Some companies limited their range of possibilities by following a trend of adding “-ola” to a prefix. With hundreds of phonograph brands on the market, executives of new firms had difficulty selecting distinct and memorable names for their products. Heavy advertising in TMW did not guarantee brisk sales. The Delpheon Company of Bay City, Michigan, paid for large advertisements in most issues from 1916 to 1918, yet only a handful of Delpheon machines are known to exist today. On the other hand, some small companies are surprisingly prominent in TMW. Some regional companies considered their advertising dollars to be poorly spent in a national trade publication as The Talking Machine World. Not every phonograph manufacturer is represented in the following list. Many companies used spring motors imported from Switzerland. Other hardware producers were the Arrow Motor Company of Newark, New Jersey, and The René Manufacturing Company in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Motors, reproducers, tone arms, and other hardware could be purchased from a number of independent manufacturers the Otto Heineman Phonograph Supply Company in New York was especially important for providing basic parts. To supply these stores, some cabinet manufacturing firms made and sold complete brand “X” phonographs while others sold just the cabinets. It was not unusual for a furniture, department, piano, or music store to sell phonographs under its own name. Many of these companies were local in production and distribution whereas others, such as Cheney and Starr, enjoyed national distribution. Not including major companies-Aeolian-Vocalion, Brunswick, Columbia, Edison, Pathé, Sonora, and Victor-the list totaled over 400 companies. Below is a listing of the “off brand” phonographs from the 1910 to 1925 era. Many companies advertised in the phonograph trade journal, The Talking Machine World (TMW). Many new companies entered this lucrative field as basic phonographs patents held by Victor, Columbia, and Edison were expiring.
Throughout the 1910’s the demand for phonographs and records exceeded supply.
In his book, The Fabulous Phonograph, Roland Gelatt states that in 1919 there were nearly 200 phonograph manufacturers in the U.S.
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