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THE
7VYUSIC TRRDE
they will place their names on their books
and will render bills monthly.
The credit system has grown up to an
a'arming point, so that there will be some
difficulty in collecting- a good many accounts
if hard times should come suddenly upon us.
Piano dealers, however, report excellent
collections with their installment sales. In
fact, as a whole, piano merchants keep as
closely after their clients as almost any class
of business men that we could mention. De-
linquents are not tolerated very long. On
the whole, the piano merchants' outstandings
represent more solid values than almost any
other line of merchandize. It is regrettable
that banks do not take this view and allow
deserving piano men greater consideration.
\/\
EMBERS of the trade are becoming
more and more interested in associ-
ation work. Men who were lukewarm years
ago to-day admit that two men can oppose
each other in business and do it legitimately,
and still be upon the most friendly terms.
They realize that the Manufacturers and
Dealers' Associations have a broad field for
their work, and they are convinced of ben-
efits which may be of decided value to legit-
imate trade interests.
The recent trend of events shows that as-
sociation work in the music trades of this
country is being more fully appreciated than
ever before.
r
V HE alleged trade paper problem has
never been of easier solution than at
present. The manufacturers, owing to their
former isolated positions, became easy vic-
tims of the blackmailer, and as a result de-
cent trade papers did not receive the sup-
port to which their work justly entitled
them.
The atmosphere has been cleared some-
what, and these are rather dark days for
the blackmailer. Manufacturers are now en-
abled to patronize mediums which they de-
sire without fear of coercion. The day of
the blackmailer and his near relative, the
mendicant and non-progressive journalist,
are happily of the past.
There are some papers to-day which, nei-
ther by their influence nor enterprise, are en-
titled to trade consideration.
We have not been in the complaining col-
umn ; in fact, we have no time for that
while seeking to make this journal a broader
and more comprehensive exponent of trade
interests. That our work is appreciated is
evidenced in the steadily growing patronage
of the paper, and communications such as
the following are frequently received by us.
This is from Chas. I). Seabury, secretary of
the Victor Distributing & Export Co., who
says :
''The Review is a dignified, forceful, ably
edited paper. Its contents are something
REVIEW
more than a perfunctory excuse for adver-
tising rates. We feel that we are getting
full value—in fact, generous measures."
Such communications indicate that men
are getting to be closer observers of the real
value of trade publications, and use more
discrimination in the selection of their me-
diums than ever before.
"Full value" is keynote to Review success.
D USINESS conditions in this industry
have kept up well and there are fair
prospects for a reasonably good trade
throughout the summer in the smaller local-
ities. The important supply factories have
been running to their utmost capacity, show-
ing that manufacturers have not slowed
down in the slightest in their demands upon
them, neither has there been any diminution
of activity in the great piano factories. As
a matter of fact there are many of the great
establishments which show business ahead of
that of a year ago, while others are about
even, therefore the average would be a tri-
fle better than 10,01.
tiles could be hurled with sufficient rapidity
to at least worry the other party, then all
well and good.
We have witnessed a number of these
suits for alleged infringements and royalties
with much interest, and they only show that
the successful man is always sharply watched
by those of lesser business ability who have
a strong desire to poach upon the financial
pieserves of the other.
After all, the progressive man may m«V
a success of anything. In this particular
case the firm have spent hundreds of thous-
ands in advertising and rank among the most
progressive in the music trade industry.
There may be rich mines, but they are o.
no value to the world unless they are prop-
erly worked. There arc hundreds of invent-
ors who claim all sorts of things for their
inventions, and they endeavor to throw legal
complications around men who have been
successful in order that they may extract
something from them.
D Y consulting the advertising columns or
the leading magazines, the fact becomes
Regarding the outlook for the future, it
obvious
that the piano men are larger adver-
is natural that the disturbance caused by
strikes and expected strikes will cause some- tisers for the general public than in days
what of a feeling of uneasiness and doubt agone. While they have largely increased
in the minds of many. The questionable their patronage with the trade press, they
state of labor will cause more or less con- have also gone beyond the trade to create an
traction in business and there will be hesi- interest on the part of the general public.
tancy in certain quarters where a few months In this way they are vastly helpful to the
back doubt did not exist. It is useless to dealers' interests and co-operate with them
say that the future outlook is bright and to the extent of creating: for them possible
prosperous as it appeared in the early part purchasers. It is that kind of co-operation
which is healthful and which is appreciated
of the year.
bv progressive dealers.
Of course it is to be hoped that these labor
matters will be adjusted and that, too, before HP HE annual exodus of the piano trade to
general business suffers greatly.
Europe has fully set in. The number
A SUIT which was recorded in last week's
Review whereby a party sued for
royalties and endeavored to establish the re-
lationship between a defunct concern and
some members of one of the prominent in-
stitutions of this industry, is interesting.
Not only from the fact that there are large
pecuniary interests involved, but it serves
tc show that when men are successful they
are usually made the targets of all sorts of
claims.
There are to-day hundreds of inventors
in the land who have watched with jealous
eyes the progress of institutions along the
path leading to wealth and fame. When the
proper time arrived, and they believed that a
settlement could be made, they have not hesi-
tated to bring a battery of lawyers to bear
and make an attack upon the stronghold of
the successful institution.
The prime object in this is, of course, .\
money settlement, no matter whether or not
their patents have really been of value to
the .concern, As long as the -legal projec-
of music trade men who go abroad increases
with each successive season. Nearly all take
the trip across for recreation rather than for
business purposes, although some have been
developing business interests abroad.
American piano manufacturers surely can
not gain many "pointers" from a study of the
European factories. In France, for instance,
a country which has contributed largely to
the early development of the pianoforte, the
entire product does not surpass that of two
American factories which we could locate
without difficulty. Thus far the American
piano has gained no strong foothold in Eu-
rope, and will not until our manufacturers
build after European models.
. .
I T is probable that the next season will be
marked by the advent of a number of
new concert grands upon the stage. There
are some firms who for some time past have
been quietly at work upon the development
of concert grands and activity in the concert
field promises to be materially augmented
within the next twelve months.