Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
crushing law of the survival of the fittest was in
merciless operation. The whole nation was in
daily expectation and In dread lest the dawn
of better times might be indefinitely delayed.
The storms have cleared away and blue sky
which is our heritage is with us. Confidence
and the ability of the country to get on ita feet
again have grown apace. The hum of trade, at
first a whisper, again pervades the land. Of
course it takes time to distend again the
shrunken arteries of trade. We could hardly
expect the country to recover from such a
depression immediately. We can now look
forward with a reasonable hope and a large
faith to a period of prosperity which will equal
if it does not excel the best record of the past.
Naturally there are some industries which have
not as yet recovered and will not for some
time to come. We must expect some variations
to the general rule in a great big country like
this. There are some of us whose pocketbooks
are not exactly bulging with shekels. Dollars
are not quite as numerous as hailstones in the
wake of a Dakota cyclone, but those men who
have a plethora of money are yanking it out
from the places where it has been so long hidden
and are placing in investments. The vast army
of unemployed is fast becoming an army of pro-
ducers, and that, after all, is the best test ot
the prosperity of a country. Big pay rolls at
the factories mean a big weekly distribution of
money, and as it sifts through the various
channels some of us catch a little of the gold
dust which wears off in transit. 'Tis true
some pessimists will emphasize the fact that
the National Treasury is not in as prosperous
condition as it might be, and Congress is back-
ing and filling and the Administration is waver-
ing and vacillating in its financial policy. They
will tell you also that the revenues are decreas-
ing, that there is a heavy deficiency in the
Treasury that promisee to grow heavier as time
advances.
constitute as a whole an accurate trade baro-
meter, have good reports to make. There
have been some cities where trade has been
dull and no logical reason can be given for the
existence of such a condition of affairs, yet,
when we make a resumd of the whole field, it is
very reassuring. We had struck commercially
on the bar at low tide but the incoming flood is
floating the old ship so that she is getting oft
with only a few bruises and strained seams.
There is now sweeping over the trade a current
which leaves in its wake a demand for cheap
pianos. The current seems just now resistless
and amounts to a veritable craze. We designate
it as the cheap piano craze. What has caused
it ? Is it the natural legacy of the hard times
period or was it evolved from other causes ?
"How cheap a piano have you got? " is a
query which greets the traveller in every city,
not "how good a piano have you at a fair
price," but how cheap. The very air seems
redolent with that cry cheap, and it amounts to
what we have stated above, '' a cheap piano
craze." This clamor has resulted in bringing
forth instruments of a type which is the boiled
down concentrated essence of cheapness. This
craze, for that is the word which best represents
the situation, will be shortlived. It must be, or
it will be contrary to all the ethics of trade.
Bat before it shall have burned itself out there
will have been dumped upon the purchasing
public an accumulation of rattle boxes horrible
to contemplate. This craze will only serve afte^
it "shall have spent its novel force " to bring
into stronger light the medium grade of instru-
ments. The lines will be strongly marked
between the cheap and medium instruments.
Again there is a leading question, do the
majority of dealers who purchase a piano for
less than a hundred dollars sell it at a fair profit ?
Do they not make the purchaser pay the
price usually asked for the medium grade in-
strument ?
They will further state that there is a number
WHERE WE ARE AT.
curtain is about to be rung down on of designing politicians who are seeking to em-
'94, and for the next ten days or there- barrass the collection of the income tax—that
abouts much time in business the world will be tax upon ambition. Furthermore, that trusts
devoted to the usual yearly stock-taking, balanc- are growing more and more defiant of public
ing of accounts and in outlining the campaign sentiment and the people's rights. All this and
lots more, but they can't successfully dispute
for the incoming year.
" How do we stand ? " will be a question oft the fact that times are better—that the possi-
propounded in business establishments from bility of free trade has been stamped out with a
ocean to ocean during the ensuing fortnight. vim.
We do not wish to enlist in the army of
Looking backward over the field for the past
eighteen months there is much to ponder over. croakers, neither do we wish to be understood
A financial depression has covered two contin- as endorsing the statement that things are all
ents. The times have been such as not to cause right. They are not, but they are a mighty
a high degree of exhileration or of satisfaction sight better than they have been, and when the
anywhere. Still, we have lived through those tide has turned it will not require so much time
troublous times, and how much better the out- eer the flood shall have been reached. With such
look for the world of trade and commerce than a resistless, restless people the accomplishments
one year ago. Then large business firms were are marvelous. Our recuperative powers have
in doubt about their solvency or if they felt been tested on more than one occasion and never
reasonably secure they dreaded the future which have been found wanting.
was surcharged with doubt and uncertainty.
Matters have materially brightened in the
Investments were made with hesitation for musico-industrial world. While the Christmas
every sign in the zodiac was an omen of im- trade has been disappointing in individual
pending evil.
The laboring classes had cases, yet, as a whole, it has made a fair
neither work nor the prospect of work, and the showing. The dealers over the country, who
We propose in subsequent issues to deal with
events which led up to the cheap piano. For
the present the least said about it the better.
There is a steady trend in trade affairs for manu-
facturers to become interested in the disposition
of their wares at retail. This has resulted in
the establishment of branches at easy distribut-
ing points. There is no doubt but that this
principle is steadily growing, as looking over
the field we see the list augmented each year.
There is a constant change at all times in opera,
tion resulting in different methods of disposing
of instruments that were in vogue years ago.
Just where this will all end is difficult to
predict.
Regarding trade associations we can say the
situation has not changed materially since a
year ago. Thus far the associations, aside from
the paper limitation scheme, have confined
themselves to the dissecting of good dinners,
whether anything of a nature affecting trade in-
terests, will enter into their councils, cannot
now be stated. The New York Association will
give a dinner in March which will be extended
in scope to include outside guests. This may
result in the adoption of commercial methods
.'{ EAST 14th STREET, NEW YORK.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
Canada, $3.00 per year, in Avanee; Foreign Countries,
$4 00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch! single column, per
insertion; unless inserted upon rates made by special
contract.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
K)R l!)6 caus« that lacka assistance,
For Hio wrosf thai a W s
For Urs fctnre in t!
SiiJ U)« good tijal * « « « % ' '