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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
• ?. > EDWARD LYMAN BILL-e—:—
Editor and Proprietor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per year ; all other countries,
$3.00.
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read-
ing matter $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JULY 9, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIQHTEENTH S1REET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review will
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.
WAR AND BUSINESS.
A STILL further collection of opinions
from manufacturers and dealers re-
garding the possibilities of fall trade is to
be found elsewhere in this issue. The
topic has been an interesting one, as it
presents in condensed form the opinions
of men actively engaged in business in
both departments, the manufacturing and
retail, residing in different localities.
The interviews have included dealers as
well as manufacturers in the far North,
South, East and West. While some few
take rather an optimistic outlook, yet the
great majority incline to the belief that
there will be an unprecedentedly large trade
in the country this fall, whether decadent
Spain sues for peace in the meanwhile or
not.
A statement of the vast imports of
America, which appears in another portion
of The Review, will be of great interest in
that it shows the enormous strides which
this country is making in all lines of manu-
factures,, aside from being, in a large sense,
the granary of the world. This country
is reaching out for world-wide conquests,
and while the Hispano-American war has
had a demoralizing effect upon certain
branches of trade, on the whole it has
solidified the different isms of the country
into one whole, which may be designated
as greater Americanism. It has genera-
ted a broader feeling, and there is a be-
lief, which is fast growing, that the time
has come in the history of this country
when we can well take care of outside pos-
sessions.
Be that as it may, we are not inclined
to enter into a discussion of the topic at
the present time, but one thing is certain
—that events which have transpired since
the beginning of the present war have fol-
lowed so closely upon each other that they
have injected new features into the hitherto
continental policy of America. We cannot
recede from our present position, and if
the war closes with a number of island
possessions under the American flag, there
is no question but that we will be amply
qualified to extend our commerce and con-
trol in that direction.
It is to a certain extent surprising to see
how the demand for musical instruments
has kept up in certain localities. While in
some sections of the Union trade has been
stagnant, yet in others it has shown a
surprising activity. As for fall, read the
opinions as presented in The Review of
active business men who are on the field.
Surely their ideas should count for some-
thing. They are watching the situation as
closely as possible, their interest being
accentuated largely from the fact that they
have a deep personal interest at stake.
The opinions as expressed cannot be
scanned too closely. As a whole they
should form some sort of a basis for the
fall campaign. We shall continue the
subject.
F^vURING the past few weeks frequent
reference has been made while in
conversation with manufacturers to the
part which The Review played in the for-
mation of the original Manufacturers' As-
sociation, which was formed in 1889. The
position of The Review is best explained
in the following editorial, which appeared
in The Review date March 5, 1892:
It has been stated to us frequently in
speaking of the local Association, that we
brought the piano manufacturers together
and founded the present Association.
Gentlemen, we decline the honor. We
prefer to be known as the conductors of a
trade journal, rather than have our names
descend to posterity as the founders of
any organization. A few words explana-
tory of our position in regard to this mat-
ter for years past, will perhaps be appro-
priate.
For many years we have advocated the
forming of a National Association, be-
lieving that such a move would be in ac-
cordance with the commercial conditions
and necessities of the present age. We
worked faithfully and honestly on what
we believed to be a matter of great impor-
tance to the trade. We said and published
at that time nothing that we would desire
to retract to-day. We believed then, and
we believe now that a National Associa-
tion founded on a broad and comprehen-
sive basis would result in great good to
the music trade.
On the 17th of August, 1889, The Re-
view convened a meeting at Clarendon
Hall, New York, at which were members
of the music trade, not only from New
York, but from nearly every State in the
Union, in which musical instruments were
manufactured. Our idea was the forma-
tion of an Association composed of manu-
facturers in the music trade, who would at
stated times convene in various cities and
consider points of vital interest to the
trade, such as freights, duties, credits,
commissions, and many other subjects
which would come up for consideration at
the stated meetings.
It was our belief that by this course of
procedure much good would accrue to,
and much evil be eliminated from, the
music trade. That while local associations
would deal with local matters, matters of
national importance would be dealt with
in a manner which would suggest itself as
being most feasible and practicable to the
majority of the delegates present at any
convention. In this manner a strong
bond would exist between manufacturers
who at present are not only remote from
each other in geographical location, but
also in a commercial sense. These mat-
ters were fully explained at the time and
resolutions were passed favoring same.
There was a strong element opposed to
this, and after further consideration it wafe
decided to merge the meeting into a social
association, which should deal with no af-
fairs other than those of a social nature.
The result of this was a magnificent
dinner, the largest ever known in the
music trade of this country. After that
the social organization was allowed to
lapse. The present Association was
formed by men who were confronted with
a common danger. They banded them-
selves together for one purpose solely, to
suppress the strikes then existing in piano
factories in New York City. This matter
they carried through successfully, and then
formed themselves into a permanent
organization after which other matters
were considered.
There has been in our mind no doubt of
the good that would result from a National
Association of the American pianoforte
and organ manufacturers. The principles
which we advocated years ago we believed
in. We believed in them then, thinking
that they were a step forward in the right
way. What we believed at that time we
believe to-day.
"F"O produce a paper varying from thirty-
two to forty-eight pages weekly is no
trivial task, and while other papers appear
thin and attenuated, The Review bears
the hall-mark of prosperity.
In truth the trade paper question is not
a difficult one to solve. Through The Re-
view glass it is this: Be original, produce
a paper that possesses- merit; get the
news, serve it up in condensed, readable
form; promulgate new ideas which are a
benefit to the trade; get out of the old
rut; make a paper a power; treat every
man fairly, whether an advertiser or not;
make him an advertiser by creating a
paper of such value that he is compelled
to be represented therein.
When you fight strike in no indecisive
manner. Let there be no cringing, no
sycophancy, but good, straight, Dewey-
like blows in a just cause. No secret or
problem about trade journalism, straight,
intelligent, persistent, continuous applica-
tion. That is all there is about it. Prob-
lem—common sense. And not nonsense.