Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
n
therefore the alliance with such a house assures with reasonable cer-
a number of alluring captions in the advertising columns of the
tainty a much better distribution of wares than to establish a branch.
daily papers.
In the first place it is somewhat difficult to find the individual
In some sections of the country this method of deceiving the
who is capable of assuming' charge of a branch house, and conduct-
public has been carried on to a considerable extent.
ing it on a paying and satisfactory basis. The chances are that the
the Pacific Coast the business has been systematically planned in
men who have the ability have already employed that ability in the
several cities. In fact no large city in the country has been exempt
furtherance of their own individual enterprise. Of course there are
from this kind of fraudulent work and many of the smaller cities,
localities wherein it is impossible to secure a desirable representative
at such places where there is a possibility of securing good business,
too, have been found lucrative camping grounds for the people con-
ducting piano house sale "fakes."
The Dealers' Association certainly is doing commendable work
and according to Mr. Tremaine's views it is well to establish
branch houses, but on the whole the head of the great music trade
corporation, which, by the way, controls nine separate corporations,
Recently on
in its endeavor to stamp this poaching upon legitimate trade out
entirely.
Every dealer in whose territory this work is carried on
should at once notify the secretary of the National Association.
prefers to have representation in the- various localities through
agents rather than by branch establishments under the direct con-
trol of the parent institution.
'HE newspaper is the interpreter and an avenue of expression
T
fully as much as it is a guide or leader, and we hold firmly
to the opinion that a trade newspaper, as well as any other, should
not be simply a chronicler of news, for the real standing of a paper
f T was the belief of many that the price of piano players would
*
decrease materially when there were a number of manufactur-
ers in the field.
is made through its leadership and not through its being led.
No paper, whether devoted to the general public or to a special
industrial field can permanently succeed through a policy directly
While there are some players that are sold at comparatively
opposed to public or trade morals.
If an advertiser supports a
low figures, yet the player field as a whole has exhibited stability in
paper which caters to the sensational and adopts blackmailing tactics
prices, which was not believed by many, that this special field would
as well, is he not giving his support to an unworthy cause ?
be.able to maintain.
The piano player business to-day is a mighty
It is among the rights of the advertiser to expend his money
important adjunct to the piano industry and it is helpful in every-
as he chooses, but we should say most emphatically that any man
way, and those who have given the subject the closest study are
would be justified in withdrawing from a publication if in his
convinced that it will ever remain a growing factor in the music
opinion the methods of that journal were opposed to honesty and
trade industry.
decency.
Its educational part, too, is conceded, and the constant better-
We fail to see why a trade newspaper, provided it is conducted
ments which will be made from time to time in the players will
on a dishonest and blackmailing basis, even though strengthened
bring them closer to the musical life of America.
by the argument that it had obtained a wide circulation and influ-
ence, should be supported by advertisers any more than indecent
mediums of any other kind should be patronized, simply because
W
E know of one well known dealer who for a long time was
indifferent upon the subject of players.
good returns in a monetary sense could be secured.
He viewed them
rather in the light of a fad than as a substantial product.
Repre-
sentatives of the various houses approached him, but he was not
One might say, following the same line of argument, that vice
should be encouraged by an advertiser simply because it pays in a
money sense.
to be won over. He saw his competitors take on players and smiled.
He felt that the business would surely die out, but he learned
through his salesmen that his competitors were doing a splendid
business in players which was helpful to their general trade. He
learned that through their clever systems of advertising and pub-
We do not believe in placing money above morals.
T
HE first problem of the advertiser is to establish the impor-
tance of his advertising and its relations to other depart-
ments of his business. This is not only true of the piano manufac-
turer and piano dealer, but of every advertiser, whether he be a
licity, by musicales and other means that they were interesting the
merchant dealing directly with the public or through the retailer.
best class of musical people in his city. At last he consented to visit
The trade newspaper becomes his rostrum.
a piano player factory.
housetops
der.
He became converted and gave a large or-
from
which
his business
It is the place upon the
purposes are proclaimed,
To-day it would be indeed difficult to locate a more enthu-
through which his store and business products are made familiar.
siastic man on the subject of piano players than this particular mer-
The relative importance of advertising as a business policy cannot
chant who a few months ago was unmoved by any player argument
be overestimated.
which might be brought to bear upon him through the medium of
account, it surely will be so; if, on the other hand, he lifts it above
intelligent traveling representatives.
the other branches of his business, it is pretty certain to stimulate
If an advertiser believes it to be of little or no
the development of those other branches, so that eventually they
T
HE officers of the Dealers' Association are earnestly striving
become worthy of the advertising.
to eliminate the "fake" house sale schemes and at the recent
The progressive trade newspaper is a factor in modern busi-
meeting of the executive committee in Chicago resolutions were
ness life which cannot be overlooked without serious detriment to
passed strongly condemning manufacturers or dealers who are as-
business interests.
sisting this sort of deceit by supplying instruments to any one who
in ability and force, is gone by, and the necessity for upright,
is conducting that species of house sales which are advertised under
straightforward journals was never more apparent than to-day.
The day of the indifferent publication, lacking