The talking machine world (July-Dec 1926)

86 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD November 15, 1926 CPHILADELPHIA' IPCALny Quaker City Dealers Look Forward to Busy and Profitable Holiday Season Demand for New Talking Machines, Records and Radio Continues Strong Throughout the Entire Territory — Plans of Trade to Cash In on Holidays Are Completed — The News Philadelphia, Pa., November 8. — If presentday activity in the talking machine industry of the Quaker City is a criterion upon which to build for a happy Christmas for the dealers there may be expected one of the brightest ofholidays ever experienced in the trade within recent years. From the manufacturers to the distributors in the wholesale and retail branches of the industry the demand for talking machines of the newest types continues to keep pace with production. Among the distributors a decided shortage of stocks on hand is experienced. Factory shipments are sent on their way before they are unpacked in the warehouses, so that distributors find themselves urgently in need of many of the most popular styles, with a waiting list to consume all incoming goods for the next few weeks. In order to avoid shortage of holiday goods the dealers are urging the public to buy at this early date and in many cases have been successfully securing advance Christmas purchases. They state that cash orders are more frequent than they anticipated, indicating the public as being plentifully supplied with funds. The larger downtown retailers have been campaigning for early holiday shopping and it is among this class of houses that cash orders are forthcoming. These dealers are particularly successful in securiiii; advance orders for the hiclier priced models in the $900 to $1,000 types and this class of trade are the cash buyers. As business grows with the waning year the dealers are convinced that the methods best adapted for promoting sales of machines are to keep up the good work of demonstration concerts before the public and the tie-up with local entertainments and amusements featuring the recordings as adopted ever since the new types of talking machines made their appearance. The constant exploitation of the new types through concert and other demonstrations has brought the machines before the public with practical results in dollars and cents, and whatever extra expense the dealers have taken upon themselves to carry out their plans of public demonstration has been returned manifold. Records have been moving apace with the demand for machines, and unless dealers are preparing for the holidays accordingly, with present-day urgent needs for these trade commodities, the distributors are prone to believe that the retailer will be caught short of many popular numbers. Distributors, while able to fill most orders for records, still are obliged to await the factory's convenience in meeting demands because of the overburdened working facilities and the oversold market on records. Tie-Ups Move Records Tying up with local artists in special record ing through the Victor resulted in the wide exploitation of two prominent bands and orchestras in this city, that of the P. R. T. Cooperative Band and the orchestra of Harry MacDonald featured at the King Joy Restaurant. The H. A. Weymann & Sons Co. during the month sent out notices to the dealers informing them of plans for the ready stocking of the two recordings with special poster service for window displays and advertisements. The Weymann Co. also announced a special offer on the Black Label records in 100 lots and backed the dealers with broad advertising of the records. On Thursday, October 21, the firm cooperated with the Victor Co. in the full page ad in the daily press on special recordings of the Waring's Pennsylvanians records, while that musical organization played at the Stanley Theatre in this city. Phonograph Society Organized Outstanding of trade events in the closing days of October was the organization of the Philadelphia Phonograph Society, with a membership of patrons of the talking machine industry among the public who are interested in the promotion of good music and better recordings as represented by the phonograph trade featuring high class records. This entirely original and new factor in the promotion of high class recordings among the consuming public had its origin with the Phonograph Monthly Review, published at 64 Hyde Park, Boston, Mass., a publication designed to foster an interest in high class records among the public through the retailer by stimulation of interest among those desiring the higher type {Continued on page 88) The New Orthophonic Victor Record Offers you a wonderful opportunity to increase your business and make a substantial profit. Co-operate with VICTOR ADVERTISING appearing in your local newspaper. Announce it to your customers and emphasize the five points of superiority over any other Record made. DEMONSTRATE the new Record on an ORTHOPHONIC VICTROLA and cash in Philadelphia Victor Distributors, Inc* 835 Arch Street, Philadelphia