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THE MUSIC TRADE REVEW
What is the Remedy?
THE QUESTION RAISED BY THE REVIEW HAS CREATED WIDE-SPREAD INTEREST CAN WE IM-
PROVE THE TRADE CONDITIONS AND IF A BETTERMENT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IN
WHAT WAY CAN IT BE DONE?—-WHAT SOME DEALERS SAY KEEP UP THE
WORK AND DO NOT LET THE INTEREST FLAG WHAT SAY YOU?
We have received many communications from leading" dealers in all parts of Amer-
ica anent the possibility of making certain trade reformations which shall be conduc-
ive to trade good.
The Review has unequivocally declared that the piano business as a whole to-day
is conducted on too close margins. Through The Review, the dealers of America are
willing to discuss the possibilities of the betterment of trade conditions.
If the business is not conducted on proper lines to-day can we make it so ?
What is the remedy ?
The views of the many prominent dealers which appeared during the last three
weeks were most interesting. This week's symposium is still another valuable
expression of opinion.
•: I * I" ,
D G. PFE1FFER, Washington, D. C.
The matter of improving the condition
of the piano trade, which you have under-
taken, is without doubt a " big contract "
with but little hope of complete success as
long as human nature continues to.be as it
has pleased Providence to have it so far, but
if the least bit of improvement is the re-
sult of your work in this direction, then
you will indeed, be entitled to the thanks
of both the trade and the buying public.
In answer, to your question, " Is the piano
business to-day, as a whole, conducted on
proper lines? " I should say, let the piano
man who is in.doubts on this point, make
a rule to sell (for example) a fine grand
piano at a price allowing him a fair mar-
gin of profit above cost, allow for old
pianos taken in trade exactly what they
are worth to him and refuse to pay ten
per cent, commission to the teacher in the
case; let him try this awhile if he wants to
know whether the lines are proper or not.
What is the remedy? you ask. I would
suggest as a probable means of accomplish-
ing much good in this direction, local
organizations which shall elect delegates
to an annual convention; their workings
to be along the lines of liberal advice and
suggestions rather than arbitrary rules
which could not be enforced anyway. In
conjunction with' this I would urge the
assistance of the daily.press in educating
the general public as to the crooked means
employed by .some to sell goods. Baxter
street methods can not prevail in the
jinodern, large retail clothing houses of
to-day, because the public are too well
posited to be deceived by them, but Baxter
street methods and worse are practised in
many of our largest modern piano houses
to-day.. Let the public know all about it
through the daily papers; let the press
thoroughly air and ventilate the schemes
of the commission fiend; it will make
spicy enough reading matter to justify
publication and cannot fail to result to the
benefit of the trade. I ask any piano
salesman, "Haven't you of ten wished that
your customer only knew the real truth;
haven't you often wished you could sell a
$250 piano as a good medium grade piano ?
that you could sell a piano worth $300 for
$275, and a 7 octave old square instead of
asking $400 so that you might allow $125
for the old square box ? " The piano men
are not all confidence men by nature;
neither would they lie by choice.
I am heartily in favor of any movement
for the betterment of the trade, whether
it is the one I have suggested or another
one, but I would like to see this plan of
mine considered by the members of the
trade whose experience and ability are
greater than mine and whose approval of
the plan might lead to its adoption.
THE FITZGERALD MUSIC CO., Los Angeles,
Cal.
The only satisfactory solution of the
difficulties at present prevailing in the
piano business would be the establishing
of a national association, having for its
eligible membership piano manufacturers
only; but that each dealer throughout
America be held under the immediate ju-
risdiction of the manufacturers, who would
direct the dealers as to the price and terms
upon which it is possible to sell their pro-
ducts.
I do not think it is possible to success-
fully organize and continue local combin-
ations among small dealers, but where
large capital is at stake, I think it is.
C. GRUNEWALD, Houston, Tex.
We don't think a combination can over-
come the evils of the piano trade, especial-
ly while so many manufacturers continue
consigning instruments to every "Tom,
Dick and Harry" throughout the country,
a great many of whom are irresponsible.
Among the other demoralizing influ-
ences which come under our notice, is the
practice of asking $100 to $200 more for
an instrument than a dealer is willing to
take and then cutting the price of said in-
strument. This makes prospective pur-
chasers think there is a tremendous profit
in pianos, though some of them are fooled
into the idea that they are getting big bar-
gains—then the ridiculously low prices at
which pianos are rented, and extremely
low monthly payments on some sales.
PHILIP WERLEIN, Limited, New Orleans.
Whether the music business is conducted
on proper lines or not, would state that we
do not think that it is conducted in any
methodical way; in fact, that there is
practically no business shown in its man-
agement, that is, by the generality of the
trade. We will instance this section of
the country where we have commission
fiends, consignment fiends, long time
fiends and cash fiends. The commission
people work on cut-throat principles,
against the class above them, and so on
right through, it is a "Game of Cut-
Throat." Each one in the business says
that it is the others that do the harm ; that
he conducts his business on proper lines
and that the others are the transgressors.
In our case, the remedy that we have
adopted is simply to hold prices up and
demand good terms, and refuse all other
business. Let the rest of the trade do as
they please; we do not want cheap busi-
ness. If we cannot make enough in this
business to justify investment of capital
by conducting it in a legitimate manner,
we will get out. But we have been here
now for 45 years and we hardly think it
probable that it will be necessary for us to
get out, as our business is booming right
along and we are making more money by
demanding better prices and terms than
we would have done had we accepted the
four and five dollar a month business.
The music business cannot be run in a
uniform manner by dealers all over the
country, as it is necessary to conduct
business in different manners in different
sections, and even in the same section, as
there are different classes of people whose
trade must be secured on different terms.
The consignment business by large manu-
facturers is good from their standpoint,
but is mighty bad for the music dealers as
it compels their meeting the cut-throat
competitors, as mentioned above.
We would say that forming trusts would
not benefit matters very much, unless an
absolute monopoly could be obtained. We
have constantly before us, the wars of the
oil companies against small concerns that
are constantly cutting prices and trying to
get a share of trade. In a Music Trade
Trust, this would be found to be the case
even more so and more successfully than
in oil, because there would be a large
number of competent workmen thrown
out of employment, who could make
pianos and market them for less money
than the trust would, as they would be
content with practically no profit; working
merely for a recompense of the time so
used.
F. KNOLL, Buffalo, N. Y.
In my opinion the piano business is not
to-day conducted on proper lines, nor is it
fruitful in satisfactory results. We can
make it so, however, and the remedy is to
do away with installment plans and irre-
sponsible or wild-cat agents. As to or-
ganizations being a panacea, I think they
are very dangerous as they deceive one
another.
THOS. GOGGAN & BRO., Galveston, Tex.
We fully appreciate the work you have
undertaken, and hope you will be able to
correct the many evils in the trade, and
restore the piano business to its former
prestige of years ago.
We cannot speak from experience re-
garding the way piano business is con-
ducted throughout the United States, but
we can state very plainly for Texas. In