Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
From a Traveler's Note Book.
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HOW THE MUSIC TRADE HAS PROFITED BY THE WONDERFUL ADVANCE MADE IN PRINTER'S AND
LITHOGRAPHER'S ART—AN UNIQUE CATALOGUE BY HENRY F. MILLER & SONS—DEVOTED
ENTIRELY TO GRANDS—LETTER ISSUED BY THE BOSTON MUSIC TRADE ASSOCI-
ATION— SHOULD BE UNIFORM LAWS REGARDING PIANO SALES IN ALL
STATES ASSOCIATION WORK IS SOMEWHAT RETARDED JEALOUSY
TOO IS A FACTOR TRADE DOWN EAST.
HE wondrous advance made in
printer's and lithographer's
art during the past few years
has made it possible to issue
beautiful brochures at a mini-
mum cost. There has been
no line of trade quicker to grasp and profit
by the improvement made in the printer's
art than the music trade industry. Thou-
sands of dollars are annually expended by
that trade in the production of catalogues
and brochures bearing directly upon the
various instruments manufactured.
I thinkiripointof aesthetic beauty, charm-
ing design, the ^Eolian Co.'s publications
stand at the head of the list. In fact, their
product, being of a special nature, has
been brought to public attention through
the mediumship of the superb illustrations
and advanced advertising for which this
company have been so specially noted.
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While sitting in the Henry F. Miller
warerooms in Boston, last week, I picked
up a catalogue. One had been mailed to
the home office, but I had not previously
been afforded an opportunity to examine it.
It struck me as being unique and original.
Turning over the pages, I found that it was
entirely devoted to grand pianos, showing
by a number of illustrations the resources
of the Henry F. Miller concern in the pro-
duction of these instruments.
I believe this is the first catalogue ever
issued by a piano concern devoted solely to
its grand product. One page particularly
interested me, and on that was incorporated
the statement that for more than twenty
years past the Henry F. Miller grand piano
has been a conspicuous figure in concerts
everywhere, being used on an average
every day in the year—a record for ten
years showing more than 3,650 concerts
during that time—and has been played by
our most renowned pianists. Surely that
is a record to be proud of.
Henry F. Miller & Sons, in such a state-
ment, show that they can well afford to
make a specialty of grand pianos with
such a record behind them. Mr. Miller in-
formed me that, in many ways, he proposes
to carry on a more aggressive campaign
than heretofore.
*
*
*
*
There is considerable activity going on
beneath the surface of the New York and
Boston music trade associations—activity
not noticeable to the ordinary observer.
The Boston Music Trade Association has
addressed a circular letter to a number of
prominent dealers all over America, asking
their opinion as to the existing laws and
their retarding effect upon the piano busi-
ness; soliciting their opinion further as to
the advantage of a uniform law which shall
operate in the same way in all States, as to
installment sales and all the processes
thereunto pertaining.
The real intention of the association, as
I interpret it, is to gain the support of the
dealers in the different States in obtaining
a re-adjustment of legal conditions, as far
as they affect the sale of musical instru-
ments.
It is a well-known fact that in many
vStates there are laws which afford no pro-
tection to the manufacturer and to the
dealer, and their very existence is a blot
upon the otherwise fair fame of these
States.
There is no question but that action
should be taken, and united action only
can accomplish the desired ends. I recol-
lect when I was in Grand Rapids shortly
after the first of the year, Julius A. J.
Friederich was then complaining bitterly
of the fact that only two or three dealers in
the State of Michigan stood ready to use
influence against the passage of an obnox-
ious law which would seriously affect the
sale of musical instruments. Now, with
the power of an association behind it, it
would have been easy to have accomplished
the repeal, or to have stopped the passage
of legal measures which are considered
detrimental to trade interests.
The Boston Music Trade Association is
composed of men who are earnest in their
desire to accomplish trade benefits and
trade reforms. Last Tuesday week, the
executive committee of the Boston Music
Trade Association attended the banquet
given by the Associated Board of Trades,
of Boston, of which Mr. Sayward, the gen-
tleman who spoke so entertainingly at the
recent trade banquet in Boston, is presid-
ing officer.
To an observer there is no question but
that a certain instrumentality has been at
work with the apparent desire of dividing
the members of the Boston trade. In
other words to prevent by a certain influ-
ence other members of the trade from join-
ing the association by attempting to be-
little its influence and give the idea to out-
siders that some of the members are actu-
ated solely by ideas of personal aggrandize-
ment rather than by a desire to benefit the
association.
We have seen this same influence at
work in^New York, and for a period it
prevented men from becoming members of
our association but after a while the real
intent of those who "were anxious to keep
down the membership became^obvious, and
the association ranks became much aug-
mented.
Sporadic jealousies exist in all organiza-
tions. But it is outsiders who are in fact
in sympathy with the organization's aims,
and who are oftentimes influenced by per-
sonal motives, usually selfish, setting in
circulation certain little allegations which
are calculated to poison this man against
the other that retard real association ad-
vance. The subtle poison percolates
through and leaves its after effects.
If men would look at this matter in a
broad, rather than a personal light, they
would see really that by holding aloof from
membership in trade organizations that
their influence withheld retards the possible
advance which might come by their sup-
port—it does not give the association an
opportunity to prove what good it may ac-
complish. If after a fair trial and consider-
ation it is decided that no weal can come
from organizations then it will be sufficient
time to throw the whole thing overboard,
abandon the project and call the associa-
tions a failure, an excrescence, as it were,
upon the body of the trade.
Of course it is hard to convince all men
of the possible good which may result from
organizations. Still events are steadily
transpiring in this trade which bind trades
and organizations in a broader sense than
has ever yet been accomplished. The New
York association has sent out a circular
letter asking the opinion of the various
members of the trade on the advisability of
holding a banquet some time in June. As
I understand a number have reported in
favor of such a project.
I think on the whole that trade in New
England is better than in any other part of
the country that I have visited during the
past few months. While some of the Boston
manufacturers are complaining, yet I think
that they perhaps have less reason to take a
pessimistic view of the business outlook
than their brethren in many other localities.
While there is not a plethora of orders, yet