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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
why it is quite natural to address these
concerns, because they like to have their
neighbors understand that they are car-
rying on dealings with some of the big
concerns in Chicago, never looking care-
.EDWARD LYMAN BILL-
fully into the matter of price and quality.
Editor and Proprietor
This sort of trade is, to a considerable
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
extent, affecting the business of the local
3 East 14th St., New York
dealer, and moreover it is a hard compe-
SUBSCRIPTION (including: postage), United States,
tition to meet. It only makes another
Mexico and Canada, laao per year; all other countries,
$300.
problem of the times, another competition
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
which The Review terms catalogue com-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read'
ing matter $75.00.
petition.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
It is said of a number of concerns who
Entered at the New York Post Ojjice as Second Clast Matter.
issue these enormous catalogues that they
NEW YORK, MARCH 25, 1899.
carry very little stock themselves. As the
orders come in, the catalogue compilers
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745--EIQHTEENTH STREET.
call upon the various manufacturers and
THE KEYNOTE.
obtain from them goods at wholesale rates.
The first week of each month, The Review wil)
contain a supplement embodying the literary
We cannot say how true this is of the
and musical features which have heretofore
musical instrument trade but we do know
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
that there are concerns in the West who
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
refuse absolutely to sell the catalogue men
trade paper.
goods, save at regular retail rates.
CATALOGUE COMPETITION.
The dealer's lot at best is not a happy
T H E life of the music dealer is not one, and with the increased competition it
wholly made up of ease and comfort would seem as if the grind was becoming
in these days of rapid changes, of gigantic a little harder. Of the catalogue competi-
trusts, of combinations, of department tion we shall have considerable to say later.
store competition, and other things which
we have neither time nor space to enu- DEPARTMENT STORE THOUGHTS.
merate here. One of his latest troubles T H E R E is apparently no diminution of
lies in a competition which is new and
department store talk. There are
colossal in proportions.
endless theories advanced as to the possi-
We refer to that competition which may ble effect the department store will have
be properly termed a catalogue competition. upon the future distribution of pianos. All
To particularize: such firms as Montgom- of this talk, agitation and theorizing is ex-
ery, Ward & Co., Sears, Roebuck & Co., cellent, in that it acts as an impetus to the
issue catalogues of hundreds of pages in- trade. It is a trade vitalizer; it is even
cluding almost everything that is required now stimulating the dealers to renewed ac-
to cover an individual from the cold of tivity. They realize that department store
winter or the heat of summer, likewise competition will be in the main a business
providing all accessories for home com- competition of that consistency which it
forts, adornments and necessaries, from a will only be possible to meet on a straight
paper of pins to a steam threshing ma- business platform. In other words, a
chine.
platform of prices.
This endless variety of manufactured
Thus far the great department stores
goods is shown in an illustrated form, and which propose entering the piano arena as
the prices given are in many instances active solicitors for trade patronage have
alluring. These catalogues now include not given evidence of any peculiarities in
not only pianos and organs but also all trade methods which they propose to adopt.
lines of musical instruments, such as The regular advertisements of these firms
are offered by what we colloquially term have thus far been singularly free from
the small goods trade, such as man- piano announcements. Whether daily
dolins, harps, violins, music boxes, brass hints on pianos will become a feature of
instruments, etc. Now these catalogues the advertisements of the great stores
are got out in enormous numbers and are which.will offer pianos for sale, is yet to be
sent not only to the residents of small determined.
villages and towns, but to farmers and
And then again, there is another ques-
ranchmen whose names are secured by cor- tion. Will people be induced to buy pianos
respondence with the local postmasters. simply from an announcement? What
These catalogues are thumbed over on the percentage of pianos are sold from people
kitchen table, and if one of the family coming in and making direct purchases
desires a new fiddle string or a harmonica, without having been previously made the
direct target for alluring arguments on
the part of the salesman?
Travel over America and the average
dealer will tell you that the percentage is
small indeed, and from personal observa-
tion we are inclined to the belief that the
men who are doing intelligent and persis-
tent work on the outside in cultivating and
working up trade are the ones who are do-
ing the retail business in this industry to-
day.
There is no question, however, but that
alluring advertising is a strong factor in
attracting trade, but people who visit a
store in answer to some special advertise-
ment invariably compare the special sale
instruments with others before the pur-
chase is definitely closed. In this way the
competitor always has an opportunity to
instil a little of his special advice and ar-
gument into the receptive mind of the
piano customer. In this way many con-
versions are made which otherwise would
not take place.
T H E R E is, too, a vital question in this
department-store matter. If the de-
partment stores in offering pianos to the
public do not offer some special induce-
ments, will they sell the instruments? And
if they offer any particular makes at cut
rates, will the action not have a depreciat-
ing effect upon the sale of those instru-
ments in other sections of the country?
The dealers, we learn, propose to have
on file, papers in which the piano adver-
tisements of the big dry goods concerns
appear. If there are cut prices on regu-
lar stock they propose to use them against
their competition.
And others argue, if the prices are not
kept up the department stores will not sell
the goods. However, this is all theory,
and everthing is for that matter in regard
to this important question. It will take
one full year to thoroughly test the matter,
and at the end of that year we shall all
know more about the effect of the depart-
ment stores upon the future of this in-
dustry.
But let us keep the subject well before
the trade. It is a great question. The de-
partment store, however, has one price and
that price will be rigidly adhered to in
every instance, and there can be no ques-
tion but that this method in itself will have
a beneficial effect upon the retailing of
pianos.
The conditions which exist in this trade
regarding the one price system are deplor-
able, and to this cutting and slashing may
be directly traced much of the evil com-
monly attributed to piano methods. If one
price were asked for an instrument, and