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THE
MUSIC TRADE! REVIEW
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL.
Editor and Proprietor.
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor.
EXECUTIVE STAFF:
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPBLAND,
A. EDMUND HANSON,
GEO. B. KELLER,
A. J. NICKLIN,
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUERIPEL.
BOSTON OFFICE :
CHICAOO OFFICE:
W. MURDOCH LIND, 694 Tremont St.
E. P . VAN HARI INGEN, 36 La Salle St,
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE:
R, W. KAUFFMAN.
ST. LOUIS OFFICE :
CHAS. N . VAN BUREN.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue. New York.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite reading
matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
THE ARTISTS*
DEPARTMENT
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains in its
"Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. I t has a special circulation, and therefore aug-
ments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
MANUFACTURERS
The o directory
of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
found
n
P a « e 31 w i l 1 b e o f * r e a t v a l u e a s a r c f e r e n « for
dealers and others.
, DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745-EIGHTEENTH STREET.
NEW YORK, JANUARY 9. 19O4.
EDITORIAL
A 1L J HAT are trade conditions for the early months of the new
* " year? is a query oft propounded in piano circles during
these early January days, and a comparison of the conditions exist-
ing a year ago will be of interest.
In 1902 it was the universal custom of the dealers to order in
large quantities.
November trade started in with a rush and continued uninter-
ruptedly good until the close of the month. This condition of affairs
encouraged the belief that December would be as good, if not a trifle
better, consequently large orders for hurry shipments were placed.
Now the December trade in 1902 was bitterly disappointing.
In fact the sales of December including the late holiday orders did
not come up to the record of the previous month, and as a conse-
quence the dealers had on hand at the beginning of 1903 large stocks
of instruments.
H P HIS statement is verified not only from personal observations
*
gained by thousands of miles of travel, but through the re-
ports made by our correspondents in various cities and by the expe-
riences of traveling men as well.
Nineteen hundred and three opened badly from a business stand-
point, and orders were slow in coming in, and the fact cannot be dis-
credited that the year as a whole has fallen short of its predecessor.
The splendid crops saved the country from a serious depression.
Less pianos were manufactured last year than during 1902, which
now stands as the banner year of the industry in point of volume.
day trade than the merchants in the larger cities. And the dealers,
recalling their experiences of the previous year, placed light orders.
Therefore, having had a light holiday trade, the average stocks in
the warerooms are much lighter than those on hand in January, 1903.
F7ROM various figures at hand we are inclined to the belief that
1
there is a decrease in the wareroom stock approximating
twenty per cent, over that of a year ago. So we start in the new
year with better prospects from the stock standpoint. The record
which 1903 has made for itself is in some respects satisfactory, and
the various classes of trade have had a profitable business, but for
several months past there has been an evident hesitancy on the part
of the trade in placing large orders.
Dealers have recognized that there was little danger by wait-
ing, and thus the indications now point to livelier trade conditions
during the early months of the year than during the same period
of 1903.
'"T^HERE is a perceptible improvement in the general feeling of
*
trade.
With fair prospects and conditions in practically every section,
with the apprehension of financial trouble over, with the growing
export demand for our general products and with signs of recovery
in many of the departments of the metal market, the new year begins
with fair promise of a large volume of business and on the whole in
a very satisfactory condition.
Conservative optimism would seem to be an appropriate war cry
for the new year.
Suppose we adopt that as a slogan for 1904 and let common
sense dominate and control the reasonable processes of men. The
bursting of various industrial bubbles has tended to clarify the
atmosphere and should enable all business men to view the situation
through the natural eye and not through rose-colored glasses.
\ \ J HILE all the world was vibrant with song it was the saddest
'
New Year's Day which Chicago has ever experienced, and
the great heart of the Nation throbbed in sympathy with her people
in the great affliction which had befallen them through the horrible
catastrophe at the Iroquois Theatre.
It seemed hardly possible when the first news of the horror
reached New York that the death roll should not include some mem-
bers of the music trade, and some deaths were reported in last
week's Review. But the most fearful affliction was visited upon
E. C. Frady, president of the Strohber Piano Co., whose entire
family, including wife, son, mother, sister and nephew, were swept
away in the frightful holocaust.
A T hand are recent copies of papers published in such cities as
•* *• San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Montgomery,
Savannah, New Orleans and Atlanta, containing, in some cases,
entire pages devoted to the exploitation of pianos.
This demonstration shows beyond power of argument that the
piano merchants in the far West and South are beginning to ap-
preciate more and more the advantages of newspaper advertising.
They no longer propose to hide their business under the bushel of
It may be said that the trade during last fall in many of the indifference, but keep it brightly shining so that it may be a guid-
ing star to every one who is piano inclined in their vicinity.
large cities was extremely slow on account of building strikes, and
great depression in various kinds of stocks. The smaller towns were
That's the kind of spirit that will win big results in the new
not affected in the same degree, and the dealers enjoyed a better holi-
year, and any year for that matter, because a man who is a good