Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
From a Traveler's
Note = Book.
THE OUTLOOK FOR BUSINESS
DITIONS
BETTERED
CRYING
DULL
TIMES-— BROADER
KET AND BETTER PRICES IN
A CHAT
BROS.
WITH
.
SALE
PIANOS
WHOLE-
NEARLY
OF
SENTED
BOLLMAN
GRAND PIANOS.
LARGE
TRADE
NOTE
IN
MAR-
ST. LOUIS.
MR. FIELD
STEINWAY
,ESTEY & CAMP's
4
CON-
APPARENT IF PEOPLE WOULD STOP
ST.
THE GROWTH
ALL
REPRE-
LOUIS.
OF
THE
MUSIC TRADE IN CIN-
CINNATI
ILY
STEAD-
FORGING
AHEAD.
COMMENT
ON
FURTHER
THE
THE
NEW
RUMORS
STEINWAY
CLAYTON
SUCCESSFUL "SINGER"
F.
MOVE.
SUMMY.
THE
NEW
QUARTERS OF THE MANUFACTURERS'
PIANO CO.
PIANOS
A SUPERB STOCK OF
GEORGE
P. BENT'S
NEW AGENTS AND FAC-
TORY
THE
RUS-
SELL FACTORY.
I.YON, POTTER
& CO.'s LIBERAL ADVERTISING.
NEWMAN BROS. MAKE A HIT WITH
THEIR
NEW
ORGANS.
HE outlook for business is more en-
couraging. Ever since I left Lare-
do, Texas, on ray homeward trip. I
have seen evidences of a more hope-
ful sentiment pervading the busi-
ness community, and mind you,
that sentiment is a very important fac-
tor in trade as well as speculation. I
wrote you last week of the impetus given
to business in the sugar-growing States by
reason of the passage of the Bounty act.
That in itself is a repudiation of Demo-
cratic theories regarding protection, and it
also is giving to the planters of the South
five millions of borrowed money. Let that
go as it may, however, it means many
times more than five millions of business
throughout all the Southwest. I notice
from the reports that there is an increase
in the amount of bank clearings, which
means an increased interchange of com-
modities. Railway traffic returns, while
not large, show an encouraging improve-
ment over those reported a month ago.
Silver is steadily rising in value, and with
the boom which grain and cotton have re-
ceived during the past ten days, it means
for them broader markets and better prices.
Now, if people would only stop crying
dull times and just go right ahead with in-
vestments as they did in the days of '91,
these hard times will shortly become
only a memory. But there is the. trouble;
the feeling of insecurity has pervaded the
entire country. A man reads in startling
head-lines at his breakfast table reports in
the daily papers of tariff legislation, the
financial legislation, scare head-lines, and
all that sort of thing. He meets his friends
on the cars on his way down town, and
they have read the same, and naturally they
talk to each other about it. At his office or
warerooms it is the same subject repeated
and dwelt upon many times during the day.
If all these sensational reports would be
eliminated from the columns of the daily
papers, and as a substitute they would talk
encouragingly and hopef ully about the busi-
ness and financial conditions of the country,
it would in a large degree do away with
this over-shadowing cloud of depression.
In St. Louis, according to reports re-
ceived while there, business in the music
line has improved considerably since the
beginning of the month.
Mr. O. A. Field, manager of the St.
Louis branch of the Jesse French Piano
Co., takes rather an optimistic view of the
situation. While he does not anticipate a
tremendous increase, he is looking for a
steady revival of business and bettered con-
ditions everywhere. I had a pleasant chat
with Mr. John Lumsden, vice-president of
this concern, also of the Starr Piano Co.,
Richmond, Ind. Mr. Lumsden is a man
of keen perception, and since his connec-
tion with the piano trade has made a care-
ful and exhaustive study of all the detail
work connected with manufacturing and
selling pianos.
I had an enjoyable hmch with Otto Boll-
man, of Bollman Bros. Co., at the Mercan-
tile Club. Such a difference in cities.
Now East, in New York and New England,
the business man does not patronize his
club for lunch. In the West, take the cities
of Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis and New
Orleans, a large percentage of business men
always lunch at their club. Bollman Bros.
Co. have a splendid location on Olive street,
handsomely and esthetically fitted up
throughout. They have been having a
particularly good trade in Steinway pianos,
and have recently sold one or two specially
designed grand pianos to St. Louis mil-
lionaires.
A trip through the building occupied by
Estey & Camp will give one a comprehen-
sive idea of the magnitude of the business
conducted by that firm in St. Louis under
the management of Edward M. Read. They
have a large four-story building, in which
are stored, packed ready for shipment,
hundreds of Estey organs. They control a
large wholesale trade from St. Loiiis, hand-
ling the Decker Bros, and Estey pianos and
Estey organs.
In vSt. Louis you will find almost every
piano of note represented. I say almost
every piano of note. There is one in par-
ticular, in New York, which at present has
no representation in St. Louis, and I under-
stand there are nearly a thousand pianos of
that make disposed of in and about this
city. I am surprised that some of the live
dealers do not secure the agency for the in-
strument.
No man who keeps in touch with the
great trade centres of the West will under-
estimate the position of Cincinnati in the
musico-industrial affairs of this country. I
have always endeavored, by constant travel,
to keep in touch, so to speak, with the trade
in every section. Notwithstanding my
semi-annual visit to Cincinnati, it is always
a source of surprise and admiration to me
to note the steady advance which this city
is making as a manufacturing and distribut-
ing point for pianos and organs. The
steady upbuilding has been constantly go-
ing on and still continues. Take such firms
as D. H. Baldwin & Co., the John Church
Co., Smith & Nixon, and where will you
find three firms in any Western city outside
of Chicago, who control such a gigantic
trade with such varied ramifications?
When I reached Chicago the chief sub-
ject of comment in the trade was the recent
Steinway move. Much speculation was rife
as to what disposition they would make of
the building, corner of Jackson street and
Wabash avenue, on which they hold a lease
for a term of years. Some of the wiseacres
predicted that the new Steinway Hall will
be entirely devoted to the sale of Steinway
pianos, and that Lyon, Potter & Co. would
use the late Weber building as a sort of
annex, where they will carry the various
other instruments which they represent.
Personally, I take no stock in this rumor,
as I believe the traditions of the Steinway
house are rather to concentrate than to
separate. In any event, whatever move
they make it is not in accordance with the
traditions of that concern to take the trade
or the public into their confidence and into
the inner counsels of the house.
The building leased by the Clayton F.
Summy Co. wall .give to the Chickering
piano a splendid home on Wabash avenue.
I understand that arrangements have not
as yet been definitely made regarding the
instruments that will be handled by this
concern in conjunction with the Chickering
piano.
I had the opportunity while in Chicago
of inspecting the new Singer piano. After
examining and listening to the tone of the
"Singer" I have no hesitation in saying
that in my judgment the Singer instru-
ments are sure to achieve widespread pop-
ularity. The name of these instruments is,
indeed, appropriate, as the singing quality
is apparent to all. In fact, it is a remark-
able feature of the instrument.
Accompanied by Mr. A. M. Wright, I in-
spected the new building occupied by the
Manufacturers' Piano Co. No one can go
through this establishment without being
favorably impressed with the new home of
this concern. It is true that at the time of
my visit much of the detail work incident
to moving still remained to be accomplished,
but the value of the rooms as exhibition
and sales quarters was apparent. The
newly selected stock of Weber, Wheelock
and Lindeman pianos, were already in place.
The charming variety of instruments in
styles and esthetic coloring and matching
of woods show, that the selection w r as made
by an artistic eye.
I narrowly missed meeting Geo. P. Bent
at New Orleans, but met him on his return
from the South, where he had visited, in all,
seventeen cities, in thirteen of which he
arranged for a "Crown" representation.
I had the pleasure also of accompanying
Mr. Bent to his new factory. It is being
pushed to completion rapidly. In fact, al-
though there is no name as yet on the build-