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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
While the Holiday Business Has Been Disappointing the Total Output of Pianos for the Year
Will Make Goodly Showing—Some Dealers Would Not Dispose of Instruments on Small In-
stalments—Not the Number of Pianos Sold but the Profit on Them That Counts—Piano
Men Are Looking Confidently to the New Year for Better Things—No Changes of Conse-
quence Contemplated the First of the Year—The Manufacturers Have Made a Splendid
Showing for the Past Twelve Months as a Whole.
(Special to The Review.)
Philadelphia, Dec. 25, 1907.
Christmas day has finally dawned. It is all
over but the counting. For a week there will be
much thought concentrated on the business of
the year—thought over the holiday business—
thought of what the coming year is to bring to
the piano men.
The holiday business has been disappointing.
However, during the next seven days it is likely
that somewhat of the gloom will have been dis-
pelled, when the books are gone over and the
year's ibusiness is summed up. Business gener-
ally, during ten of the twelve months has been
good—above the average, and it is expected that
for the year the books will show considerable
prosperity.
I was talking this week to a prominent piano-
m'over, a man who moves at least two-thirds of
the pianos that leave the various piano stores.
He told me that he noted a decrease in business
over former years. He has always had to hire
extra teams and extra help to assist him at this
period, but this year it was not necessary to hire
either, but instead he was able to get everything
out with ease. He says the business was pretty
well divided up, and that no house seemed to suf-
fer particularly, but that all the houses and the
department stores as well, seemed to be feeling
the dullness.
There is still another side to the question.
One man told me that he could have gotten rid of
many more instruments than he did, but that
he had to shut down on the very small first pay-
ments that the public were willing to make. "I
did that sort of business early in the game," he
said, "but the first thing I knew I had $60,000
is>oe>
We best redeem the past by forgetting it.
—Koycro/t
Calendar
The coming of the NEW YEAR
suggests improvement and progress.
Members of the trade who would
improve their line of high grade
instruments are invited to carefully
consider the unusual merits of the
LAUTER Piano. We make only in-
struments of superbly beautiful char-
acter, pianos that instantly appeal
to pianoman, pianist and prospect.
LAUTER GRANDS, LAUTER
SMALL GRANDS, LAUTER UP-
RIGHTS and the LAUTER-HUMANA
embody the highest attainment in
fine piano construction.
We invite correspondence.
standing on my books for pianos to that value,
and the only money I had received was hardly
enough to keep up my running expenses at the
store. Then the manufacturers began asking for
money. What was I to do. I could borrow the
money from the bank, but I had to pay interest
on the loan. Money was scarce and interest high
—higher than I was getting on the money I had
out. Should I go ahead and put myself still
further in the hole, or not? I think my decision
was the part of wisdom. I kept my pianos unless
purchasers had a respectable sum to pay on them
—a sum that made their selling worth while."
Many other people, no doubt, had the same
experience as this piano dealer. Naturally the
number of instruments sent out is not the ques-
tion, but the profit on such sales. Has the man
who has most of his business on his books, the
most happy feeling just now, or the man who
judiciously keeps as much off them as possible?
In a great measure this trouble of small pay-
ments is the result of injudicious advertising on
the part of some firms. Money was scarce, and
when persons desiring pianos had it continually
rubbed under their noses, as it was for the past
month by certain Philadelphia firms, that they
were willing to sell pianos for $1 down and $1 a
week, their pocket-books would allow such an
outlay, but would the pocket-books of the first so
advertising warrant it?
This thing seems to be possible with the de-
partment stores—at least they say so, because
they affirm they find it no expense to make col-
lections as most of the instruments have been
bought by their regular customers, and they
simply add piano collections to the general col-
lections, and no additional expense is incurred.
But to get back to the piano business as far
as the future is concerned, it is pretty gen-
erally found that the piano men have not lost
heart, but instead are looking confidently to the
future, feeling that the loss of December is
going to be fully made up during the next three
months, when the financial condition will
right itself. They expect to have opportunties
early in the year for the disposal of any stock
which was not sold during the holiday trade.
As far as I can learn there is no change in any
way anticipated in Philadelphia the first of the
new year. No firm is going in or out of business,
no pianos will change their places, but there is
still some talk of new representations before the
winter is over. These changes would no doubt
have come before this had it not been for the
ibusiness condition, for there are certain pianos
looking for a home in this city.
The Philadelphia manufacturers are contem-
plating no change. The Lester Piano Co. have
had the most prosperous year in their history.
The Lester factory has not closed down for a
minute ail fall and the winter thus far, and for
the first time in several years they have caught
up with orders. This they will have no reason to
regret when business starts up, as they expect it
to, very shortly in the new year. The Scho-
macker factory, controlled (by the Wanamaker
firm, have not been able to make the Schomacker
piano fast enough to even supply their home
stores in Philadelphia and New York, and they
have been making promises for some time to give
to the out-tof-town dealers some of these pianos
as soon as they are able to get sufficient stock
ahead to warrant them so doing. When the old
Schomacker firm went to the wall close to a year
ago, there were more than a score of piano houses
in Pennsylvania who handled the Schomacker
and had handled it for years. They have entirely
cleaned up on these instruments and have been
clamoring for more, and could not get them. The
Wanamaker house expect, as soon as they have
their factory in such running shape as they de-
sire, to be able to let some of these dealers have
the Schomacker piano.
Just a word about the smaller goods. While
sales of pianos and their corresponding line have
been somewhat dull, there has not been the same
dullness among the dealers in the small goods
for at all stores the men seem to be satisfied
with the business done in this line, particularly
in the talking machine end of the business. The
Bauer Co., who manufacture the famous Stewart
goods, have not only sold largely to local dealers,
but have sent unusually large shipments of their
instruments all over the country and to their
foreign trade, and consequently have had a very
good year. The same may be said of the Wey-
mann's and their Keystone state goods, and in
fact all lines of the small goods trade in Phila-
delphia.
TO REDUCE RATE OF POSTAGE
On General Merchandise—Postmaster General's
Recommendation to be Considered by
Congress.
The Postmaster-General makes the semi-official
announcement that immediately after the holi-
day recess he will cause to be introduced in Con-
gress a bill designed to carry out the recommen-
dations of his annual report with respect to the
reduction of the general merchandise rate of
postage from 16 to 12 cents per pound, and the
authorization of a cheap parcel post on rural
routes at 5 cents for the first pound and 2 cents
for each additional pound up to the weight limit
of 11 pounds. The Postmaster-General will not
send his bill to Congress officially, presumably
for two reasons: First, because the leaders of
the Senate have recently announced their inten-
tion of refusing to accept drafts of bills for-
warded to Congress by Cabinet officers, except
at the request of the Senate; and second, be-
cause the criticism of the Postmaster-General's
projects have become so general throughout the
country that he does not care to have the meas-
ure known as the department's bill. He will,
therefore, arrange to have it quietly introduced
in the House by some Representative whose
name has not yet been disclosed. The measure
will, of course, be referred to the House Post
Office Committee and the Postmaster-General and
his assistants will probably urge, if there is a
likelihood that the suggestion will be acceded to,
that it be added to the appropriation bill as a
rider. If the committee refuses to incorporate
the measure in the annual budget bill the Post-
master-General will suggest that his bill be re-
ported as an independent proposition, but with a
favorable recommendation.
Charles B, Schetlich, the piano dealer of Balti-
more, Md., has purchased the building occupied
by him at 335 North Gay street.
F. F. Theroux has opened a new music store
in the Bessie building, Wahpeton, N. D.
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