Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
MEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
QBO. B. Km.iiR.
W. N. TYLER.
F. H. THOMPSON.
QUILII FBANCM BAUBB.
L. B. BOWERS. B. BRITTAIN WILSON, WK. B. WHITB. L. J . CHAMSEBLIN. A. J. NICKLIM.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
B»XEST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont St.
B. P. TAN HAHLINOEN, 185-107 Wabaata Are.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8643
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
PHILADELPHIA :
R. W. KAUI-FMAN.
A. W. SHAW.
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI. O.: NINA PUGH-SMTTH.
BALTIMORE, MD.: PAUL, T. LOCKWOOD.
LONDON, ENGLAND:
69 Baslnghall St., B. C.
W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager.
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, 14.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2.00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On Quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $76.00.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Hdward
tyman BUI.
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporation*
Directory ol Plamo
found on another page will be of great Talue, as a reference
Manufacturers
for deal era and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Brand Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 1S02
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal..St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal.Lewls-Clark Exposition, 1805
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
Cable a d d r e s s : "Elbill New York."
NEW
YORK, APRIL
27, 1907
EDITORIAL
C
OLLECTIONS have been somewhat slow during the last part
of the month, and there has been considerable complaint com-
ing from various quarters regarding the indifference of the purchas-
ing public to meet their maturing obligations, but notwithstanding
somewhat unseasonable weather, the trade of merchants in every
section 1 continues active and manufacturers are alike kept busy to
their full capacity.
While in some of the cities there is less building than a
year ago, and here and there enterprises are curtailed or deferred,
there is little evidence of hesitation, or undue conservatism on the
part of the public generally, and the prospects for business in most
sections are regarded as excellent.
ERTAINLY at present the character of the trade indicates a
continued well-being on the part of the consuming classes with
whom money is comparatively plentiful and who spend it liberally.
The demand is indeed in such volume that many staple goods are
hard to get and manufacturers in various lines tell us that they are
far behind in their orders. It is noticeable, too, that as a general
thing, there is particular difficulty in getting the products of those
whose goods have an established reputation, and the present con-
dition of things emphasizes the value of names and trademarks, when
they have made a place for themselves in the public estimation, and
therefore in the market.
ERHAPS in no trade is this trademark value more stronglv
emphasized than in piano manufacturing, where the value of a
trademark is enduring. Take, for instance, the name of Chickering.
For eighty-four years it has been before the music loving public of
the world, and the name itself forms a most valuable trademark,
for it is a guarantee of piano quality.
In all trades there are certainly names which represent the high-
est achievement in that particular industry, and it certainly must be
gratifying to those who are reputation builders to see that there is
an increasing demand for those wares which have become well
known to the purchasing world. It is useless to advertise a product
P
REVIEW
unless it has merit, because no matter what amount of money may
be expended to gain publicity, unless the character is there it will
drop immediately back after the public has found its true value.
'TPHERE are some piano manufacturers who have adopted quite
-I- an aggressive plan of campaign in periodicals of general cir-
culation. Of course all high-priced advertising is of value, but
magazine advertising is particularly valuable to those men who have
splendid business connections in the various cities throughout the
land, so that America is completely covered by a net-work of
agencies to whom they may refer inquiries which come within a
particular dealer's territorial zone.
A short time ago a manufacturer called upon The Review
and stated that he intended to spend quite a few thousand dollars
for magazine advertising, when he did not have at that time a half
dozen agencies. Inasmuch as our opinion was sought, we were
compelled to tell him that we believed that his advertising would
accrue to the benefit of others—of competitors. He had no.special
agency in a town, and should people there read his advertisement
and make one or two inquiries, they would find that he had no
representation, hence they would have a false opinion as to the value
or standing of his piano, and clever piano salesmen could easily turn
their attention towards special instruments which they had to offer.
I
T is not logical to believe that simply because a manufacturer
spends considerable money in magazine advertising that he will
work up a dealer's trade. It takes something more than a page
advertisement in the magazines to interest dealers to take hold
of a certain piano. Big magazine advertising is all right when
agency connections are already made, but in this industry where
peculiar conditions exist, it is well first to get the dealer in line, and
then having interested him, arouse desire on the part of the public
to investigate the special claims which a manufacturer may put forth
in his magazine announcements.
We saw a test of this recently while in a Southern town. A
lady came in and inquired for the B
piano, stating that she
saw an advertisement in a particular magazine extolling the merits
of this piano. The salesman, of course, knew that she was immedi-
ately interested in a piano, and having obtained her name and ad-
dress, he talked very pleasantly about pianos in general, and about
one particular instrument, which he was especially desirous of show-
ing the lady. He was charmingly polite, not over-persistent, and the
lady departed without making a purchase, but with a pleasant im-
pression left in her mind as to the agreeable qualities of the salesman
and the particular instruments which he exploited.
W
E were somewhat interested in this particular case, and asked
the salesman to advise us as to the final results. A com-
munication came from him early in the week stating that he had sold
the lady the piano which he started out to sell. So that here is a
splendid illustration of where a piano advertiser in a magazine of
large circulation turned a grist to another piano mill, and such cases
occur every day over the land. Fix up agencies first and then go
into advertising. But thousands upon thousands of dollars may be
sunk in advertising for the public, and the dealers themselves
will profit thereby without taking the trouble to write the manu-
facturer who is doing the advertising. The publicity simply arouses
piano interest, and some one, meaning, of course, the most progres-
sive men in the various localities, profit by it. Get the dealers first,
that is the proper move.
"VTOTWITHSTANDING the fact that many predictions were
1M made that piano factory building would not be in evidence
during the present year, a number of concerns are steadily adding
to their productive capacity. The number of new buildings which
will be erected this year in various cities throughout the land for
piano making will materially add to the productive capacity of this
industry.
T
HERE is no concern in this industry which has adopted a plan
of advertising that has included systematic regularity which
has not been successful in every way. One of the new advertisers in
The Review recently remarked: "I was agreeably surprised
while on an extended trip to find that my wares were splendidly
known in every city where I called, and what pleased me was to
find that The Review was quoted in nearly every store as an au-
thority. I am convinced that every advertiser is getting good re-