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THE MUSIC TRADE
T
HERE are some dealers, however, whom we could name who
have made exceedingly large player sales, and still they are
decidedly lacking in enthusiasm upon the subject and are rather in-
clined to be modest in their statements as to the paying qualities of
che piano player department.
It is possible, if not probable, that this attitude of lukewarmness
on their part might be brought about through a desire on their part
to minimize the player possibilities in order to keep their local
competitors from entering the player field. The educational powers
of the piano player are becoming more and more recognized and
progressive dealers have been quick to grasp the advantage of secur-
ing an adequate player representation. We have seen it demon-
strated, and our observations cover practically every dealer in
America who handles players, that they have been successful in every
instance where they have given it the treatment which the subject
richly deserves.
T
HE player business cannot be treated indifferently. It must be
intelligently exploited and thus satisfactory results are quick-
ly realized.
It is rather amusing to note the mouthings of the paretic egotist,
who, unable to secure a sufficient piano player patronage in his declin-
ing sheet, tries to slur the entire business and discredit it in the eyes
of the dealers. This kind of tactics may have been successful in
forcing manufacturers in line some ten years ago, when the trade
paid some attention to the utterances of the alleged journalist, but
that time is now happily of the past, and whether he damns or praises
it amounts to practically the same thing. Men are now patronizing
papers more liberally on account of the value which they offer rather
than the Sheol they can raise.
IFTH AVENUE, which for many years has been recognized as
the "Piano Row" of New York, is being rapidly changed by the
encroachment of wholesale houses. Steadily the retail warerooms have
been forced northward by the expansion of the jobbing district and
as in the case of the Aeolian Co. upper Fifth avenue has been invaded.
But a serious obstacle prevents upper Fifth avenue from becoming
the future piano retail district of New York. The prices of real
estate in that section have advanced enormously during the past few
years, and to-day are almost prohibitive for certain trades. It would
seem, therefore, that another section must become ultimately the piano
retail district of this city.
Where shall it be?
F
T
HAT is the question that the heads of many piano concerns have
been actively revolving in their minds for many months.
There is no part of New York where there are more improvements
oeing made than on Fourth avenue, between 18th and 28th streets.
It is possible to purchase real estate in that thoroughfare to-day at
moderate figures, and this district would be easy of access, both for
town people and suburban residents. If one or two should select
this point and locate there, it is probable that there would be a gath-
ering of piano warerooms in that vicinity within the very near fu-
ture. Fourth avenue is broad, has splendid transportation facilities
ind in many ways would be an ideal district. Boston music men
changed from Tremont to Boylston street. Why should not Fourth
avenue become the future piano row of New York? Its advantages
are worthy of careful investigation.
N ambitious young man from the South desirous of entering
the field of journalism, asks The Review if he should begin
by allying himself with one of those correspondence schools which
proposes to teach journalism by mail. While the schools cannot
do much harm we feel sure that they cannot do much good.
A successful newspaper man must learn things which can
never be taught by mail. The young man who proposes to take
up the journalistic field in these early century days should make
a special study of something so that he can discuss it in an in-
telligent manner. That is the first move.
This is the age of specialism, and a man should have a
technical knowledge of what he is writing about. He either
should be an expert story writer, technical writer, legal writer,
medical or business writer. He should cut out the corre-
spondence school entirely, and get if possible on some technical
journal or daily paper where ability, if he has any, will count for
something. There is no school like that of practice.
A
REVIEW
OME manufacturers state that their trade has exceeded that
of 1903. Yet these cases are unusual. While there is a
good volume of business in the aggregate, the market is without
the snap and life which are looked for at this season of the year
when climatic conditions are favorable. Most of the manufac-
turers, however, are well occupied with orders, but their order
books, as a rule, are not filled far in advance. To this, there are,
of course, some exceptions.
While the spring trade has been quiet owing to the backward
season yet the majority of piano men are optimistic regarding fall
trade, and hold that the year will average up fairly well.
S
T
HIS is indeed the age of advertising, and every business bows
to its power. A few years ago it was an uncommon thing
for a bank to advertise at all, and to-day leading banks are getting
more and more into the line of publicity. The trust companies,
too, are steady advertisers. In fact they have their agents travel-
ing in all parts of the country, soliciting deposit accounts. They
have cards in many of the cars in New York stating that they
will pay as high as four per cent, to secure deposit accounts, and
the trust companies are cutting tremendously into the business of the
banks.
T
HEY are less hampered by laws than the national banks, and
savings banks, and are pushing this advantage to the very
uttermost.
Some curiosity is excited as to how some trust companies
can pay as high as four and one-half per cent, on a deposit account
when call money is loaned at one per cent, in Wall Street, and when
time loans for the longest periods do not command over four per
cent. If the trust companies continue to adopt new methods to
secure new business and push ahead at the pace they are traveling,
they are fast becoming novel advertisers, and it would not be
surprising to see some of them introduce a free ice cream and tea
parlor in connection with their establishments.
F
OR some time past the competition of catalogue houses in
the piano trade has not been apparent, and it has not been
forced upon the attention of manufacturers.
There was a period when some of our piano men were cater-
ing with considerable persistence to a catalogue house trade.
They felt that it would afford them an easy avenue for wide dis-
tribution of their goods, but there is where the trade press stepped
in with its healthful influence. The makers could not well ride
two horses. In other words they could not sell to the regular
dealer, and sell to the catalogue house man who was cutting the
heart out of the dealer when he could, and expect to continue to
do business with both.
T
HERE were some of the makers who felt that but little should
be said about catalogue houses, that the subject should be
discussed only in a whisper, and let events take their course.
That was not the belief of The Review, and we did not pro-
pose for one moment to permit the catalogue house people to
come in and become a formidable opponent to the small dealer
without protest, and while there is still some business carried on
through catalogue house sources, yet its volume is small, and
there is no reason to apprehend that the catalogue house people
are being encouraged in a large way by piano manufacturers.
T
HE small grand is destined to play an important part in the piano
future of this country. Many of our firms are recognizing
this fact, and are bending their energies upon the production of small
grands, for which there is already a large demand, a demand which
is certain to increase as the wealth of the country accumulates.
There are a number of distinctive terms given the small grand
by various makers. Chickering & Sons originated and used the very
clever term of "Quarter Grand" by which they designate their small
grand product. In fact they have advertised the "Quarter Grand"
so well that whenever the name is mentioned even in remote locali-
ties one immediately associates it with the Chickering product. It is
a clever catchy phrase which has attracted others to the extent that
they are not willing to leave Chickering & Sons in undisturbed pos-
session of this name, a value for which the Chickering house has
created.