"TELEVOX" - The Specialized Shop
A very sophisticated store with two shops inside the city of Berlin:
Next to the old center at Alexanderplatz, the main shop was splaced in Neue Königstraße. In Tauentzien, near Wittenbergplatz, there was a second Dépendance including sound studio, musical instruments and record store. In the backroom of the store, the recording studio, more or less talented clients could use a piano to record their greetings and musical trials. Those were groved into metal records that had a special wax on both sides.There also was the possibility to do dubbings of commercial records. This was much cheaper than buying the original one. But due to this "cheating", it happens in our days, that a collector buys one of those TELEVOX metal records expecting a nice musical surprise - and finally, it is only a bad dubbing of a normal record.
As TELEVOX had not a representation of a unique label, for selling records, they used special stamps that were glued on the label like other store also did. The TELEVOX stamp showed a beautiful streamline design, the early logo reminds the old "PALLAS" - sign.
Later on, the head of TELEVOX named Otto Klung, had the idea to use the "VOX" - logo (a singing cock). There was nothing in commun with the old VOX Radio Company, but old VOX disappeared in 1932. There still was the association to modernism and technical invention so that using this old logo is a kind of hommage to the old Radio Station that had its own record label in the 20s.
"TELEVOX" also made the luxurious commercial gag of their own record sleeves. After buying a record, it was taken out a sideboard and fit into the "TELEVOX" - SLEEVE and put into a "TELEVOX" SHOPPING BAG afterwards. Only then it was handed to the client. In our days, the clients have to look of their own through boxes to find something they are interested in. At the ols "TELEVOX" - shop, a seller took care of the client. He (or she) showed catalogs, made listen to records and only after a certain time of this procedure, the client decided what record to buy. You find this situation on the "LINDSTRÖM" NEWS in the "ODEON" article "HOW AND WHERE TO BUY RECORDS?".
In 1939, "TELEVOX" appeared with a small series on a special label called "SONDERPLATTE TELEVOX". A small Jazz - anthology was published on this label. In september 1939, due to the beginning of World War II, this little series was not continued. The collector WOLFGANG MUTH had the chance to interview the old "TELEVOX" technician, GERD P. PICK. Mr. PICK explained that before manufacturing, they showed title lists in the store and ask clients who were interested to sign an order. Only after a certain amount of signatures (maybe 200), the record was pressed and delivered.
You find more detail by clicking on the "TELEVOX" - sleeve.
Although the record store was not destroyed during World War II, it was closed in the 50s. OTTO KLUNG was afraid of too big concurrence due to the reconstruction of KadeWe, a huge shopping mall on the other side of the street.
In the same place of "TELEVOX":, in our days, there is a shoe store at Tauentzienstraße 5.
The commercial sounds a little unelaborated:
"IF WALTZ, TANGO OR FOX, RECORDS ONLY BY TELEVOX"
BACK TO THE BEGINNING: "WHERE TO BUY RECORDS"
