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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ness is concerned they are apparently wholly
unfertile. The business man to-day does not
offer enough inducements or premiums in order
to develop new ideas."
Another reason why good ideas are the re-
sult of thinking on the part of some people
E D W A R D LYMAN BILL• t < .
when the ideas of others end in nothing is
Editor and Proprietor
that they think in a different way. They do
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
not think in the same old circle; they branch
3 East 14th St., New York
out at angles and curves in all directions
wherever anything promises. They take
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, fajoo per year; all other countries,
combinations — odd ones sometimes—and
ADVERTISEHFNTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
weld them into profitable form. They take
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read-
ing matter $75.00.
other people's crude ideas and lick them into
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
piANO trade literature is enriched by the practical and profitable shape. They begin
Entered at the New York Post Office at Second Class Matter.
new Everett catalogue, a review of which where others left off, and they never slight or
appears in another portion of this paper. undervalue even the smallest trifle.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 26, 1898.
Aside from its artistic make-up and unique
TELEPHONE NUMBER, V745-EIGHTEENTH STREET.
The modern business lives on new ideas,
illustrations, there is one announcement made new ways, new methods. It needs a willing
THE KEYNOTE.
therein which marks a new epoch in the mat- force of inventive and original thinkers.
The first week of each month, The Review will
contain a supplement embodying the literary
ter of a piano warranty.
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
The Everett Piano Co. state:
will be effected without in any way trespassing
THE course of this country's foreign trade
on our regular news service. The Review will
continues to be in the highest degree favora-
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
Every piano made by us after this
trade paper.
ble.
Preliminary figures for the month of
date is warranted under our signed guar-
January and the seven months ending there-
antee throughout the entire lifetime of
with point to the continuance of conditions
SPARKS FROM THE ANVIL.
the piano.
in export trade which made the calendar
The Everett Piano Co., Jan. 1, 1898.
£)OES bargain advertising in the piano busi-
year
1897 memorable, and which, if contin-
ness pay? That is a question which the
ued
during
1898, will set the high-water mark
legitimate dealer of the country asks himself
This declaration on the part of the Everett
over and over again; Many dealers stoutly Piano Co. will have a tremendous effect in of foreign trade still further above that of
affirm that bargain advertising in the piano this trade, but first of all it must stand as a preceding years. The official figures from
line does not pay. That while such a method bond of faith which the Everett Piano Co. the treasury department give the balance of
might be profitable in the jewelry and de- have in their own instruments to piace an un- trade in favor of the United States for Janu-
ary at $57,686,546, and $377,815,5 6 * f o r t h e
partment store line, it cannot successfully limited guarantee upon them.
be carried on in the piano business.
A warranty, covering the entire lifetime of seven months ending January 31. The im-
The average piano dealer tries to convince a piano, means much, and no manufacturer ports for the seven months are about $23,-
the purchasing public that cheap pianos and could afford to make such a broad declaration 000,000 less than for the same period last
bargain pianos are unreliable and are a poor unless he knew that his affirmation was based year, while the exports made a jump of
economy. He hammers, hammers unceas- upon a certain stability which would insure $63,000,000, the balance showing an increase
ingly upon that point, and upon the fact that him against tremendous losses, caused through of $85,916,451 over the corresponding period
he takes pleasure in handling nothing but ignorance and oftentimes the maliciousness a year ago. Truly these figures afford ample
substantial pianos, and of certain makes, the of owners of instruments. With such a war- proof of the steady, onward march toward
names of which form a guarantee. The le- ranty as that it might be well to add the line old-time prosperity.
gitimate dealer stands back of everything he —the Everett for a lifetime.
T H E daily papers of Chicago announce the
sells, and he endeavors to convince substan-
possibility of Edwin A. Potter, of Lyon,
tial buyers in the community that he can af- LJOW many stop to consider the value of
Potter & Co., succeeding Gilbert A. Shaw as
ford to ignore the bargain counter crowd.
new ideas? You learn that your competitor
president
of the American Trust and Savings
Taking a random shot at the dealers of the or a merchant in another city has launched
country at large, who have pursued the policy out with something very unique and original. Bank. Mr. Potter surely receives a large
of ignoring bargain announcements and all You say: "That's a good thing, wonder amount of publicity through the columns of
that, we find that a large number have been where they caught on to that," or, "Well, the press in Chicago. It was only a short
signally successful in permitting a certain how simple, I wonder some one never time ago that we noticed his portrait occupy-
cheap trade to gravitate to the bargain an- thought of that before, why didn't I think of ing a full page in one of the well-known weekly
publications of that city. His prominent con-
nouncements.
it for instance."
nection with the leading clubs of the city by
Take in New England for instance, the M.
There may be many reasons why. The origi-
the lake, some of which he has been presi-
Steinert & Sons Co. That is a concern which nator possibly worked harder and thought
dent, has given him wide publicity as well as
is not known as a cheap house. As far as we harder than most other people; then again he
popularity.
have been able to ascertain the Steinerts have may have had more people seeking for new
never cut the price on the instruments sold ideas than the majority of merchants have. A
by them to a distressingly low point. When leading authority talking along these lines said THERE is evidence before us that the mem-
the matter of prices is brought up to them recently: "In most establishments employees
bers of the National Piano Manufacturers
by a customer, the reply which is invariably are used only as selling machines. They Association are acting. The recent circular
made is that "we guarantee everything we may, or some of them may be just full of addressed by the executive committee to the
sell. We are a corporation of responsibility, ideas, but as far as the merchant or his busi- members of the trade is presented in another
and that responsibility is worth something to
every purchaser who buys an instrument of
us."
Taking the Steinert concern as an illustra-
tion, it seems to us that it pays to maintain a
certain standard in the music trade. The
Steinerts handle more than two thousand
pianos yearly at retail. They get good prices,
but they stand behind everything they sell
and eschew the bargain counter methods.
Of course there are other illustrations, but
this one is before us at the present time,
hence reference to it.