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THE MUSIC TRRDE
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
E9IT0R AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
Executive Staff: •{ WALDO E. LADD
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
Published Every Saturday at 3 East 14th Street, New i o n
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico a r 4 Canada, f2.00 per year; all other countries,
»4.00. %
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a Rpecial dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REniTTANCES, In other than currency form, should be
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
____^
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, DEC 28,
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EldHTEENTH STREET.
THE
On the first Saturday of each month
_ ___,
The Review contains in its " A r t i s t s ' De-
ARTISTS
partment" all the current musical news.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres-
passing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufae-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found
MANUFACTURERS on page 25 will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
dise as far as pianos are concerned, of the had a deterring effect upon other men of
that type.
better grade.
We are a keenly practical people, and
Association work has accomplished much
as such will not devote much time to retro- more than appears upon the surface. It has
spective thought. The average manufactur- gone deeper into trade life than many sup-
er and merchant will look complacently upon pose, and the strong scalpel of organization
the figures which show the result of his effort will, in the future remove many of
year's work and consider that magnificent the disfiguring excrescences which still ad-
results have been accomplished. Then phil- here to the trade bodv.
osophically he will figure how to make the
next year better than the one which has now
practically expired.
It is the ceaseless grind of competition,
the abounding nervous energy of our peo-
ple that absolutely prohibits any breathing
spell. There is no period given over to
feasting and celebration with us. It is work,
perhaps too much of it; but in this country
we do not give up much time to consideration
of what is gone. It is the active present
and hopeful future that is before us.
BETTERMENT VERY NOTICEABLE.
T" O the student of the
The retail depart-
ment is b e c o m i n g
cleared of foul spots—
Indirect result of as-
sociation work—The
dealers' organization
comes in for its share.
A SOLAR PLEXUS BLOW.
A splendid move
I V every piano manu-
made by a New York
facturer whose prod-
concern—Strikes mis-
representation a
uct is grossly misrepre-
powerful
blow—
Should be followed by
sented, will adopt the
others — A s s a i l a n t
rounded up.
same tactics so recentlv
used by the Malcolm Love concern, dishonor-
able methods in the piano business would
soon be on the decline.
The story was told in last week's Review,
how a certain dealer, after one of the Mal-
colm Love pianos had been sold, went to
the purchaser and did everything to make
her dissatisfied by making serious allegations
against the standing and worth of the instru-
ment. His evident desire was to impress
upon the lady the fact that she had been
buncoed, and to this end he used all abuse
at his command. It seems that the local
Love dealer soon became cognizant of these
facts and at once instituted a suit for slander
with intent to injure a legitimate business.
He won, and the suit resulted in a thorough
vindication of the Malcolm Love piano and
taught the would-be maligner a lesson which
he will probably remember for some years
to come.
t r e n d of trade,
nothing can be more in-
EDITORIAL
teresting that to note
the
vast improvement
THE TURNING OF THE LANE.
T H R E E days oE next which has occurred in the retail department
The dying year one
of glorious results —
week still remain of the industry during the past year.
Surpassing h o l i d a y
trade — Planning for
While there are sporadic cases in all States
for
the
final round-up
new conquests— The
future b r i g h t with
of the old year, and on of the Union showing that flagrant violation
promise—No indica-
tion of slackening.
Tuesday night all sales of trade ethics still exists, yet, as a whole,
must be in for 1901, which, by the way,.has piano marketing has been conducted on bet-
been a year of phenomenal record in the ter, broader and fairer lines during 1901
music trade lines. We may say that the than any previous year of piano history.
That sort of procedure has the right ring
high water mark of piano-making has been Whether or not this is one of the indirect re-
sults
of
the
work
of
the
National
Piano
about
it, and it strikes dishonorable methods
reached in 1901, and a close sweep of the
trade horizon does not show the slightest Manufacturers' Association we cannot de- a solar plexus blow. If there were more
institutions that would show the same evi-
reason for the receding of the tide; on the termine with a fair degree of accuracy.
It may be that the Dealers' Association dent desire to protect their interests as em-
contrary, there are convincing evidences
has
figured indirectly, too, in accomplishing phasized by this New York concern, mis-
tending to show that the tide is still incom-
ing, and that January even will not be an these much-to-be-desired ends. Be that as representation and abuse of a competitor's
it may, the pleasing fact remains that there wares would soon sink into innocuous desue-
off month.
Never before in the history of the industry is broadly manifest a desire to materially im- tude.
It is to be regretted that in the retail de-
has there been such a demand for pianos prove the existing condition of the retail
department.
It
is
apparently
impossible
to
partment
of the industry still exist some men
during the holiday season, and manufactur-
ers have been completely swamped in their change the natures of some men who will who will stoop to almost any degree of
meanness in order to win out against a com-
endeavors to supply the calls made upon resort to methods of deceit which must be
most heartily condemned by all honorable petitor. As in this case referred to, the most
them.
debasing methods were adopted by endeav-
- ,
It is dollars to doughnuts that most piano men.
oring to undermine the faith of a piano pur-
It is impossible for an industry to exist chaser in an instrument which had been fairly
dealers enjoyed their Christmas dinner,
saving a keen relish as well for the meal to without having some of its members men purchased. When one is rounded up in a
mark the opening of the year next Wed- who do not believe in straightforward deal- court of law for indulging in reprehensible
ing, but we frankly credit association work practices a lesson is invariably taught which
nesday.
That the early winter, as well as the hol- with a large amount of trade betterment leaves an indelible impress upon the memory
iday season has been an exceptionally pros- which has been noticeably on the increase of the malefactor.
perous one, is now an old story. Season- during the past two years and strongly em-
PASSING OF TRUST SCHEMES.
Interest in piano * ^ C O N S I D E R A B L E
able weather—that desideratum of good phasized during the past twelve months.
trade—has been general throughout the
country, and there has been a liberal and
broadly distributed demand for musical mer-
chandise, and particularly musical merchan-
W r e may say that the action of the Bos-
ton Music Trade Association against a cer-
tain dealer in that city, exploited as it was
over the country through the trade press,
trust scheme has sim-
mered d o w n
to
nothingness — M o v e
must have backing of
men in whom the in-
dustry reposes con-
fidence.
c
e x c i t e ment was
maniTcstcuin the spring-
time over the possible
formation of a gigantic