Record
Listening Booths
By Doug Boilesen, 2019
Private listening booths and demonstration
rooms were designed to focus the customer's listening experience when
shopping for a new machine or record. As such they were another way
the phonograph was advertised and supported in its promotion of records.
The following advertisement and others
from The Talking Machine World gives some testimonials regarding
increasing profits in selling machines, advantages of such rooms,
and reasons to buy a Unico Design.
Installation for The
Aeolian Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, The Talking Machine World,
February 15, 1915
Installation for L. K.
Beach, Design Number Two, Columbus, Ohio, TMW 1915
The Talking Machine
World, February 1915 - Installation
for Fulton Music Company, Waterbury, Conn. - The Talking Machine
World, May 1915.
Silverstone Music Company's
Concert Chamber "devoted exclusively to the exploitation of the
Edison Diamond Disc." "This concert chamber is on the first
floor and easy of access, besides five other spacy booths devoted
to the demonstration of the Diamond."
"The peculiar construction
of this hall produces ideal acoustics, due to the fact that the roof
and ends are oval shaped, lending an artistic and esthetic appearance
to the eye. The color scheme is white enamel and tan with a background
of art glass, specially designed in which the word "Edison" shows
in an upper pane and the instruments, the Lyre, Violin, and Flutes
designed in contrasting colors of art glass representing musical art."
Edison Phonograph Monthly March 1915
"Is Your Stage Setting
Harmonious?" - Unico's "ADAM"
design - The Talking Machine World, May 15, 1919
Fletcher's Music Store
record listening booths, circa 1920's Courtesy City of Victoria
Archives, Victoria, BC
The New York Public Library
Phonograph Booth, Mortimer
Cohen, Staff (From New
York Public Library)
Record Listening Room,
Saturday Evening Post, April 19, 1952
The following photos are
from a delightful series of photographs titled
c. 1955 Vinyl listening booths Sampling the hits -- and a cigarette
by Alex Q. Arbuckle.
Listening
Booths, HMV, 1955 (Courtesy Alex Q. Arbuckle) - Nov.
24, 1955 IMAGE: JOHN DRYSDALE/KEYSTONE FEATURES/HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY
IMAGES
