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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN B I L L * •< -
Editor and Proprietor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
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be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Clas* Matter.
NEW YORK, MAY 28, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review wil)
contain a supplement embodying the literary
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
trade paper.
STEINWAY MOVE IN THE WEST.
'"THE news item of the week is the pur-
chase by Lyon & Healy, Chicago, of
the merchandise and assets of Lyon, Pot-
ter & Co., and the acquirement of the
agency for the Steinway piano.
If the deal was not considered an ex-
cellent one for both of the contracting
parties,it would not have gone through, as
such a weighty move is invariably con-
sidered from every standpoint.
And so, after nearly nine years, for it
was in January, 1890, that Lyon Potter &
Co. was organized, the Steinway piano
again finds its home with Lyon & Healy,
that great Western firm which for many
years previous to that date handled this
instrument as its leader.
When it was announced that Edwin A.
Potter had assumed the presidency of the
American Trust & Savings Bank, it was
believed that Lyon, Potter & Co. were
contemplating some new move. This be-
came further emphasized when it was an-
nounced later that they were to relinquish
agencies for all pianos which they held,
other than the Steinway. This final act
gives rise to the belief that this change
had been under consideration for some
time, and as neither of the firms are in the
habit of disclosing to the outside world
their inner citadel of operations, the deal
was not made public until this week.
Mr. P. J. Healy has always been a warm
admirer of the Steinway piano, and he has
on innumerable occasions spoken eulogis-
tically of the superb qualities of that great
instrument, whose destinies in the central
West he again controls.
THE DEALERS' VIEW.
( CONSIDERABLE space is given in this
issue of The Review to a number of
letters written by dealers in reply to our
query, "What is the Remedy?" For a
number of weeks we have continued this
matter with an increasing interest, if we
may be permitted to judge from the hun-
dreds of letters which have reached us, all
bearing upon this topic.
Such a variety of views from the men
who sell the goods has never before been
presented in this trade. It is interesting
to note the complexity of suggested solu-
tions. There is one thing, however, that
they all agree upon with a fair amount of
unanimity, and that is that there should
be some reorganization or adjustment,
whereby some basis, which should be pro-
ductive of better results, can be reached.
Many of the dealers affirm that a nation-
al association wotild do much toward bet-
tering the existing conditions in the trade,
but in order to make an association imme-
diately operative and upon broad lines,
there must be concentration of action with
the manufacturers upon such methods as
they may deem expedient for the better-
ment of trade conditions. One California
dealer says:
"That the only satisfactory solution of
the present difficulties prevailing in the
piano business is the establishment of a
national association having for its eligible
membership manufacturers only, and that
each dealer should be held under the im-
mediate jurisdiction of the manufacturers,
who would direct the dealer as to the
prices and terms upon which it is possible
to sell their products."
Another, a Texas dealer states: "That
the demoralizing influences which are gene-
rated by the practice among the dealers of
asking from one to two hundred dollars
more than they are willing to take for an
instrument, is suicidal to trade interests,
because it gives the impression to cus-
tomers that there is an abnormal profit in
the piano business."
There is no question but that there is
a great deal of truth in what the latter
dealer says.
Another states that a trade competitor
sold three pianos of the same make and
style to three parties, with prices ranging
from $100 to $150. He affirms that such
methods demoralize the trade.
In many of the letters we have re-
ceived there is a strong belief apparent on
the part of the dealers, that manufactur-
ers themselves, are largely to blame for
the present unsatisfactory conditions in
the trade. This, the dealers affirm, is con-
tinued by the bolstering up of a class of
men who are a discredit to the trade.
The agitation of this subject thus far
has been instrumental in drawing out hun-
dreds of opinions from dealers, and the
letters presented in The Review form an
interesting symposium.
There seems to be an unanimity of
opinion regarding The Review's affirma-
tion that pianos are sold on too close mar-
gins. We have claimed, further, that
pianos are sold on too small monthly in-
stallments; that in no other line of indus-
try can merchandise be purchased for such
large amounts, for such small payments
down and diminutive installments, as in
this piano trade.
We have said that it has been frequently
asserted that the wheel industry has in-
jured the sale of musical instruments. Let
us look at the up-to-date advertisements
of the men who sell the wheels and we
find that few wheels are offered on such
small monthly installments as pianos.
John Wanamaker is considered an up-to-
date merchant. Consulting his advertise-
ments in the daily papers of this week we
find a $50 wheel is sold on a monthly
payment of $8.00 and so on. Now, Mr.
Wanamaker is a pretty safe man to follow,
and if a $50.00 wheel is sold at $8.00 a
month how is it that a $300 piano can be
sold on $5.00 a month installments ?
These are matters which require careful
investigation and if the business is so
remunerative and pays such profits as some
loudly assert then we fail to discover the
fact as borne out by history.
FOR CONSIDERATION.
A S the National Association augments in
influence, it is extremely probable
that it will act in a broad and remedial
way upon matters which affect not only
the manufacturers, but dealers as well.
Among other things which will probably
be brought within the zone of discussion
of trade affairs will be the question of
copyrights—the right to use the name of
certain cities in conjunction with manufac-
turing, credits, installments and all such
matters as directly affect trade welfare.
In the nomenclature of cities there
could be questions evolved of trade inter-
est. The matter of a small town using in
conjunction with its goods the name of
great cities, wherein no part of its manu-
facturing establishment is located is a
matter which should be regulated, and
probably will, by those whose interests
are directly affected.
In this connection we know of no better
illustration than the case of the A. B.
Chase Co., of Norwalk, O. Their instru-
ments bear upon the fall-board the inscrip-