The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The Music Box Society International (MBSI) held their annual convention this past week about 10 minutes from my house, so as a member (and regular advertiser in all their publications) I wanted to pop over yesterday and see some folks (and their wares) at their end-of-convention Mart.

No problem, all I had to do is register for the entire convention, pay the $350 fee, and I could go through the hallowed doors of the Mart.

Now, how's that for furthering the interests of the "Society" and the sellers set up inside? Is it any wonder the MBSI is shrinking and the average age approaching the octogenarian level?


Raphael

Yes it is quite expensive. I faced the same problem when the MBSI met here in DC a few years back. I ended up paying the exorbitant amount to attend the Mart, but I also attended a few of the training sessions and decided to set up at the Mart to sell some items. My understanding is that several years ago you could just pay on those days you wanted to attend which cut down on the cost tremendously. They then changed this policy for a reason I can't recall. I agree with you they should change this policy especially for the new and younger collectors. Today's policy is a discouragement.

Rick

I'm not a member of MBSI but it certainly sounds like that is a very counterproductive policy.

I'm reminded of the largest watch and clock collector society in the US. It too is seeing a shrinking membership, with the average age of existing members going up steadily. Their solution for combating the problem of reduced revenue derived from annual dues? Keep raising them. They're now up to $82 (versus $50 less than 10 years ago). They apparently haven't seen the correlation between higher rates and reduced renewals.

I was stonewalled even before I got close to the door by a past president of the society, who lectured me on how "unfair" it would be to the conventioneers if I crashed their party. And that "this is the way we have done it for 30 years and we will not change".

On general principles, I was not going to pay the $350 fee, but would gladly have written a check for the amount to any reputable charity of their choice. I opined that they were being narrow-minded and actually hurting the sellers inside. In the past week I had several local customers who also wanted to attend the Mart and I had to tell them what the policy was (although I was not defending it).

Anyway, problem solved, I called a seller inside and he came out to the lobby with a special item for me, then he returned inside and sent another seller out, and so on, until it was like we were having a little mini-mart of our own. I got to see most of the sellers that I wanted to see, and my aims were essentially accomplished. It was great fun, especially with the MBSI officials glaring at me without being able to do anything about it. After all, they had rented the meeting room, but didn't own the whole hotel.


Raphael

Maybe the MBSI will hear and sympathize with this argument and change it's policy sooner rather than later. Why not have a lower admission fee for the Mart? It's the final day and this would attract more attendees and future young collectors. Raphael, if you want to go in together in writing the MBSI to support this argument, please let me know.

Rick

Well, I am not quite an Octogenarian yet Raphael. Sorry you had an unpleasant experience and that I did not have a chance to say hello while you were there.

Clay

I went to a show for a different hobby. I paid to get in to go shopping at the booths, but when it came time to bid in the auction at the show, I found that I had to join the "society" to get a bidder number. WTF? What a great way to promote a hobby.

I used to be a member of MBSI. My mentor suggested that I joined. I was a member from `1999-2001. I was so turned off by the snobbery and inflated holier than thou attitudes. I went to a couple of meetings. I thought you can bring a show and tell item like at phonograph meetings. I brought a photo album with a musical mechanism. The cover depicted the U.S.S. Maine. I restored the pages,cleaned up the mechanism, and celluloid cover. I was scoffed by the senior members who turned up thier noses and said we don't do show and tell, and even if we did, this item has no interest to us. It was special to me because it is Navy memorabilia, and did some restoration on it. In fact, it was my mentor who sold this to me. After the meeting, we had dinner in a swanky restaurant. We held the business meeting there. I couldn't believe the petty bickering and back biting at this meeting. It was a shame to see middle age and older people acting like junior high school kids. It was like that for the couple of years that I was a member. Also, I would ask for help and advice, and they wouldn't give me the time of day. I told my mentor what I experienced, and he was surprised. He told me it wasn't like this before. When they jacked up the dues. I didn't bother to renew. Don't get me wrong, if I see a good deal on a music box, I will still get it. The last time I was at the CAPS show in CA, was in 2012. There were MBSI people manning a table to recruit new members. I was solicited to join. I told them about my bad experiences and I will never join again. I had some blank and shocked stares, but I didn't care. MBSI has left a bad taste in my mouth. I can see why membership is declining, and will continue to do so. I'm glad phonograph collectors are great, helpful people.
Harvey Kravitz

Ditto that, Harvey... With the snobbery involved, you would think that these people were some special elitists that discovered mechanical music. While I agree that music boxes are interesting in their own right, I don't get the separatist ideas... maybe that's because I haven't spent $20-30,000 for a high end Regina changer and frankly, don't want one.

One of the members of our club has a house full of extremely rare music boxes, Reginaphones, Hexaphones (multiple), a Multiphone, coin op banjo player, multi disk music boxes, an orchestrion, a Mills Violin Virtuoso AND a great collection of phonographs... yet he has managed to stay down to earth and shares his passion with anyone who is interested.

I've had many MBSI members contact me and request a tour of my collection, which can easily take about 4 hours to conduct properly. Some have taken the full tour and never even follow up with a thank-you call or email. I suppose they think house tours are part of their membership perks.

Last year an MBSI member called me at 9PM and announced (not asked) that he was coming the next day at 9AM to tour my collection. He was so rude about it that I asked him how he could just dictate to me when he would come. He said "well, your MBSI advertisement says "Visitors always welcome".

Needless to say I did not allow this jerk anywhere near my house. The MBSI president and advertising manager both heard about it from this rude guy and they queried me. I just told them, problem solved, cancel my future advertising, and then they changed their tune. I did change my ads so they do not extend an invitation for a visit to anyone.

But after Saturday's incident, I may be cancelling my ads for good.