 28, will be followed up with frequent pages in that medium, and other periodicals will be used extensively after the first of the year. Through various sources the company have already received a large number of inquiries, which are being turned over to their dealers. The company has also established a dealers' advertising service department in charge of H. E. Nelson. An especially desirable class of newspaper advertising copy will be furnished the dealers through this department, together with dealers' helps of various kinds, including attractive booklets, direct mailing literature of (Continued on page 75) The Wade Wade & Wade Products The Wade FOR THE Fibre Needle Cutter No. 1 Price $1.50 Talking Machine Owner The Wade Fibre Needle Cutter is used in more homes in America than any other needle cutter ever made. Fibre Needle Cutter No. 2 Price $2.00 Wade & Wade manufacture a fine lubricant oil for talking machines, a grease to eliminate the noise in gears, a spring barrel lubricant to stop the jumping of springs and a polish for cabinets. HERE ARE THE REASONS WHY Because it is the biggest value in fibre needle cutters and is backed by the strongest guarantee. It is made of the finest Swedish tool steel by expert mechanics. 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