The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

As you may have heard, about six weeks ago the memberships of The Antique Phonograph Society and the Michigan Antique Phonograph Society voted 98.5% in favor of merging the two organizations. The formal merger is projected for January 1, 2014. For the first year, the new Society will be governed by the combined Boards of the current organizations.

The new organization, The Antique Phonograph Society, will be publishing a quarterly journal (The Antique Phonograph) which will be an expanded combination of the existing APS journal of the same name and the MAPS publication, In the Groove. Rather than waiting for the new year, we will mail the first combined journal to all members of the APS and MAPS in November (although the masthead date will be December).

Enclosed with The Antique Phonograph will be a 2014 membership application for the merged Antique Phonograph Society. (Memberships will be on a calendar-year basis.) We hope all members of MAPS and APS will like what they see in The Antique Phonograph and sign up for 2014.

Watch for the new journal in November!

George Paul
President, Antique Phonograph Society

This is a wonderful opportunity to join a great organization and receive an outstanding quarterly publication. I promise you'll be pleased. Jerry Blais

It's also worth noting that the new, combined magazine will be expanded from the previous 36 pages to 52 pages, all in full color. There is nothing remotely like it anywhere else in the hobby. It offers a lot for the money and is a special bargain for those who were members of the two previously separate organizations -- two for one, so to speak.

Interesting that neither organization's web site makes any mention of the merger. How does one go about becoming a member of this new group?

Henry wrote:Interesting that neither organization's web site makes any mention of the merger. How does one go about becoming a member of this new group?

The new APS website is currently under construction, and will bear no resemblance to the existing website. We've seen mockups submitted by the development group, and the new site - which should be at least partially operational in another month - will be state-of-the-art functionally and aesthetically.

If you're currently a member of either the APS or MAPS, you'll receive a 2014 membership application with the new combined journal in November. If not, you can either wait until January, then go to http://www.antiquephono.org and sign up, or better yet, go there now and sign up for the 2013 journals that you missed! When the final 2013 journal comes next month, the application form will be in it.

Memberships are on a calendar year basis.

Best to all,

George P.

As a MAPS member i didn't get a chance to vote on the merger, but I'm real glad this has happened.
The new society will be a real shot-in-the-arm for the community and hopefully generate more interest to
those potential new members.

As a member of both former societies, I'm glad to see them combined. In this case I really do think 1+1=3 or 4 or more!

I'm also looking forward to seeing the overhauled website.

This is a great announcement. Will shows be held in both areas as before or is a new location under consideration?

EdiBrunsVic wrote:This is a great announcement. Will shows be held in both areas as before or is a new location under consideration?

I'm not sure what's meant by "both areas," but the show & sale in California will continue every August. We will also support other existing shows such as Union, Wayne, North Carolina, Florida, etc. The society is international in scope, so there are no geographic boundaries.

George P.

Thanks to the industrious folks on the MAPS and APS Boards, we can now offer a 2014 application form right now! Go to:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/420 ... es2014.pdf

Naturally, until this is incorporated into the new website, it will need to be sent via snail mail. But 2014 is 11 weeks away, so it will get to the APS in plenty of time!

Best to all,

George P.