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THE
MUSIC TRADE
ffiYHW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
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Directory ol Piano
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
'
:
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
Mannlielnren
f o l . d e a i e r s and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal.. . S t Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. . . .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
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NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 28, 1907
EDITORIAL
I
T is said that one of the several topics discussed at the meet-
ings of the executive committee of the Piano Manufacturers'
National Association, which was held in this city this week, was the
stencil, or special brand piano, and its effect upon, the piano trade
of this country. The articles which have appeared in the various
trade papers written by Charles H. Parsons, former president of
the Piano Manufacturers' National Association, and W. L. Bush,
present vice-president, have been widely discussed, largely for the
reason that these gentlemen have been prominently identified with
association affairs for a number of years in a high official capacity,
hence their views are supposed to represent an official opinion and
to a degree the association sentiment. Then again, it is a fact that
some of the manufacturers have become greatly interested over
the encroach of the special brand upon the domain of the regular
piano product. There are some who believe that the special brand
production has reached such an acute stage that it may bring about
the dismemberment of the present piano manufacturers' association.
H E special brand proposition is a difficult one to grapple.
There is no doubt about that, because as long as there is a
demand coming from a legitimate trade for a special creation to
meet the requirements of a certain retail trade, that product will be
created whether pianos or any other line of manufactured product.
And it is absurd to say that a man is dishonorable or should be held
up to condemnation when he manufactures a product worth the
price which he asks for it, simply because he puts upon it some other
name than his own.
The practice of creating special brands exists in all trades
and dealers who have built up a reputation through years of honor-
able dealing will continue to put forth certain lines bearing either
their own trade-mark, or some special brand which they have
selected under which to exploit a particular line of goods.
T
T
HE piano business, therefore, is not different in this respect
than other lines, and it is unfair to accuse men of being
REVIEW
unscrupulous in their dealings simply because they create instru-
ments to meet a demand which is acknowledged to exist. Dealers
who sell the greatest pianos made also sell special brand pianos. The
great evil of special brand pianos lies in the fact that they have
been offered to the public at prices which should entitle the pur-
chasers to receive better piano values. The manufacturers of these
instruments have delivered to the dealers fair values, but many of
these in return have failed to give the customers as fair a deal as they
received from the manufacturers of the instruments. They have
exploited them in many cases at exorbitant prices, and they have
put forth the cheapest kind of commercial pianos at prices which
should have enabled the purchasers to become owners of good,
reliable instruments. The special brand must, therefore, be argued
from the viewpoint that it constitutes the open door to misrepre-
sentation and fraud on the part of the dealer, but the manufactur-
ers themselves hold the key to the situation. If all "the reputable
makers of pianos in this country would come together under an
agreement containing a penalty clause and put retail prices on all
their instruments—the correct prices—then they would at once
place the special brand instruments in the class where they properly
belong and remove the special as a menace to the legitimate inter-
ests of the trade. But will they do it ? There's the rub !
M
OST men, whether manufacturing pianos or any other line
of merchandise, are in business to accumulate money, and
many feel in supplying a demand for commercial pianos they are
taking the nearest and surest road to riches. Surely the demand
for special brands has advanced rapidly during the past few years,
showing that there is a sale for this class of instruments. A lot of
men, however, who decry the special brands or stencils are not
sincere in their utterances. Just the same with the trade news-
papers which have been loudest in their denunciation of the stencil
or special brand business; they have invariably done this with a
selfish motive in view. One of the most blatant while denouncing
the stencil was known to be wielding the big stick in a most at-
tractive manner over the heads of terrorized manufacturers.
T
H E great trouble is, there is a lot of rank insincerity about the
whole proposition. Men will decry the special brands and
still they go on to make them. Dealers will say that they don't like
to handle them, but still they must "keep them in stock to meet a
certain class of competition." Now, why not be honest with our-
selves and say that the special brand has gained ground purely
because it has made money for the manufacturer and for the dealer?
And that is why men have stuck to this line of business and why
they are pushing it strongly to-day.
Suppose all members of the association should agree to have
their own name cast in the iron plate, or the name of the corpora-
tion manufacturing every instrument sent forth from their fac-
tories ; they could easily form a lot of little dummy corporations and
put forth just as many special brand pianos, and still would be
within the letter of their agreement which would be violated in
spirit but not in fact. Suppose, if you will, every State should
pass a law compelling piano manufacturers to cast their names in
the iron plate of every instrument sent forth in order that the public
should be able to trace the origin of instruments purchased, would
that stop the manufacture? Not in the slightest. The dummy
corporations would again be formed.
O U P P O S E the Federal Government, as suggested by Mr.
vJ3 Clement, should pass a law that the name of the maker must
appear on every instrument offered for sale by all dealers in every
State and Territory. Would that reduce the sale of special brand
pianos? Not in the slightest, for innumerable little corporations,
with nothing behind them, could be formed for manufacturing
purposes and every manufacturer of special brand pianos may have
twenty or thirty more corporate names at his disposal, so there
would be no end to the list of special brands.
This proposition can only be viewed from the broadest possible
standpoint, and if the association splits on this rock neither one of
the dissenting parties will have accomplished much. Manufactur-
ers who are making one brand of pianos will advertise those pianos
more strongly and win a position for their instruments; but the
special will occupy a place until all of the manufacturers unite in
being perfectly honest with the entire piano purchasing trade of this
country, and put their own prices on their own instruments. If