Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1904 Vol. 38 N. 5

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
8
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN DILL.
Editor and Proprietor.
J. B. SPILLANE. Managing Editor.
EXECUTIVE STAFF:
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND,
A. EDMUND HANSON,
BOSTON OFFICE :
W. MURDOCH LIND, 694 Tremont St.
GKO. B. KELLER,
A. J. NICKLIN,
EMILIE FRANCKS BAUER
GBO. W. QUERIPKL.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 36 La Salle St,
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE:
ST. LOUIS OFFICE:
R. W. KAUFPMA::.
CHAS. N. VAN BUBBN.
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
I.yrnan 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. It has a special circulation, and therefore aug-
ments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
niB FT TOR Y n f PIANO
u
iwiiFArTim r i c
MANUFACTURERS
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
o n
P a other*.
* c 81 w i U b e o f g r c a t v a l u e a s a reference for
dealers and
found
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY.
NEW YOMl, JANUARY SO. 19O4.
EDITORIAL
H P HE reports which have been made to this office from various
*
sections of the country concerning trade are not only encour-
aging, but they are of a decidedly optimistic turn.
Of course there are localities where special conditions ha\e
created a temporary setback, mill operators for instance being unem-
ployed, coal miners and railroad men being dropped to reduce the
pay roll. These cases, however, are only sporadic in the East,
where conservatism is always more in evidence than in the younger
and more buoyant sections.
It is but natural to expect this condition in the old populated
districts and then that section of the country east of the Alleghenies
has suffered chiefly from the decline in securities of various kinds.
UT piano men in this section are not in the slightly depressed;
on the contrary, their expressions to us are full of reasonable
hope. After all, few enterprises have been delayed or abandoned,
and those that have been halted are to be started up in the near
future. Bank deposits have lessened to a depreciable extent in some
quarters, but in others they show no falling off.
have sent in goodly orders. The general outlook there is bright,
and the future is regarded as more than encouraging. The opening
up of Oriental trade is doing much to benefit that section of the
country and the piano dealers have shared in the general prosperity
with others on the Pacific Slope.
H P HE Southern trade has taken on a new color, for in the South
* a new day has dawned. The unusual amount of money put
into circulation by the unprecedented rise in the price of cotton will
benefit not only those sections in which the fibre is produced, but
localities that are dependent for their wealth on the demand for food
products, for fertilizers and other supplies.
The distributing centers will share in this prosperity, the more
so as a greater percentage of business than at any previous period
will be transacted on a cash basis.
EO. P. BENT, that virile and energetic piano manufacturer,
cracked a good nugget of wisdom at the Chicago banquet
when he said: "The worst and the hardest competitors any of us
have either in the wholesale or retail trade are the firms who do not
pay their bills. The honest man who pays his debts fully cannot
compete with the man who fails to do so."
There is reason and logic in that statement, and the man who
pays one hundred cents on the dollar for his wares suffers from the
unjust competition of the man who pays only a few cents on the
dollar, and sometimes none.
*"T"*HERE is another kind of competition to be met by the piano
*
dealers who meet their obligations fairly. They suffer from
the unfair competition of those who sell goods without a profit and
then ask the manufacturers to accept such prices for their wares
which only should be quoted to the man with gilt edged credit. The
mistake is not all on the side of the man who fails to pay the hun-
dred cents, but some of the blame is in permitting a man who is
utterly unworthy of credit to become a debtor for a large amount.
It is one of the astonishing features of the piano trade in some
sections that men, however unworthy of credit, can open a store
and gather in an extraordinary array of pianos without any founda-
tion for credit.
XT OW, the manufacturers who sell this class of men are largely
•*• ^ to blame for this condition. On many occasions we have
known of liberal credits granted to men at the head of some piano
institutions who were surprisingly lacking in all business assets.
This leads us to ask: Why will a firm ship thousands of dollars
worth of goods to men to whom they wouldn't loan a hundred
dollars cash?
A MANUFACTURER not only imperils his own business by
Now in the West there is really an optimistic sentiment ex-
* * keeping a disreputable class of men supplied with goods, but
pressed by many piano merchants. The general welfare of the
he seriously injures the dealer, who is doing business in a creditable
people is increased, and the farmers are richer than ever. The
manner, getting a fair price for his instruments and building up
manufacturing and commercial interests are in splendid condition,
trade in a way that entitles him to a fair consideration and a splendid
and when we figure that nearly fifty thousand pianos were produced
line of credit. It is no kindness to a man to give him credit when
in Chicago last year, it shows the trade to be in a particularly
his business methods are such that make success impossible.
healthy condition in that locality.
When a man asks for credit he should have a foundation for it.
He should have that best asset of all—character. Lax credit rules
N the far Northwest and on the Pacific slope correspondents in-
are an injury to every honest man in the business. Sometimes piano
form us conditions are even better; in fact some of the piano
men make mountains out of molehills and chase a fancied evil, that
men who have visited those States shortly after the first of January,
I
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
in reality is as light as thistle down, while they utterly fail to recog-
nize the menace to their business of unwise credits.
\ H E have again before us some more full pages of piano dis-
*
play advertising, principally from Western houses, which
indicate that piano merchants are fully impressed with the advantage
of publicity. Astonishing how contagious this form of advertising
is. In the local field here in New York before John Wanamaker
and the Siegel-Cooper Co.—both piano retailers by the way—shied
their castors into the ring, a full page ad. emanating from a depart-
ment store was almost as rare an occurrence as a total eclipse of
the sun. But what a change has been wrought in this respect, a
glance at any issue of our evening or Sunday papers will attest.
What's the explanation?
Emulation. One firm will not be outdone by another, and so
they go at it, prodigal in their expenditures in various ways.
REVIEW
for it. In a little while he will be able to master all the details, and
our correspondent will probably encounter difficulties should he de-
cide to enter upon the piano business. But difficulties can usually
be overcome and oftentimes are stepping stones to further success.
\ X 7E do not wish to act in an advisory capacity to our young
" "
friend, neither do we wish to discourage him from enter-
ing this industry; but as for possibilities, bless you its full of them.
There is hardly an establishment to-day in this land but what has
a place for a bright, active young man.
But he must prove his
ability.
He can't get any easy birth from the start. He can't simply
walk in and demand the place and immediately find himself sur-
rounded with an easy, luxurious life. He should not watch the
clock and smoke cigarettes, but he should hustle, demonstrate his
ability, and he will find a good sphere to exercise it in the piano
industry.
S~\ NE of the leading merchants in New York recently told The
^ - ^ Review, that while he anticipated early in the season a dull
Christmas trade, on account of strikes and stock depressions, yet
through prodigal publicity in an advertising way, he thronged every
inch of aisle space in his store during the holidays. There are a few
piano men who have not as yet learned the value of persistent pub-
licity.
AN you select a suitable name from the following:
Panamanos.
Panamas.
Panamos.
Panamiens.
Panamese.
Panamayans.
Panamists.
Panamarians.
Panamistos.
Panamanians.
They are not the names of piano players as one might imagine
at the first flush, but they represent some of the many attempts of
the last few weeks to mint a designation for our new republican
cousins down on the Isthmus. Doubtless there are others, but it
would seem as if there are enough names presented already to give
the citizens of the little republic new titles and supply all the names
for piano players for many years to come.
A YOUNG man from an inland city writes The Review: "Is
* * the piano business limited? I am just about to enter upon a
business career and am undecided what to do. I have some musical
taste, and believe I could do well in the piano field. Has it any pos-
sibility for a good worker? What would you advise and how shall
I master the details of this business?"
Yes, the piano business is limited in some respects, and so are
all special industrial lines, but it affords a splendid opportunity of
advancement for young, energetic, industrious men. A young man
who has good business attainments can wan success in this industry.
In fact we need young men to develop it, as it has by no means
reached the high water mark as far as volume is considered.
A Jt ORE pianos were made in 1903 than during any previous
* *• year since the industry was established, and in our opinion
the output will steadily increase as the musical taste of our people
becomes more cultivated. Then we haven't taken up serious-
the question of business in the great world outside as yet.
Possibilities in the piano business, well rather. But to succeed
in any business a man should have a definite aim and go straight
Possibilities for good workers! Why we are positively hungry
for them.
H P HE compliment paid Chas. H. Steinway by his associates and
*
the employes of Steinway & Sons in presenting him with a
gold loving cup to mark the occasion of his thirtieth anniversary
with the house was one well merited.
Unostentatiously but with rare tact and ability, Mr. Steinway
has developed the business of this house to an unprecedented extent.
He has at all times kept in close touch with the traditions of the
Steinway institution, and his sympathies have been ever toward the
highest artistic achievements in the domain of piano making and
exploitation.
Through his many admirable traits of character he has won the
love and esteem of those associated with him and the presentation
of this cup last week was not a matter-of-fact compliment, but it
echoed the sincere regard which everyone connected with the Stein-
way institution holds for its honored president.
N no less than a score of papers last week the utterances of
The Review were quoted upon the business topics of the
day. dealers, too, have sent us marked copies of papers con-
taining notices which they have reproduced from the columns
of this paper.
I
In addition to that, we have received brochures and printing
matter daintily gotten up,
reproducing articles appearing in this
paper. In fact one manufacturer last week issued twenty thousand
cleverly and attractively prepared folders containing- a Review article.
It only emphasizes how progressive newspaper work fairly
presented and splendidly circulated is aiding all branches of the
industry.
T
HE story is told on a well known piano traveler who was spend-
ing his holidays with friends in the country when he was
called upon at one time to say grace. Not being wholly accustomed
to it, however, he promptly tackled the difficulty as all clever travel-
ing men do, by saying: "We acknowledge the receipt of your favor
of this date. Allow us to express our gratitude for this expression
of good will. Trusting that our house may merit your confidence
and that we may have many good orders from you this spring, we
are, yours truly."
The traveler was all right, all
right,
< ki t
, . :,. ; j

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