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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
are thousands of people in the United
States who will agree with me, that such
advertising, well done, always does pay. "
* * *
Now let us clearly understand what
trade-paper advertising is and why it is
done. We will suppose that I am the
manufacturer of a household article that is
likely to have a good sale on account of its
intrinsic merits. It is handled by hard-
ware dealers. I want to sell it all over the
^States. Who can help me sell it quickest?
The hardware dealers, of course. How
shall I reach them? Through their trade
organs, which reach seventy-five per cent,
of them at a comparatively small cost, or
through all the daily papers of the United
States, which would not reach as many,
but would cost me one hundred times as
much? Every reader of a trade organ is a
probable—not merely a possible—buyer,
particularly if my goods are likely to have
a quick sale; so that a circulation of 3,000
is better for my purpose than a general
circulation of 300,000, and not nearly so
costly. Moreover, trade paper customers
would buy in quantities, by the dozen or
gross, but readers of daily papers don't
buy articles that way.
Mr. Bates asserts that such "advertising
in the daily and weekly papers is at least
one hundred times better than trade-paper
advertising. It brings at least one hun-
ded per cent, better results;" and then
he naively adds: "Just why this should
be so may be hard to explain, but it is so
nevertheless."
HE entire business interest of this coun-
try is acting to-day in a way to forever
lose them the reputation of being not only
men of enterprise, but business men of
judgment. They sing such a mournful
tale of woe and picture everything in
such dismal colors that they cause their
own pessimistic utterances to become
facts. Remember, gentlemen of the trade,
that in the best of times such a course
would result in nothing but certain fail-
ure. When conditions are favorable, en-
terprise, farsightedness, and effort are re-
quired to secure success, and the merchant
who gropes along with no plan for the
future, with no determination to succeed,
waiting for something favorable to turn
up, is surely forced out of business.
The "good old times" never come back,
remarks an eminent writer on trade top-
ics. We will have good times again, but
it will not be under the same conditions.
We may have "dollar wheat" again,
but it will not be because Great Britain is
forced to purchase the breadstuffs from
the farmers of this country. The next
*
period of active purchasing, of large sales
It would be hard to prove, in spite of
and heavy manufacturing, will result Mr. Bates' rash assertion, and when he
from a combination of different causes gives as one of his reasons for decrying
than those which caused the similar condi- trade-paper advertising, that there are
tions which existed in '91-92 or after the "too many such papers," he overreaches
war.
himself again, for the same is true of the
* *
papers he recommends—the dailies and
I have read with some interest the re- weeklies. That field is overstocked, too.
marks of Mr. Bates and Mr. Fowler, two How many New York dailies are paying
advertising experts, on the question of to-day?
trade-paper advertising. Commenting on
* *
Mr. Fowler's recent article in "The Trade
Press," Mr. Bates asserts that Mr. Fowler .^It does not matter what the article is;
is wrong when he says: "Trade-paper ad- the trade that handles it must be appealed
vertising" pays; there is no better adver- to, and the only way to do that properly and
economically is by means of the trade or-
tising."
I'm afraid that Mr. Bates has an occa- gans. If you have capital enough to ad-
sional habit of flying off at'a tangent. He vertise in the dailies and weeklies, in or-
often says and writes things he would not der to create an outside demand, well and
say or write on more mature reflection. good; yet even that won't help you with
Or is he just naturally disputatious, and the trade like a trade organ ; but how much
fond of arguing for the sake of arguing? more money will it cost?
Mr. Bates truly says, ' 'Space in any pub-
Good critics are usually cautious, discrim-
inating and just. At times Mr. Bates lication isn't worth anything unless you
does not seem to be any of these, says a put the right sort of matter into it."
writer in "Fame." He sees an imagin- Right you are, and the manufacturers and
ary flaw and rushes at it before making wholesalers who have put the right sort of
matter into trade papers have always
sure that it is a flaw.
What the text of Mr. Fowler's sentences found it pay; in fact, many of them
implies is "Good trade-paper advertising have reason to believe with Mr. Fowler,
pays. There is no better advertising." that "there is no better advertising."
Mr. Fowler is alluding to manufacturers Look at great trade organs. How many
using trade journals as a means of reach- enterprising merchants or manufacturers,
ing the handlers of certain goods, and "I in those respective lines of business, can
know from experience, and I believe there afford to be out of their advertising pages?
T
Edwards Re-arrested.
A. P. EDWARDS, late agent for
m Horace Waters & Co., of New York,
was re-arrested by Detective McGrail last
Wednesday at his home in Elizabeth, N. J.,
on four additional charges of embezzlement,
made against him by the firm. These
complaints are for a shortage of $189.
There are two previous charges for em-
bezzling over $350, and the examination
of Edwards' books is still in progress.
He pleaded not guilty and was locked up
until such time as he could secure bail.
"Cap" Edwards, as he was familiarly
called, was one of the best-known and
best-dressed men about town for the past
few years, ^and belongs to a number of
secret societies.
C
Norris & Hyde Transposing
Pianos.
T
HE important improvements which
Norris & Hyde, of Boston, have em-
bodied in their pianos have won for them
special attention from musicians and the
trade generally. It is conceded by all who
have carefully investigated these instru-
ments that their patent transposing ke)*-
board is one of the simplest, yet most per-
fect mechanisms which has been brought
before the trade. The movable keyboard
transposes a full chromatic octave without
the slightest effort, and in the shortes;
possible time.
This invention is not a mere "talking
point" for the dealer, but a "selling point."
To teachers of the piano or voice it really
becomes an indispensable convenience, and
it only needs acquaintance to at once com-
mand adherents. The patent non-squeak-
ing pedal action, which is also used in the
Norris & Hyde pianos, is of special value.
It eliminates the greatest annoyance in all
pianos, the squeaking pedals, and assures a
perfect acompanying instrument.
One thing in connection with the Norris
& Hyde instrument is that the manufac-
turers do not claim to "make the best
piano in the world;" they do claim, how-
ever, to manufacture an instrument me-
chanically and musically the equal of any.
FRANCISCO BARRIENTOS, of San Juan
Bautista, Mex., is the inventor of a pick
for stringed instruments which is de-
signed to enable the performer to readity
play in octaves, producing sounds as if he
were playing two instruments. For this
purpose a special construction of the in-
strument is provided in which a raised
stop is arranged on its body laterally of
the strings to arrest the pick, the pick be-
ing double, and the performer striking
the strings with it both above and below
the bridge.
THE Knight Music Co., of 1508-10 Ara-
pahoe street, Denver, Col., who made an
assignment last week, should not be con-
founded with the Knight-Campbell Music
Co. It is an entirely distinct concern.