Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1901 Vol. 33 N. 17

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ognized more than ever before in the coun- in the land of sunshine. The exposition at
try's history. American methods of adver- Charleston will not, however, cut a great fig-
tising lead the world. Our merchants de- ure as expositions are rated to-day.
mand striking typographical display, and the
The next great exposition of America will
value of the printer's art becomes more and be held at St. Louis, and it is stated upon
more apparent in the display arrangement of excellent authority that it will be a record-
«£gfl EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
"ads." In America the advertiser demands breaker. This not only has strong Govern-
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
what he likes from the paper in the way of ment backing as well as State and Municipal,
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
cuts
and display headings—and he gets it.
but the management is vested in the hands
WALDO E. LADD
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
One paper in New York held out for a of a body of men who intend to make appar-
A. J. NICKLIN
PnHIislietl Emy Satnrday at 3 East 14th Street, New Yorfc. long time against the modern innovation of ent the ability of the people of St. Louis to
SUPSCRIPT1ON (.including postage), United States, Mexico
cuts and type. It was forced to succumb to beat the world's record on expositions. They
and Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries, (4.00.
ADVERTISEriENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
the pressure brought upon it by the adver- will surpass Chicago, if they have to sit up
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
is allowed. Advertising Pages $;o.oo, opposite reading matter,
$75.00.
nights to do it.
tisers
after a while.
REniTTANCES, in other than currency form, should be
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
In England the great London papers treat
As we have stated in former issues, ex-
EnUred at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter
their advertisers with contempt. They lay hibitors who are invited to contribute to the
NEW YORK, OCT726, 1901.
down rules respecting the kinds of type to success of an exposition should be informed
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-E1QHTEENTH STREET.
he used and adhere to it, in spite of the fact precisely upon what lines the award system
THE
On the first Saturday of each
ARTISTS 1
month The Review contains in its
that
the advertisers would receive a greater willlje run.
DEPARTMENT " Artists'Department" all the cur-
rent musical news. This is effected
value for the investment, and to the papers
The superintendent of awards at the Pan-
without in any way trespassing on the size or ser-
vice of the trade section of the paper. It has a
would accrue many times the amount of American, Henry S. Pritchett, has announced
special circulation, and therefore augments mater-
business, if they would accept the American publicly that early in the sittings of the jurors
ially the value of The Review to advertisers.
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manu-
system.
at the "Pan" the question of standard of
PIANO
facturing firms and corporations
Representatives
of
leading
American
ad-
comparisons
to be adopted became a dominat-
MANUFACTURERS f Q u n d o n p a g e 2 6 w i l l b e o f g r e a t
value as a reference for dealers and others.
vertisers say that they have the greatest diffi- ing one. It became a question whether the
culty in carrying out their ideas in the Eng- exhibits were to be compared one with an-
EDITORIAL
lish press. They say that they encounter other, or whether an ideal standard which
all manner of restrictive rules which the pro- might exist in the minds of the jurors, and
PIANO MEN WAKING UP.
prietors refuse to forego or change, for no which might be altogether outside of the
| T is evident, the more other reason than that they never did so in exhibits to be judged, should be the standard
The advantages of
advertising — P i a n o
we scan the adver- the past.
men show m a r k e d
*
or not.
change over former
tising
columns of lead-
years—American and
A glance at the various trade journals of
The superintendent of awards goes on to
European m e t h o d s
ing papers throughout Europe will form an excellent index of the
contrasted—Trade pa-
say: "The discussion of this question re-
pers as an index.
the land, the more ap- general character of advertising followed by sulted in a construction of the rule under
parent becomes the truth that piano mer- European manufacturers. These monthly which all exhibits were compared with an
chants are realizing the widely conceded ad- or semi-monthly publications, with their inad- ideal standard, which was taken to be the
vantage of cleverly exploiting their wares in equate advertising pages and late news, pre- highest state of the art in the subject under
the advertising department of the local pa- sent a very shabby appearance when com- discussion. Under this ruling it was possi-
pers. The tone, too, of the advertising is pared with the beautifully printed, bright ble for more than one exhibit in a class to
materially improved from that of days gone and newsy American trade journals running receive the highest award; but, on the other
by. There is more taste displayed, not only from forty to seventy-five pages weekly.
hand, no award was given by reason of lack
in the wording, but in the typographical ar-
of
competition."
The advertising of a nation gives a pretty
rangement of the subject treated in advertis- thorough idea of its progressiveness. and a
This ideal or imaginary standard, which
ing space.
comparison of European and American meth- may exist in the minds of jurors, strikes the
Advertising is a business of compar- ods will serve to forcibly accentuate some of
average citizen as being somewhat complex,
atively recent growth. As a matter of the many reasons why America has moved to say the least. Every man may have an
fact, advertising as a science did not on with tremendous strides, and now in many ideal, and, following this line of argument
exist a quarter of a century ago; prob- products dominates the world.
out, it is not surprising that no reasonable
ably at that time there were few, if any,
decision was arrived at among the jury of
FAIRS AND "ID2A.L" STANDARDS.
professional "ad." writers; but to-day, even
awards.
HERE is no indica-
small cities have their specialty "ad." writers,
Interest in exposi-
Judging from indications, piano manufac-
tions—The award sys-
tion, as alleged by
who make their rounds of all the retail stores
tem should be clearly
turers will take a live interest in the coming
outside
some, that the exposi-
and advise certain means of publicity for the defined—That
" ideal " standard not
exposition at St. Louis. Many of them will
popular - Piano man-
tion fever is abating, for
local merchants.
expend thousands of dollars in making their
ufacturers
condemn
shortly after the close of
it.
There is no question but that "ad." writing
contribution to the great show as attractive
must eventually be specialized and divided the Pan-American, another exposition will as possible in order to impress upon the
along lines as sharply drawn as those of his- be opened at Charleston, an affair which, by people of the country that piano manufactur-
tory, poetry and novel writing. Methods that the way, is calculated to have somewhat of a ing reaches the full dignity of an art indus-
will bring results from classes so widely var- stimulating effect upon Southern and West try. Therefore, it would seem as if the man-
ied as the patrons of a department store, Indian trade.
agers of the St. Louis exposition should de-
must differ more every year; therefore, the
A Southern exposition may prove a draw- clare, not only to piano manufacturers, but
writer who studies a special class will be most ing card during the winter months, when a to all others as well, their position regarding
successful in writing advertisements for it.
tour of the South enables one to shorten the the awards in clearly defined terms. If the
The benefits of advertising are now rec- length of our Northern winters by a tarry standard is to be the ideal one outside of the
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR.
KEWEW
5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
\
exhibits, then let the standard be known;
let it not be hidden in the minds of the jury
who might all disagree as to that ideal stand-
ard. The ideal standard business is liable to
tangle one up completely, and there should
be clearly defined rules governing the award
plan.
Our own idea regarding the award ques-
tion is that, to a large extent, the almost
general distribution of prizes at Chicago had
an immediate effect to depreciate the value
of exposition recognition; but still, it is an
undeniable fact that value exists to-day in
awards, and there should be no mystery or
juggling surrounding a plan on which ex-
hibits are to be judged.
If there are awards to be granted, let them
be given on a basis of comparison of one
exhibit with another, and not with that mys-
terious ideal which was followed at the "Pan."
Furthermore, there should be a decision
rendered whether the withdrawal of one or
more exhibits, composing, we will say, some
of the most distinguished names in piano
history, should lower the standard of a medal
from first to third degree.
Now that music trade interest is aroused
in the St. Louis exposition, we have urged,
and propose to urge, that the managers of
that fair declare themselves clearly upon that
most important of all questions to exhibit-
ors—awards. A man who has engaged to
contribute thousands of dollars to the success
of a great enterprise should be entitled to
know precisely upon what grounds his offi-
cial recognition may be determined. Awards
should be made solely on the ground of
merit, and with no discrimination such as
should deteriorate the value of those awards.
Jurors should be selected who are not only
fair-minded and competent, but who are ad-
mitted experts in their various departments.
Ic is the proper thing now to keep this award
question well before the people, and trade
papers in the various industries should play
no unimportant part in bringing forth some
official utterances regarding this question
from the men who will control the situation
at St. Louis.
BUSINESS OUTLOOK GOOD.
s viewed through
Business men are
e n c o u r a g e d—No
the spectacles of
b r e a k apparent —
Some changes in bank-
prominent music trade
ing law may be made
—Country generally
m e n in t h e various
prosperous.
branches of the industry,
there is not the slightest excuse for pessim-
ism as regards conditions of the late fall or
holiday trade. The consensus of opinion is
against any apprehension of a weakening of
the trade vertebrae this fall. It is generally
conceded that there are no matters which
shall be brought up when Congress assembles
that will cause the country the slightest un-
rest. While we are peculiarly sensitive, yet
A
even the most pessimistic cannot feel any
possibility of a business break this year.
It may be that there will be some reform
of our present banking system so that by
liberalizing our national banking law there
will be a more even distribution of the sur-
plus capital of the country. A reform of this
kind will benefit business and stimulate the
enterprise of the country. A man in Texas
should not pay ten per cent, for money, while
a man in New York gets it on call for two
per cent. Business men, however remote
from great cities, farmers, stock growers,
miners, should have the same opportunities
to economically use their credit by having
adequate banking facilities, and at present
our system tends to congest the currency in
money centers where a few have ready ac-
cess to it at low rates of interest.
The entire country is prosperous, and what-
ever Congress does in the way of legislation
should act as an aid to business, rather than
create fear on the part of business men.
A personal survey of the country gained
by weeks of travel, confirms the opinion that
our continent is prosperous in all its differ-
Tra.de Journalism
was ccmplimented Ly the jury of
swards at
the
PAN-AMERICAN
exposition, by the awarding of
a dip Ion a to
THE REVIEW
ent conditions. That is to say, mechanics
are enjoying good wages, farmers and stock
raisers are blessed with a good price for farm
produce, and the damage to crops in the West
has been largely over-estimated. Good times
for the past few years has created a surplus
in many pockets where a deficit formerly ex-
isted.
Take it all in all, the outlook is most en-
couraging for the piano merchant, and he
should just at this time paste the word "hus-
tle" up in large type in his office so that he
can observe it early in the morning. It should
not be hidden from the gaze of his staff, be-
cause an active fall is now with us, and the
man who puts in a little of that strenuous life
that our President has referred to, will be
the man who will come out at the right end
of the business campaign this fall.
POSSIBLE CHANGES IN THE LAW.
O OME piano men, to-
Present bankruptcy
law not pleasing to
gether with busi-
piano men — Affords
loopholes to t h o s e
ness men in other enter-
who wish to evade the
prises, have not been
payment of debts—
Changes possible.
slow to denounce the
bankruptcy law, and we believe that it is gen-
erally recognized by all business men that
the present law is anything but perfect. It
has been the loop-hole through which many
a dishonest man has crept to evade the pay-
ment of all honest debts.
The present law has been in operation now
nearly three years, and the business commu-
nity has been able to determine its advantages
and disadvantages, and perhaps all laws upon
our statute books require a practical oper-
ation to demonstrate weak points.
That a bankruptcy law is advantageous to
a business community is not doubted by any
one, and there is not a civilized country on
the globe that has not had for years some
system affecting bankruptcy. It is argued
by friends of the present law that, with all
its defects, it is a vast improvement over
any that has hitherto been in operation. In
the absence of a bankruptcy law the dis-
honest debtor is constantly preferring rela-
tives and friends to the detriment of the dis-
tant creditor. Certain creditors, by various
means, secured the powers of attorney au-
thorizing them to confess judgment, and in
that way, upon the least indication of insol-
vency, judgment was entered up and such
creditors were paid in full, while others less
fortunate got nothing.
Under the present law the creditors are
placed upon an equality, and it cannot be de-
nied that credits have been raised to a higher
tone than ever before.
To our minds, the weak point in the pres-
ent bankruptcy law is that it enables a man
to obtain a discharge of his obligations where
he has obtained property on credit by means
of statements by him known to be false and
made for the purpose of obtaining credit.
There should be some regulation granting
the discharge in bankruptcy to men who have
within a limited time taken advantage to have
their debts discharged in the same way be-
fore.
There are many changes suggested, and
probably out of this will come a vastly
improved bankruptcy law, of which the coun-
try sadly stands in need.
APPRECIATED BY THE TRADE.
'"THE unusual demand upon The Review
advertising space has been so great
during the month that we have been com-
pelled to print from forty-four to fifty-two
pages weekly. This fact alone emphasizes
more than columns of self-laudatory words
the fact that clean trade journalism is being
more appreciated than ever by the members
of the music trade, and that a paper with a
wide distribution and a vast influence is con-
sidered by leading advertisers to be the cor-
rect one in which to exploit their wares.
Facts are indisputable, and the little papers
must show more enterprise in the conduct of
their affairs or the concentration of business
into the larger journals will become more
marked as the months go by. Men to-day
do not believe in patronizing the eleemosynary
journalists, as in days agone. They have a
right to expect the largest possible adver-
tising returns for their money.

Download Page 6: PDF File | Image

Download Page 7 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.