Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1905 Vol. 41 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
apart from other influences which might be enumerated, justify great
faith in the future. The power of piano absorption of this country
is tremendous, and has shattered all predictions made by the pessi-
mists of years ago, who believed that piano making would be in
its decadence by 1900.
D
EDWABD LYMAN DILL.
Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SP1LLANE, Managing Editor.
EXECVTIVE AND REPORTORIAL STAFF:
GEO. B. KELLER,
WM. B. WHITB,
W. N. TYLER,
EMILIB FRANCIS BAUER,
W. L. WILLIAMS,
A. J. NICKLIN,
GEO. W. QUERIPKL.
BOSTON OFFICE:
ERNEST L. WAITT, 255 Washington St.
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE:
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
CH1CAOO OFFICE
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 1362 Monadnock Block.
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL:
E. C. TORREY.
ST. LOUIS OFFICE.
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZGER. 425-427 Front. St.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Nadison Avenue, New York.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SVBSCRIPTION (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 B11L
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
THE ARTISTS' "Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This Is effected
without In any way trespassing on the size or service of the trade
DEPARTMENT section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and therefore
augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
PIANA T h e directory o f Ptano manufacturing firms and corporations
M«iT
V.
riANU f o u n ( j o n a n o t h e r page will be of great value, as a reference
MANVTACTUR.ER.S
f or dealers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NVMBER 1745 GRAMERCY.
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 9, 19O3.
O
NE does not have to look for evidences of activity in the piano
trade when passing the various local factories. On every
side they force themselves on one's attention. Teams in front,
materials pouring in, loads of pianos boxed, going forth to various
parts of the country, all give unmistakable evidences that fall trade
is fairly under way, and it will be of enormous proportions. All
indications point that way, and as we have stated in earlier issues,
the dealers who have placed their orders early will profit by their
business acumen, for there will be a shortage of pianos in some lo-
calities.
ECADENCE! Rot! We are only in our infancy as far as
piano output is concerned. The time will come, not so many
years in the future, when we can handle a half million pianos annu-
ally in this country. Under the modern selling plan, pianos have
ceased to be a luxury, and in most homes they have become an
actual necessity. New conditions, of course, will arise, but the new
conditions will not create a repression of trade in the piano line.
Companies will be formed which will supply the necessary capital
to carry the instalment paper. Within a very few years there
will be a number of great loan companies in the principal cities
which will purchase instalment paper at prices nearly approximat-
ing its real value, with of course proper deductions for interest
and risks, but still sufficient to enable dealers to press on and put
out the instruments. It will be a question of banking facilities to
carry the paper, but the loan companies will be the banking insti-
tutions.
T
HERE are some concerns to-day which act as loan institutions
for the smaller dealers, and they have, in many cases, financed
the business of numbers of their dealers. In other words, they have
acted in the capacity of loan companies, but each year will see
more of these loan companies in the field, because piano instalment
paper will form an enticing attraction to capital.
In the book business loaning has been found to be extremely
profitable, and vast sums of instalment paper have been purchased
by loan companies which have been formed for the sole purple of
carrying instalment paper. When the pessimists ask where the
money will come from to conduct the piano business the question
is at once answered by stating that it will be supplied by loan com-
panies, organized for the especial purpose of purchasing instalment
paper.
It is known to-day that the officers of one large piano concern
are directly interested, and, in fact, practically control a company
formed for the purpose which we have stated—of simply handling
the dealers' paper. It is true, the names of the officers do not appear,
but they are the power behind the throne, nevertheless.
A
WELL-KNOWN piano merchant, while discussing possibili-
ties with The Review recently, said: "There are no dull sea-
sons in the trade for the man who understands his business."
Now, there is a good deal to think about in this statement, but
is it not absolutely true when any line of merchandise is considered
in its entirety? The selling of goods, whether pianos, furniture
HERE can be no stopping the onward march of industrial
or wearing apparel, requires constant vigilance ; for, after all, the sell-
progress. Bounteous crops in all sections of the country will
ing of goods is only a part of any business undertaking, and is, as
give an impetus to business which will send it forward at a tremend-
a rule, the most visible index of success, but it is in reality nothing
ous rate, and we have advanced mightily since the dark days of a but the outcome of careful planning, calculation and preparation,
few years ago. Rapid recovery from trade depression has been
without which all seasons would be dull seasons for house and sales-
a noteworthy feature of the recent history of this country. Yet man. For this reason, it is exceedingly unwise to get into the habit
the panic of 1893, and the three dismal years that followed it, made
of talking about the seasons as having any bearing whatever upon
such a deep impression upon business men that they since have been
business.
prone to take alarm at every indication of a falling off in demand,
and to imagine that another period of slack demand, profitless prices,
E know plenty of piano merchants who figure might)' hard
and business failures is imminent.
to do business in the summer, and whose plans for sum-
It is hard for those who had a severe experience in those trying
mer campaigns are as carefully mapped out as for fall and winter
times to feel confidence in the business situation, and to believe
campaigns. Of course their output is not as large, but in order to
that such cessations of demand as are felt from time to time are
bring it up to a fair point it requires especial work on the part of
casual, and will soon give way to satisfactory activity. The moment
the management of the business.
there is a slowing up of trade men are prone to cry dull times. The
There are concerns in this trade who often place added energy
slackening of faith in the soundness of the conditions upon which
upon the selling department during the summer months, and they
the business fabric of the country rests seems unreasonable when
sell pianos and musical instruments. The man who harps on dull
the situation is satisfactory.
seasons is usually incapable of taking the broad view required to
attain substantial success, for he speaks from the standpoint of a
ONDITIONS which actively promote general business are, a part instead of the whole, and just to the extent that he indulges
steady increase in population, creative and productive energy,
in such illogical and apologetic explanations does he undermine and
and the accumulation of wealth. These factors in business develop-
weaken his whole working force—and his business.
ment are exceptionally operative in the United States. The popu-
lation of the country is increasing at a much greater rate than that
T is quite impossible that anything requisite in any line can be
which obtains in the rest of the world. The creative and productive
done at once. The fireman must get up steam before the en-
energy of our people is the admiration of other nations. No other
gineer can start his engine, but in the meantime the engineer is
country is accumulating wealth so rapidly. These three conditions,
oiling this part and that, examining and adjusting here and there.
T
W
C
I
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
No dull season for him when the train is on the way. The fireman
is constantly watching the steam gauge, if not shoveling coal. No
dull season for him.
As a matter of fact, dull seasons only exist for the man who
does not understand his business. Some seasons, of course, are
much better than others, owing to conditions over which the indi-
vidual merchant has no control, but dull seasons should not be in
evidence in our trade life.
/COMMERCE is interstate; credit is interstate; collections are
V^/
interstate, and debts and debtors must be controlled by a
law that is interstate. These are the conclusions reached by Win.
II. Hotchkiss, a referee in bankruptcy, in a recent address upon
the National Bankruptcy Law.
In the course of his arguments, Mr. Hotchkiss presented state-
ments which he had obtained from lawyers in different States in
regard to their assignment laws now replaced by the Federal act.
These statements show that with very few exceptions the majority
of creditors have no protection under the State laws, that the debtor
might pay certain creditors before making an assignment, so that
the remainder would receive nothing.
E
SPECIALLY is this true of Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska,
Illinois, Georgia and Tennessee, though in many other
States the conditions are little, if any, better. On the other hand,
all that is good in a strong statute—such as the Massachusetts In-
solvency Law, for instance—is retained in the Federal Law, with
the added advantage that the existing law is uniform, interstate
and national. Yet there are those who ask that the Federal Law
be repealed, that we may again come to the chaotic conditions and
the pernicious practices which obtained before its enactment.
Either we must have one national law or forty-five more dif-
ferent laws, and forty-five times forty-five dark and devious schemes
for defrauding the creditors.
The fact is that the national bankruptcy law is a necessity.
It is essential to the protection of those whose business interests
cover various sections of this vast country.
T
HERE is hardly a city of any size in the United States that
does not boast of one or more well appointed warerooms;
and when we consider the marvelous changes which) have been
made in the store betterments in this trade, we must admit that
piano retailing has advanced tremendously during the past few-
years, and every year shows a constant advance made in this par-
ticular. In some of the cities, the expenditures seem almost lavish
in the equipment of piano warerooms, but the men who have made
the expenditures tell us that they have been amply repaid, that purely
from an advertising standpoint they have won splendid returns on
the investment.
It must be considered that a bright, attractive store is one of
the best advertisements which a business department can have.
E
VERYONE likes a tidy, attractive store, and every merchant
can have at least that. He may not be able to expend large
sums of money in store betterment, or may not be able to have a
musical palace like the /Eolian Company, but he can, at least, have
a store clean and well kept. Everyone is attracted by tidy sur-
roundings ; fresh goods, tastefully displayed and pianos free from
dust, arranged so that they are shown to the best advantage. All
of that counts, and every piano merchant can see to it that every
person who enters is waited upon promptly and politely. Nothing
irritates a customer like waiting unnecessarily, and some of them
feel particularly sensitive about approaching a salesman and break-
ing in upon his perusal of the morning paper. A salesman should
never be permitted to stand chatting for an instant when a customer
is waiting. That indifferent, half-hearted way seems to give a cus-
tomer the impression that he is only waiting upon him as a particu-
lar favor.
I
T is unfortunate there is no English equivalent for the French
term esprit de corps—that enthusiastic devotion of all to the
common cause. That is the thing that moves mountains.
Think what has been accomplished in the world time and again
merely by the zeal of one man.
Think of the contagious enthusiasm of a real leader and then
consider its cumulative force if multiplied by the total number of
men connected with an enterprise,
ft mean? the army of Napoleon.
The ability to inspire others is perhaps the greatest facult) a
mortal can possess.
We sometimes think that no man should be at the head of a
busmess who does not have in a marked degree this gift of leader-
ship—the ability to inspire loyalty.
The habit of loyalty must be established. Those who are not
receptive or are incapable of it must be weeded out.
The man who is always considering himself, who is always
thinking. "Where do I come in?" is a bad employee.
When a man can no longer be loyal to his house he and the
house are better off without his services.
If he does not believe in the institution and the men at the head
of it, he. is doing injustice to himself and to them if he continues
in his position.
Every employee is an advertisement of one sort or another.
If he cannot be a good advertisement he has no right to be a bad
one.
c
^OMIUNATIOX pianos, that is, pianos with the interior player
mechanism, will shortly cease to be a novelty. There are
many of them on the market and more coming, and by the way,
already there is quite a business being built up by one or two con-
cerns who supply the interior mechanism to any piano manu-
factured. It certainly does away with large expenses incident to
experiments, but it also creates a sameness among players, an
equality which many will claim does not exist. Surely there is
humor in half a dozen salesmen all claiming that their inside com-
bination is absolutely the best, when all of them come from the same
factory, and are as nearly alike as two peas in a pod.
I
F anyone considers that it will be easy to create and carry
through successfully the piano and player exposition at Wash-
ington next year, it shows they haven't gone into the subject care-
fully. Depend upon it, the men who will manage this enterprise
will be compelled to get busy some weeks preceding the gathering
at Washington, and time will not hang heavy on their hands during
the days of real -exposition life. The smallest possible show de-
mands time, and a good deal of attention, and to establish a piano
exposition so that, we will say, fifty to seventy-five different manu-
facturers may be adequately represented means a powerful sight
more work than shows at the first blush. The men who assume the
management of this enterprise will realize it full well later on. A
trade exposition can be made a success, but that success cannot be
won without a vast amount of hard work.
T
HERE are quite a number of "Roycrofters" in this trade, and
all of us, whether followers or not, can read with pleasure and
profit the following gems of thought from the pen of Era Albertus:
Keep your mind on the splendid thing you would like to do; and
then, as the days go gliding by, you will find yourself unconsciously
seizing upon the opportunities that are required for the fulfilment
of your desire, just as the coral insect takes from the running tide
the elements that it needs.
Picture in your mind the able, earnest, useful person you de-
sire to be, and the thought you hold is hourly transforming you
into that particular individual.
Darwin and Spencer have told us that this is the method of
creation. Each animal has evolved the parts it needed and desired.
The horse is fleet because it wishes to be; the bird flies because it
desires to; the duck has a web foot because it wants to swim.
All things come through desire. We become like that on which
our hearts are fixed.
Many people know this, but they do not believe it so thoroughly
that it shapes their lives.
ON'T trust to persuasion alone to land your piano prospect.
Convince him. Persuasion is the soft glove; conviction is
the iron hand underneath. While your manner may be as conciliatory
as possible, put in your arguments the firm grip of conviction, then
he cannot get away from them.
There is no particular rule that will apply to everything, and no
one can follow in the footsteps of another; he must work out his
own destiny, but it is a fact that the man who usually keeps his eye
on the clock is the one who is not missed by his employer.
D

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