Regarding the question about 'Unknown Piano Roll Manufacturer'
and 'That Tango Tokio' roll in MMD 220723, the patent on the roll is
a giveaway -- it's Charles Stoddard's 1912 patent for extending note
lengths.

So, the roll was made by Aristo. But it has a rather Aeolian-like
appearance in its perforations and expression line. There's a story
behind this...

Aristo was set up in late 1910 by three men who had recently left
Aeolian. In 1911 Aeolian obtained an injunction saying that Aristo's
entire roll-production process and perforator design had been stolen
from Aeolian, and in 1913 Aeolian won the case. It can all be found
reported in Music Trade Review [MTR].

Some of us were comparing roll labels recently and it became
obvious that not only did Aristo steal the perforator designs, they
were also 'passing off' their rolls as Aeolian's 'Universal' brand
by replicating every aspect of its 'Eighty-eight note' label. The
only giveaway was the typeface. You can see this in the present label
and its wholly anonymous nature.

Aristo, it was revealed by MTR halfway through the trial, was
controlled by George Foster with William Armstrong. It's pretty clear
that Foster had paid the Aeolian staff to leave and funded their
operation. Foster also ran the American Piano Company, but Aristo
stock was personally owned by Foster & Armstrong and not part of
their American Piano Company business.

It's also pretty clear that Foster wanted to break into the player
piano business, seeing how Aeolian were getting into the piano trade
by buying Weber & Steck piano factories. In 1910 Foster bought the
rights to Stoddard's new reproducing piano -- what was to become the
Ampico. And the Aristo 'American Piano Control' (check the initials)
rolls were their entry to the hand-played market, a necessary technical
capability if they were to make reproducing rolls.

Aristo launched a new brand, the Rythmodik, late in 1912. These rolls
later formed the basis of Ampico roll production. Aristo perforated
the Rythmodik and Ampico rolls.

Another major Aristo shareholder, and later its chairman, was Charles
Kohler, who personally approached Aeolian to settle the patent case.
Aeolian received damages and Aristo had to stop selling its perforators.

Kohler's Auto-Pneumatic business made the early Ampico actions. Kohler
died late in 1912. In 1918 Foster bought his Aristo interests, renamed
the Aristo company to Rythmodik. Foster & Armstrong kept this separate
from the American Piano Company until 1925 when it was finally merged.
Kohler's death presumably explains why Ampico switched to Amphion for
the Ampico actions, later buying that company too.

Julian Dyer

 [ George Foster & William Armstrong established the Foster-Armstrong
 [ Company of Rochester, New York, circa 1894. A 1906 advert is
 [ reproduced at https://mcnygenealogy.com/pictures/1300/pic-1514.htm 
 [ The partners also incorporated the American Piano Co. in 1908.
 [ Source: https://mbsi.org/manufacturers/foster-armstrong-co/ 
 [ -- Robbie