Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRKDE REVIEW
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where the ladies could write their letters, and of the manufacturers means a big increase in
f?v ?"•
they could find time to rest from general the expense bill... •.: *\-\ ^
The lot of the piano manufacturer cannot
shopping without being urged unduly to buy.
be one of heavenly bliss. On top of all this
In other words, they were entertained.
I T takes a careful analysis of everything to vast increase comes the dealer clamoring for
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, ;
make a successful business, and all the lower prices. Evidently he is not familiar
tllTOR AND PROPRIETOR.
important part of the science of merchandize with the problems which beset the manufac-
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING) EDITOR.
ing is to attract, and how can one attract if turer, else he would be a trifle shy on broach-
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
ing the subject. It is extremely likely that
the
surroundings are not cheery?
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff:
GEO.
W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
It pays now and then to think about these there will be an increase in the wholesale
price of pianos all along the line. It has
Every SatnrnaT at 3 East 14th street, New York matters, for analysis and dissection, whether been up to the manufacturer—to use the
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage^, United States, it be of purchases, separate stocks, separation
Mexico aril Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
f4.00.
of detail, of expenses, comparison of weekly colloquial expression—for some time, and the
ADVERTISEriENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per
passing months do not seem to lessen the
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis- expenses as against weekly sales for each
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
problems which environ him.
REniTTANCES, In other than currency form, should be month of the year, division of advertising ex-
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
penses, is part of the strategy of modern T T is a rollicking sort of a Spring that they
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
are getting down in the Yankee Orient—
business.
-• •
• • - - . i - - . . ' - r • - •
NEW YORK, MARCH 29, 1902.
The progressive merchant surveys the field that is, Maine. April has been leapfrogging
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIQHTEENTH STREET.
He realizes that over the back of March in weather and
On the first Saturday of each month carefully and frequently.
THE
The Review contains in its "Artists' De-
trade. Snow has vanished and the festive
ARTISTS'
partment" all the current musical news. analysis and dissection may involve some
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres-
passing on the size or wervice of the trade trouble, yet they afford the most complete
piano man is abroad pursuing piano trails
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
'•
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safeguard in the whole business. They are with surprising results.
to advertisers.
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found
MANUFACTURERS « n page 29 will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
EDITORIAL
TOPICS OF THE HOUR.
T~\ ID you ever enter a piano store and sur-
vey the field for a few moments with-
out discovering signs of life anywhere, and
then after walking down half the length of
the establishment on a tour of discovery,
locate a salesman behind a desk in some ob-
scure corner?
Surely there is no glad hand of welcome in
such an establishment as that.
It could hardly be called an ideal store,
for the ideal store is a store of cheerfulness,
where the visiting people find everybody an-
xious to serve, agreeable, polite and always
ready to welcome.
Some piano men should realize that things
have changed since the old days and the old
ideas of purchase and sale are sadly out of
•place in the new century.
Carelessness and indifference regarding
store environments are responsible for the
greater part of the non-success of many busi-
ness men of to-day.
It is a plain fact that if you are to co-
operate with a certain class of buying people
the surest way to do it successfully is to in-
terest those people and understand them. It
is not only to advertise in a manner which
interests, but it is to receive properly, and
help on advertising by a most attractive kind
of store treatment.
The little reception room is gaining ground
in the larger cities, and we saw one recently
in the West which made a most attractive
feature of the store. There were little desks
the insurance employed by the intelligent man
against ignorance, against losses, and they
give him in addition a thorough knowledge
of just where best profits are made.
T^HE recent failure of a concern in Chicago
bearing a name long identified with the
small goods trade of America, forcibly dem-
onstrates the lack of reliable information fur-
nished by the leading mercantile agencies.
This concern had engaged in the piano busi-
ness very recently and had opened up ac-
counts in New York with four or five con-
cerns, who granted a line of credit from fif-
teen hundred to two thousand dollars each.
Before shipping instruments the reports
gained from the agencies were of such a na-
ture that removed all suspicion. The New
York piano manufacturers, however, who re-
lied upon the reports find that the concern
really had no assets, and had no sound basis
upon which to render the report which it
did.
The agencies are prone to accept anything
which is supplied them, without making in-
vestigation, and the demand is rising on
every hand for credit information which shall
be reliable.
The field as covered by the two leading-
agencies is wholly out of date. It would seem
as if the Piano Manufacturers' Association
could enlarge the scope of its rating bureau,
so as to materially benefit the manufacturers
themselves.
We may say that from Vermont a dealer
writes: "General trade is better than for
some years past. Collections are good."
From Worcester our informant says:
"Spring trade is opening up in excellent
shape, and the trade conditions have im-
proved largely in that section during the
past few days."
New England seems to be taking care of
itself all right, and reports from the West
and South during the past ten days have been
most encouraging.
Road men, too, send in very pleasing re-
ports regarding the state of trade.
ROM now on there need be no guessing
—no perhaps—as to the trend of the
coming season's piano demands. The drift
is too pronounced to give rise to any doubt.
"Better than last year" means a good deal
to the piano man, and it would seem to be
moderately certain that last year's figures
will be moved up considerably.
C O M E papers should get out of the rumor
rut, for it is only by a presentation of
accurate news that any publication merits the
confidence of that portion of the public to
which it directly appeals.
„
A paper which is a purveyor of rumors, or
scandals, can no more win the confidence of
the people than can its first cousin, the black-
mailer who is on the alert with handy bludg-
eon to waylay individuals unless they hold
up their hands at the proper time.
A journal should be straightforward, clean,
DIANO manufacturers in all parts of the
country have now to face new insur- honest and fearless, and even then it may
ance conditions. The increase of twenty-five find the way to fame obstructed, by many
per cent, is truly not a pleasing situation, thorns. But, it is character that will build
particularly when the materials have also the newspaper, just as it will build a big
business institution. The business institution
advanced.
The matter of insurance alone with some which meets all of its obligations faithfully