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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
tion, for the delivery wagons of the great
metropolitan concern may be seen even
twenty-five miles away from the parent
concern.
The problem of competing with this
tendency of concentration to business is a
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
very serious one for rural merchants to
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
solve. To remove to more central points
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER,
and to compete for enlarged trade involves
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
perhaps considerable sacrifice of property
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff :
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
interests and the investment of much more
A. J. NICKLIN
capital. To continue as heretofore means
Every Saturday at 3 East Uti Street, Newjorfc
to
fight more vigorously for local trade and
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico
and Canada, $2.00 per year ; all other countries, $4.00.
study methods by which old customers can
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite reading matter
be retained.
$75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be
Deploring this concentration does not
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill. •
Entered at the Nrw York Post Office as Second Class Matter. remove it.
NEW YORK, DEC.^22, 1900.
It must be recognized that concentration
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745--EIQHTEENTH STREET.
is steadily going on in all things, but in all
On the first Saturday of each month The
Review contains in its "Artists Department" this the small piano dealer has been singu-
all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or larly exempt from the troubles which have
service of the trade section of the paper. It has
afflicted his brother merchant.
a special circulation, and therefore augments
materially the value of The Review to adver-
Notwithstanding the great advantages
tiser^
which New York offer in the way of piano
CONCENTRATION AND THE SMALL
emporiums, it may be truthfully said that
PIANO DEALER.
a smaller percentage of local piano trade
"PHE tendency to concentration which is
has gravitated to this city from surround-
apparent in many lines of trade does
ing towns than in any other line of manu-
not apply with equal strength to the piano
factured products.
industry—both manufacturing and retail-
The reasons for this lie chiefly in the fact
ing—as it does to other departments of
that people who reside in small towns do
trade.
not ordinarily go shopping for pianos in
Let us look at the retail side. There
the same way that they do for the alluring
can be no disputing the fact that in all
bargains which are so cleverly announced
great cities the tendency is towards con-
in the columns of the daily papers.
solidation and the stores which we com-
Inquiries are usually made from the
monly term department houses are really
local man who has an opportunity to
nothing more nor less than a series of gi-
work up his line of argument which will be
gantic stores all operated under one direct
that when they buy from him they take the
head. The small merchant has naturally
chances that he sells reliable goods and
felt more seriously the effects of this steady
can afford to sell more cheaply than the
concentration, and he will feel it more and
metropolitan dealers, on account of reduc-
more keenly as improved means of inter-
ed expenses, that the piano is the purchase
course with local towns brings them into
of a lifetime and should not be made
closer relations with great cities.
hastily and a number of other stock
When people for a small outlay can gain
arguments which are at the ready com-
the advantages of the larger market which
mand of every alert piano man.
the great cities offer they will invariably
No, the small dealer has not been lost in
visit the great city, leaving every local
, merchant somewhat in the lurch except on the concentration shuffle which has steadily
- emergency calls. The suburban or rural been going on.
On the contrary, he cuts more of a figure
t^ merchant has suffered through the gravi-
to-day
than ever before since he become a
^-tation of much of his trade to the city or
' v town merchant, who, a few years ago, was factor in this trade. The small dealers
-not even remotely regarded as a competi- have many things in their favor. They do
- tor, but through the building of electric not ask for enormous slices of territory
:1
roads, traversing the surrounding country such as is the case with many of the larger
J
' as well as special prices on the trunk ones. They do not ask ridiculous conces-
tines, a resident of the rural districts is sions in the way of terms and prices; they
afforded the opportunity to trade in the sell their stock, and usually pay for it.
Talking with one of the most prominent
large towns to the disadvantages of the
piano
manufacturers the other day he
local man.
All merchants, with perhaps one notable made the point that formerly his travelers
exception—the piano merchant—have felt had cultivated the large trade. To that
with force the effects of this city competi- class of trade he had made important con-
TWENTY-SECOND YEAR.
cessions in the way of territory which they
did not work as thoroughly as they should ;
hence the results were unsatisfactory.
Again instruments were sold them on the
closest prices and under long terms be-
cause Mr.-So-and-So did the same. Later
he said that he had worked more carefully
to secure a greater number of small men
and to give them just as much territory as
they could work thoroughly and well. In
this way he had found that satisfactory re-
sults were reached for both parties.
No, assuredly the day of the small dealer
is not passed. On the contrary, his sun is
shining with brilliant effulgence, and the
new century, as far as the small dealer is
concerned, does not mean a squelching
one, provided he works along lines of fair-
ness and business honesty. He can't suc-
ceed surely, if he sells the $75 piano for
$300, for his sins will find him out.
He can't succeed if he offers 10 sell new
pianos for five dollars down and a dollar
per month without interest.
But he can succeed if he gets the agency
for some reliable make and sticks to it—
makes it worth the while of the manufac-
turer to stand by him and uphold him.
A KILLING PACE.
QOME of the "regular" piano stores of
the country are out-departmenting
the department stores themselves in the
matter of small installment payments.
We have in this city a well-known de-
partment store which offers new pianos for
$5 down and $1 a week payment. This is
the same store that the "Vaudeville Extra"
alleges, disposes of 500 pianos per week.
Of course t'ais statement is the merest
tommyrot, but there is no mistaking the
fact that this concern places out upon these
terms a fair number of pianos among the
East-siders of Gotham.
There is something captivating, even if
it is not good business, in the announce-
ment that new pianos can be procured for
a fiver down and a trifle of a dollar a week
for all time thereafter.
This scheme of cheapness spreads.
California is not outdone in a proposition
of this nature, for we have before us an
advertisement of the New Century Piano
Co. of Los Angeles, offering " new pianos
for five dollars down and a dollar a week,
no interest."
If this is not business suicide for a reg-
ular dealer to make such an announcement,
then what constitutes piano suicide ?
Even if the pianos were sold, we will
say at $200, a proposition of five dollars
down would leave 195 weeks on which no
interest would be paid to balance accounts.
We referred last week to "La Propa-