Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
~V-EDWARD LYMAN
Editor and Proprietor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, $ajoo per year ; all other countries,
I3.00.
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 iVew York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JULY 23, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, I745--EIGHTEENTH STREET.
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.
MIDSUMMER MUSINGS.
A MATERIAL advance in products of
all kinds, manufactured and other-
wise, is usually synonymous with war.
No matter how rich a government may be,
it is always necessary to place a direct tax
upon a number of specified articles in or-
der that a war revenue may be raised.
There has been an advance in many
articles since the outbreak of the Yanko-
Spanko war and there is much testimony
at hand to support the belief that there
will be a still further advance in all lines
of manufactures, coincident with which
high prices will prevail in agricultural
products.
Will the recrudescence of higher prices
effectually dispose of the cheap piano,
which has been the bctc-noir of this trade
for such an extended period?
In our own opinion the cheap piano, that
is the very cheap piano, will become
extinct simply because manufacturers have
found them unprofitable to build and
dealers have found them rather a source of
expense than a source of profit. The,
retail dealer, too, demands an equivalent!
for his money which has not been found
to an appreciable- extent in the very cheap
piano.
One of the main causes is that it has not
been sold in its proper place. It has been
sold in thousands of instances at figures
which should have assured the purchaser
of the possession of an excellent medium
grade instrument.
The result has been demonstrated by
the business for the past few years. There
is no profit in the very cheap piano for
either the manufacturer or the retail de- the true newspaper instinct he is a most
persistent searcher for unadulterated facts;
partment of the business.
As prices advance in all other lines, the and yet when he is in possession of certain
price of pianos must necessarily take an facts oftentimes there is a struggle with
upward move as well. While there may his conscience whether he shall publish
be some sporadic cases wherein the cheap these facts or suppress them. He may
piano will still be a factor in the piano sift much of the raw material and serve it
trade, yet as a whole, 1898 will mark its up to his readers in a different way, yet
how often do the words come home to
decadence if not its practical extinction.
The fact is, when the American people every newspaper man: Can I afford to
have money, they prefer a very good arti- publish the truth regarding so and so?
cle and are willing to pay for it, but in the How many will I injure?
For illustration let us take the case of
cheap piano they have not had the goods
delivered to which their money would en- the men in this trade who have succumbed
to the impecunious demands of the man
title them.
There is a class of manufacturers in this whose sway once upon a time was abso-
trade who have maintained not only the lutely without question; whose imperious
prices of old, but they have been devoting demands were heeded with unvarying
their energies to the betterment of their regularity.
Suppose, for instance, we publish the
wares, so that to-day with the return of
prosperity they are in a better position names of these men, publish certain facts
Suppose we publish
than ever to reap a monetary benefit for which we know.
their faith in the ability of America and through what agencies these wondrous
their stand by an honest article. They changes were wrought. Suppose we pub-
have not followed the cheap ignis fatuus lish the names of the men who figured in
Suppose we publish these
over the morasses of failure, but on the the deal.
things
and
lots
of others which are truths,
contrary, they have remained on a firm
soil and their foundation to-day is more unquestionably truths, what then?
enduring than ever.
Much turmoil will be the result, suffer-
ing and all the attendant woes. • Still the
T TNDER the fair name of trade journal-
people demand the truth, that is, when it
ism many contemptible deeds have
is on the other fellow.
been committed, and many vile intrigues
There is in this trade a certain class of
carried on. However, up to a recent
men who delight to be fed on diluted and
period, it had been conducted in respect-
disguised pabulum of a spicy flavor which
ably clean English. It has remained for
disguises its real character to some extent,
the Courier Annex to sink a little deeper
but the true nature of which is apparent
into the mire of obscenity than we believed
to every intelligent observer. We repeat,
it possible for any paper appealing to an
they like to be fed upon this matter when
intelligent class of readers to do.
it refers to others only.
In the Annex of last week amid two
pages of tirade on John C. Freund appears
the most filthy and obscene poetry that our C O R months John C. Freund has adver-
tised the fact that in the fall he would
attention has yet been called to in an
intimate association with newspaper work commence the publication of a weekly
paper under the title of " Music, Art and
covering a period of over a dozen years.
Drama." He has circulated this statement
No paper to our knowledge has ever
persistently throughout the musical world,
insulted its readers by the publication of
and has had large signs bearing the name
such foul, profane, obscene matter as
of this publication placed in prominent
appears on page four of last week's Annex.
positions on and in the building where the
It reeks of the brothel and smells of the
Musici.Trades Company is now located.
gutter. It is a stench in the nostrils of
He has by moral right clearly establish-
decency, and how any paper appealing to
ed
a right to the title. Now along comes
an educated and intelligent clientele could
so foully insult its readers is beyond the the Musical Coiirier—evidently fearful of
horizon of our conception. It only ex- the encroachment which Mr. Freund's new
hibits what mental depravity must exist musical paper will make in its field—with
where such filthy matter has its origin. the announcement in bold type over the
The Courier Annex has evidently struck headlines of its paper, "Music, Art and
Drama." We understand, too, that the
the hardpan of obscenity.
Courier has applied for a copyright for
Courier Annex did we say ? Better,
this title.
Courier-Cesspool.
Now of all the concentrated, boiled
HE position of a trade editor is often- down essence of meanness this stands
times a trying one. If he possesses without parallel in the annals of news-
T