Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
proach to him the better are trade condi-
tions and that hardly time enough has yet
elapsed for the money tg have percolated
through the various trade channels to reach
the great manufacturing centers.
Others claim that real prosperity has not
EDWARD LYMAN BILL.
Editor and Proprietor
as yet reached this country.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
influence of
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, |ajoo per year; all other countries,
$300.
Then again
there are others who will assert that the
the department
stores has
already been felt in a detrimental way in
our great cities.
Every music dealer
ADVERTISEHFNTS, $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.
upon members of the trade the necessity of
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Clast Matter,
ment of the department stores upon what
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 17, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-.EI0HTEENTM STREET.
The Review has from time to time urged
taking some action regarding the encroach-
we term the regular trade of the country.
If the department stores continue to pur-
chase large space in the columns of the
THE KEYNOTE.
daily papers^ offering as they do, pianos on
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.
ridiculous terms, then the merchants of
America
must take
active measures to
counteract such influence.
They should
never admit, for one single instant, that
the department store can afford to sell the
same grade of pianos for one penny less
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM.
than they themselves can supply the in-
A CAREFUL survey of the trade situ-
sell on small profits. We are proud to
mention the Ilardman, Hacklcy, Chase,
Poole and Haines Bros, pianos. They have
been before the public over 30 years. The
people know them, but we want you to
know the place to buy them. No home can
afford to be without a piano at the prices
we are selling them at. Remember our
address; you may never see us in print
again. We keep open to 9 p. m. every
evening. Expert tuner with house. Our
music teaching department gives lowest
rates to new beginners, 25 to 50 cents a
lesson.
struments of corresponding worth.
must
understand
thoroughly that the piano trade to-day af-
fords no easy road to success.
He must
spend money liberally, just as liberally as
any competition which he hopes to outclass
spends against him.
He cannot sit down
and hide his business light under a bushel,
but rather it must be of the exposed calcium
sort so that he who runs may read. This is
strictly a commercial age and the eternal
hustle for the almighty dollar is always
with us.
Business is strong and prosper-
ous largely in proportion to the ability, in-
telligence and comprehensiveness of the
directing forces behind it.
The practice
of sitting down and denouncing modern
methods, superficialty,
stencilled pianos,
ation leads us to state that retail trade
It occurs to us here—and we have urged
on the whole has been somewhat disap-
the matter before—that the average dealer
statements, fake
pointing up to this time of writing for the
should incorporate in his advertisements
carries no weight.
words to the effect that he carries such
rolled together form not the slightest ob-
pianos as are usually sold by department
stacle in the way of competition.
holiday season.
Of course, there are many of our readers
who will not agree with us in this declar-
ation, and we are glad of it, because it
stores at department store prices.
cheap methods of
doing business, mis-
sales, reduction
prices,
All such arguments
Compe-.
tition is always with us, and it will be
In this connection we may say that we
keener as the years roll on.
We must
they are among the
have received from many dealers letters- of
But in making a state-
commendation regarding our suggestions
ahead of us, and with a firm determination
ment it is best to be truthful, even if it is
in this matter.
to reach
not the most delicious reading for some.
as we are penning these lines is from C.
meantime no vitality in bemoaning the
The volume of business which will have
F. Grobmann, the Milwaukee dealer, who
present unsatisfactory environment.
been transacted by Christmas may result
says: "We have read your editorials upon
in bringing up the. entire volume of trade
clean business methods with great interest
to a satisfactory point.
pointing out ways for selling pianos upon
demonstrates
that
fortunate ones.
We hope so.
Of course, there are many dealers who
One which is just at hand
strictly legitimate prices.
We enclose you
have enjoyed an exceptionally fine trade,
herewith a newspaper ad. which may be
but there has not been the immense de-
of some interest to you as furthering your
mand for musical instruments that many
cause for straight business methods."
during the fall was of such
The clipping enclosed contains an adver-
a character
tisement occupying a space some twelve
as to give rise to the belief that the holi-
inches high by three columns wide.
day trade would be unusually large; it has
unique and striking in many ways, and we
It is
not, and the statement cannot be disproved
are going to ask Mr. Grobmann what re-
that December trade on the whole has
sults it wins for him.
contained many disappointments.
the advertisement is incorporated the fol-
A closer examination of the trade field
will reveal too, that the music dealers in
the smaller towns throughout the country
have been doing better than those located
in the larger centers.
The retail trade in
the great cities of this country has been to
a large degree disappointing.
The reasons why such conditions exist
are manifold.
Some urge that the farmer
being the specially favored one during the
last two years—that
the nearer we ap-
with
a definite
that
purpose
directly
purpose, wasting
in the
The Review does not mean to take a
pessimistic view of the piano industry.
But
it means to be fair; just to itself, and just
to the men, who rely, to a certain extent,
upon
its utterances.
business of
The
retail
piano
America needs revision;
it
needs revision of a healthy sort, arid all
Trade
have anticipated for the holidays.
work
In one portion of
lowing:
"T
Piano, oak, walnut or mahogany
case—guaranteed.
We do not call this a $400 piano and sell
it on untruthful statements at $250, more
or less— simply $11 2. If you want a piano
we want to make the sale. Our prices will
do it. But you must come to our store. We
employ no commission men or agents to
ring door-bells and talk your arms off. That
alone would cost you $50 to $75 more on
every piano. We have been in the piano
business 28 years. We are practical and
experienced in our line, buy for cash and
that will come in time.
Present conditions
make it all the more important that piano
merchants should fully recognize the com-
plex situation which confronts them.
The optimistic side! Very well.
If we
will look over the general trade of the
country we find the outlook is of that char-
acter which should lend encouragement to
every kind of industry and mercantile en-
terprise.
The bank clearings for the past month
have never been equalled in the country's
history, and yet there were only twenty-
four business days in that month.
The
average monthly clearings of the past eleven
months of '98 surpass all previous records,
were ten per cent, greater than those of the
first eleven months of '92, that year w r hich