The talking machine world (July-Dec 1924)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD December 15, 1924 Okeh Record Limerick Contest Creates Wide Interest Among Gotham Retailers Special Victor Hanger of Standard Records Issued Campaign to Stimulate Interest of Public in Oke Staged by the New York Distributing D h Records Through the Co-operation of Dealers ivision of the General Phonograph Corp. The New York Distributing Division of the General Phonograph Corp., 15 West Eighteenth street, New York, recently prepared an unusual campaign participated in by fifty Okeh dealers to stimulate the sale of Vincent Lopez records. This campaign, which has been in progress for the past three weeks and which terminates on Wednesday, December 17, is in the form of a Limerick Contest and has been so arranged that to those participating it appears that the dealer is the one sponsoring the contest. Two hundred thousand leaflets explaining the contest have been printed and each dealer participating has contracted to purchase a minimum of 2,000. They are sold to the dealer at 1 cent per leaflet and that is the total cost, except to those retailers who send them through the mail. ThePHONOMOTORCO. WM. F. HITCHCOCK, Proprietor 121 West Avenue Rochester, N. Y. An Electric Equipment for the PHONOGRAPH Fully GUARANTEED Universal — alternating or direct current. Complete, with every part and ready to run. Sample, mounted on motor board, 12xl2x% unfinished board, $25.00 C.O.D. Money back if not satisfactory. Yl cash with C.O.D. order. The PHONOSTOP An automatic stop for all talking machines, 100% efficient. STANDARD FOR EIGHT YEARS Guaranteed. Sold direct to manufacturers all over the world. Nickel or Gold. Your phonograph is worthy of the best stop. This is the only one. Your customers appreciate it We also sell General Phonograph Hardware Cable Address: PHONOMOTOR, Rochester, N. Y. Codes: Bentley's and A.B.C., 5th Edition Improved. Richardson, Orr & Co., Sydney, Australian and New Zealand Representatives. Trade Prices upon application The PHONOMOTOR Trade-Mark Reg U. S. Pat. Office The leaflets contain four pages, the second and third pages being alike in all copies, containing-the rules of the contest, the names of the judges, Otto Heineman, president of the General Phonograph Corp.; Vincent Lopez and Doris Blake, Love Advice Expert of the New York Daily News, and the prizes to be awarded to the winners of the contest. There are 100 prizes to be awarded as follows: First prize, $100 in gold; second, latest model William and Mary console phonograph; third prize, Outing portable phonograph; fourth to eighth prizes, two orchestra tickets to the Greenwich Village Follies for each, prize; ninth to twelfth prizes, five of the latest Vincent Lopez Okeh records, and the thirteenth to one hundredth prizes, one of Vincent Lopez's latest records. . The first page of the leaflet contains the name of the dealer, a picture of the proprietor of the store and a view, either interior or exterior, of the store. A copy of the limerick then follows, with the last line blank, to be filled in by the contestants. The limerick reads: There was a young girl from Broadway Who heard Lopez perform on Okeh, "Oh, boy! that's the stuff," Said this beautiful fluff The last page of the leaflet features an advertisement of "Me and the Boy Friend," a recent Okeh release, played by Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra, and an invitation for contestants to visit the store. The chief feature of the campaign is that to all appearances it is strictly a dealer publicity stunt, for in no place on the circular does the name of the General Phonograph Corp. appear as being interested in the campaign. The nominal cost to the dealer and the high caliber of the prizes offered, which are certain to attract many contestants, assure those dealers who are participating of netting a large profit, besides securing many new record customers and increasing the prestige of the store to a considerable degree. D. Allen Betts Joins Staff of Eagle Radio Go. D. Allen Betts, of Norwalk, Conn., formerly associated with the Apco Mfg. Co., of Providence, R. I., has joined the staff of the Eagle Radio Co. of Newark, N. J. Mr. Betts will remain for a short time in Eastern territory, following which he will make a trip to New England and the Southern States, where he has an extensive acquaintance. Mr. Betts is one of the pioneer radio enthusiasts and is an ardent booster for the Eagle product. Tull & Gibbs Open Branch Tull & Gibbs, of Spokane, recently opened a branch store at the Hotel Idaho, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. A full line of talking machines, radio sets and pianos are being carried. Jack Hanguer is manager of the branch. Victor Co. Issues Attractive Hanger Listing Records Pushed During the Month — Leaflet Listing Fifty Records to Augment Plan The Victor records receiving sales stress by dealers during the month of November under the company's sales plan for standard records were as follows: "Ave Maria" and "ElegieMelodie," sung by Caruso, accompanied by Elman; "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes" and "Canzonetta," played by the Flonzaley Quartet; "Troncar suoi di," from "William Tell," sung by Martinelli, De Luca and Mardones, coupled with "Ah, Matilde, io t'amo e amore," from "William Tell," sung by Martinelli and Journet; "Festival at Bagdad" and "Young Prince and the Young Princess," played by Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra; "Roamin' in the Gloamin' " and "Wee Hoose 'Mang the Heather," sung by Harry Lauder; Songs of the Past, in two parts, sung by the Victor Mixed Chorus; "Serenade" of Schubert, coupled with the "Serenade" of Titl, played by the Neapolitan Trio, and "Over the Waves" and "Sirens Waltz," both played by Pietro on the accordion. An attractive hanger, printed in two colors, listing these records under the caption "Victor records which should be in every home," has been sent to all Victor dealers. To augment the efforts of the dealer to build up a clientele of buyers of good records, the Victor Co. has prepared and is distributing through wholesalers a leaflet containing the names of the fifty records suggested for the first twenty-five weeks of the sales plan for stimulating the sale of standard records. Average $3,000,000 in Radio Sales Each Month The average radio sales of this group total $100,000 a day in the Greater New York metropolitan area. These Gotham distributors of the De Forest Distributors at Get-Together Dinner De Forest Radio Co. were snapped at a recent dinner in the New York Advertising Club. (Left to right, standing) A. W. Landay, Progressive Musical Instrument Co.; R. K. Keator, Gilbert-Keator Corp; Henry Deimel, McPhilbin Radio Corp.; C. G. Gilbert, Gilbert-Keator Corp.; Edward Biel, Progressive Musical Instrument Co. (Seated, left to right) Max Fisher, McPhilbin Radio Corp.; H. Weil, Sr., HerbertJohn Corp.; William H. Ingersoll, vice-president in charge of sales and advertising, De Forest Radio Co.; Alfred Simons, Universal Radio Co. PHONOGRAPH CASES RADIO CASES Reinforced 3 -ply Veneer The Standard Case for Talking Machines and Radio Sets Let at figure on your ruqairmmnU MADE BY PLYWOOD CORPORATION, Goldsboro, N. C. Mill* in V.., N. C and S. C