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THE
7VYVSIC TRRDE
REVIEW
Even slow accounts may be brightened up
Hold quality above price. Of course, sell
with some success during the months which cheap pianos, but sell them in their class.
are before us, for people at such times are Sell them for cash as nearly as possible and
fairly well supplied with money.
don't get tied up too much in long-winded,
One thing is positive—these are flourish- slow and unreliable installment accounts.
ing
times compared with a few years ago,
Some mighty good business men have
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
and if the piano merchant is not prosperous gone into this long-winded installment busi-
EBITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
to-day, if his business is not right up to the ness and they have learned, when it was too
( THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
\ EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
mark in every particular during such peri- late, that there was no end to it.
Executive Staff: J. WALDO E. I.ADD
j GEO. W. QUERIPEL
ods, then indeed he is in a critical and dan-
V A. J. NICKLIN
PLANNING AND REALIZATION.
gerous
condition.
If
he
cannot
close
up
A S we stated a couple
Pnfflflrt EYCTT Satnrflay at 3 East Mtt Street, New YoE
The trust promoter
castles in air
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico
long-winded outstandings, both for and building
of weeks ago, the
—Frothy mouthings
and Canada, $2.00 per year; another countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
on
combinations —
against,
in
such
times
as
these,
the
proba-
trust project has been
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount
Dealers' combinations
is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite reading matter,
on embryo—P r a i s e
bility is that he will be continually slipping
$75.00.
revived,
though in some-
REniTTANCES, in other than currency form, should be
from an e x p e r t —
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
behind in the race rather than forging ahead.
Change of front.
what of a modified form.
Enttrtd at the New York Post Office as Second dais Matter
We are glad to note some of the newer 1 he facts in the case are, the piano trust pro-
~~
NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 1901.
piano merchants have started in with a qual- moter has gone mad on the subject of trusts,
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
ity price standard nailed to the mast together though on all other matters where there is
THE
O n t h e first S a t u r d a y of each
ARTISTS'
month T h e Review contains in i t s with the one-price system.
a dollar to be squeezed he exhibits remark-
D E P A R T M E N T " A r t i s t s ' D e p a r t m e n t " all t h e cur-
r e n t musical news. T h i s is effected
It is an excellent point. Quality should able sanity. For years he has fed on this
without in a n y w a y trespassing ©n t h e size or ser-
trust pabulum until it has dominated his en-
vice of t h e t r a d e section of t h e paper. I t h a s a always be held above price, and if the aver-
special circulation, a n d therefore a u g m e n t s mater-
age piano merchant would talk quality in- tire mind. The whirling phantasmagoria of
ially t h e value of T h e Review to advertisers.
stead of price, he would be building his busi- trusts appear in his midnight dreams, and the
DIRECTORY O F
T h e directory of piano m a n u -
al 1 A N O _..__
facturing firms a n d corporations
ness future, and not sacrificing it for a very phenomena of trusts, temporary and other-
MANUFACTURERS f o u n d o n p a g e ^ w i U b e o f g r e a t
common and ordinarily cheap present.
wise, are always before his vision.
value as a reference for dealers and others.
Some of the advertisements which have
There has been in his entire pleading
recently been reproduced in The Review nothing but a mass of illogical, mouthfilling,
EDITORIAL
show that there is an evident desire on the meaningless phrases, an incoherent lot of
part of some piano men to degrade the busi- stuff alleged to be arguments in favor of the
A TALK WITHOUT FRILLS.
SHORT conversa- ness, to reduce it to the level of a junk shop formation of a trust. There has been no con-
The time to put the
tinuity of thought which has established in
tion with you, if trade.
piano business on a
business basis—With
We
do
not
hesitate
to
state,
and
we
have
the minds of listeners or readers anything
excellent
conditions you please, Mr. Piano
the piano man should
Merchant! Prosperous mentioned names in reproducing advertise- more than the dominating idea that concealed
reap big returns.
times like the present ments, that these men are working to cre- somewhere behind the trust meal bag was
ate a very strong suspicion in the minds of money, and that the desire to secure a large
should enable you to get your business on a
the public that there is really no basis to fat slice of that money has been glaringly
sound basis.
piano price, and that piano men do not run apparent in his moves. To-day he wishes
There is always one really good business
their business on correct business lines.
to assume the role of protector of the music
season for any merchant who has fairly well
These criticisms apply in their entirety to trade press; to-morrow he plans to annihi-
provided for same, and that is the spring, ear-
some piano merchants. They will be very late them, and so on. Mad, mad, as a March
ly winter and holiday period. Then, any busi-
sick piano men, too, ere long, if they continue hare on the trust question, the association
ness ship, however hampered by bad rigging,
this manner of exploiting their wares, and question, the trade paper question.
poor sails, leaky hold and inadequate crew,
it is the sick piano men who need tonics,
He sees in the Krell-French and Heppe
can, with the favoring winds of good pat-
and if they don't take medicine shortly, they deals a colossal aggregation which is going
ronage and brisk buying, make some head-
will soon be beyond recovery. Whether you to sweep on until it crushes everything in its
way towards the port of healthful condition.
are well and hearty, or slightly ailing, from a path, destroying manufacturers as well as
Any captain, though he may not make such
business standpoint, now is the time to put trade papers. Horrible to contemplate. Fire!
speed as his rivals, can reel off several knots
yourself in trim. To-day conditions are such Fire! Help! In his fertile and imaginative
an hour and come in sight of smoother waters
that we should not suffer even a temporary mind already there are scores of dealers'
and more favorable surroundings.
disability. If the piano man determines that trusts, and manufacturers have become more
The season which is before us gives the
he will clean up his affairs, and get as close and more cramped in their distribution, find-
piano merchant a great opportunity to throw
as possible to a quality and cash basis, he ing annihilation facing them when confronted
off all incumbrances, and to get rid of a
will find that his affairs will be on a pretty by these dealers' organizations !
certain part of his business, which he has
solid and satisfactory foundation.
Rot! tommyrot! the Simon pure tommy-
found to be unprofitable.
It is a fitting time to get on a good business rot!
Then, too, while he may not find it wise
hustle,
sell only reliable goods, purchase from
Take this gigantic corporation known
to change his course to any great ex-
tent, he can tone up his business, infuse his live manufacturers, and sell pianos, too, at as the Krell-French concern in Springfield,
staff with new ideas and ambition, and by the right price. That means, of course, that O. This whole scheme is still in embryo, and
careful watching and study put an inefficient they must be sold in their class. A cheap has yet to demonstrate its power as a co-
piano is all right if sold in its class, but un- operative as well as competitive organization.
organization into trim business-like shape.
It is easy to figure out an elaborate plan
The collection department may be thor- fortunately there are a number of dealers who
oughly overhauled with good results when will insist upon placing the cheap piano even on paper, but it is decidedly more difficult to
there is "something doing" in the money above the "just as good" class, and ask much carry this on to an acknowledged victory.
more for it than it is actually worth.
As the Krell-French organization stands to-
TWENTY-THIRD
A
YEAR.