Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
From the Editor's Note Book.
THE ORGAN TRADE IN THE SOUTH — AN UNDEVELOPED FIELD NEW YORK SHOULD LOOK TO ITS
LAURELS SALE METHODS IN THE SOUTH THE RISE AND FALL OF PROMINENT
TRADE NAMES A NEW ORDER OF THINGS EVEN IN JOURNALISM
A. B. CHASE AND NEW YORK WITH THE TAMMANY-
ITES PUTNAM OF STAUNTON.
HE most fruitful field for the
development of the organ
trade in the United States
for the next ten years is that
part of our country lying
south of the line surveyed by Mason and
Dixon.
During the first part of the year I visited
all the points of importance in the central
South as far as New Orleans. At that time
I was impressed with the fact that the
reed organ was a prominent factor in the
distribution of musical wares in that sec-
tion. The observations made in my trav-
els during the past two weeks have further
cemented the belief that there will be, for a
long time to come, a steady trade in par-
lor organs in the South. I have been in
Kentucky, Tennessee, the Virginias, the
Carolinas and Georgia, and in all of these
States there is a steady demand for organs.
I have been for scores of miles over the
mountains of the Appalachian Chain, on
horseback, away from the sound of steam
whistles, and I have noted that the people
of those regions are just becoming im-
pressed with the idea of the necessity of
having some sort of a musical instrument
that the family can all enjoy. With them
the organ is popular, in fact throughout
the rural South the organ is the home in-
strument.
Again, the organ is cheap. It can to-day
be purchased at a figure which places it
within easy reach of the humble moun-
taineer and farmer of small means.
Depend upon it, organ manufacturers
who work the South thoroughly will find
their efforts rewarded by a remunerative
trade, and, in my opinion, it affords to-day
the best field for the distribution of parlor
organs.
It is true that Southern trade has had,
metaphorically, a black eye for some time
past,and it is also true that in many South-
ern States there are laws in existence which
are detrimental to the interests of the North-
ern merchant. Still there is a good trade
—a growing trade—in all the Southern
States, and it would pay our manufacturers
to cultivate it.
The country is comparatively undevel-
oped and is rich in natural resources.
There are, of course, vast desolate regions
traveling through which you often wonder
how the people eke out a living.
I recollect when I was down in Jackson-
ville, Fla., which is visited largely by
Northern people in the winter, I was
struck with the apparently barren condi-
tion of the country, and asked a native
how the people there got a living. He re-
plied:
"Fishin'an' credit through the summer,
but mos'ly on Yankees in the winter, sah."
The same would not apply to the South
in a large sense.
Chicago manufacturers in all lines, in-
cluding pianos and organs, have been pay-
ing more attention to Southern trade than
New York and the result is she is captur-
ing a large slice of it, while New York is
treating the subject with apathy and her
trade is diminishing. I have seen in the
South more Chicago made pianos and or-
gans than of Eastern origin, which demon-
strates the fact that our Western brethren
are not looking upon the business pos-
sibilities in the Southland with indiffer-
ence. New York and the East should look
well to their laurels in the South, else they
will be eclipsed by their more persevering
brethren of the West.
Nothing of value is won without exer-
tion, and the business persimmons of the
South will not drop easily unless they are
tapped with a good long pole.
*
*
*
*
Methods of conducting sales differ ma-
terially in the South from those adopted
in many cities of the North. In the first
place instruments are not sold on as
meagre first payments and as small install-
ments as obtain in the North. This I
mean in a general sense, as, of course,
there are cities where the business is cut
by competition to a ruinous figure.
Again, the door bell methods are not in
favor and I doubt whether they ever will
be, at least not with the old regime.
Further, the Southerners do not take
kindly to the special bargains offered by
some of the dealers who are striving to in-
troduce Northern methods. They prefer
to buy in the regular way, and as there is
no great influx of foreigners to disturb ex-
isting conditions, these methods will pre-
vail for some time to come. An illustra-
tion showing the unwillingness of the
average citizen of the South to capitulate
to the allurements of a special bargain.
A well-known Southern dealer told me
the other day the following incident which
will show the firmly-grounded conserva-
tism of the people: "Trade was a little
dull," he said, "and in order to stimulate it
I thought I would try some of the methods
used by you people up North. I selected
an instrument of showy exterior—in fact
an attractive piano—and had it placed in
the window, while above it I had suspended
a large placard announcing that the instru-
ment would be sold for $155, which was
five dollars over cost. It was there a week,
and while many people, in passing, stopped
to look at it, yet none were interested to
the extent of e^en coming in to examine
it. They seemed to think it was a gold
brick and passed on doubtingly. I became
disgusted, had the piano taken out, the
placard removed, the instrument placed
back a few steps from the window and had
it remarked $245.
" Do you know, the first day it set in its
new place it was sold, and at the long
price. It was near the door, and as I said,
was a showy instrument, and caught the
eye of the gentleman who paid the full
price, and the same man had passed the
store every day when it was in the window,
ticketed a bargain. He was afraid of the
bargain, and preferred the regular price.
Our people seem to think that something
is wrong with a special offer. They are
powerful shy of the bargain counter, and
really I do not see what is going to bring
about a change."
It is positive that many years will have
passed ere this ingrained conservatism of
the people is overcome.
*
*
•
*
The rise of some pianos to a point of