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THE
REWEW
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. XLVI. No. 1 0 .
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at I Madison Aye., NewiYork, March 7, 1908.
OUR EXPORT AND IMPORT TRADE.
Import Trade of Musical Instruments Shows
Decrease—Exports for the Month Are Much
Larger—Player
Shipments
Make
Fine
Record—The Figures in Detail Regarding the
Various Instruments Furnish Some Interest-
ing Particulars to Our Readers.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, March 4, 1908.
The summary of exports and imports of the
commerce of the United States for the month of
January, 1908, the latest period for which it
has been compiled, has just been issued by the
Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Com-
merce and Labor. The figures relating to musi-
cal merchandise, including pianos, organs, piano
players and miscellaneous "small goods" in the
musical field are as follows:
The dutiable imports of musical instruments
during January amounted to $111,938, as com-
pared with $126,988 worth which were imported
the same month of 1907. The seven months'
total ending January shows importations
valued at $927,589, as against $854,477 worth
of musical instruments imported during the
same period of 1907. This gives an increase in
imports for the seven months ending January
of $133,112.
The importt figures for the seven months' pe-
riod for the three years are as follows: 1906,
$764,024; 1907, $854,477; 1908, $927,589.
The total domestic exports of musical instru-
ments for January, 1908, amounted to $257,-
132, as compared with $226,658 for the same
month of the previous year. The seven months'
exportation of musical instruments amounted to
$2,046,254, as against $1,829,066 for the same
period in 1907. This shows an increase in ex-
ports for the seven months ending January of
$217,188.
The export figures for the seven months' pe-
riod for the three years are as follows: 1906
$1,904,699; 1907, $1,829,066; 1908, $2,046,254.
Of the aggregate exportations in January
there were 951 organs valued at $65,480, as
compared with 1,028 organs in 1907, valued at
$65,004. The seven months' total shows that
we exported 7.653 organs, valued at $468,224, for
the same period in 1907, and 7,918, valued at
$536,424 for the same period in 1906.
In January. 1908, we exported 361 pianos,
valued at $80,182, as against 253 pianos, valued
at $57,283, in January, 1906. The seven
months' total exports show 2,788 pianos, valued
at $691,581. as compared with 2,266, valued at
$515,679, exported in the same period in 1907,
and 1,669, valued at $381,962, for the same period
in 1906.
Of the aggregate exportations in January
there were 180 piano players, valued at $47,989.
For the seven months' period 1,517 of these in-
struments, valued at $406,385, were sent abroad.
The value of "all other instruments and parts
thereof" sent abroad during January, 1908,
amounted to $63,481; in the same month of 1907
the value was estimated at $60,994.
The total exports of the seven months under
this heading foot up $480,064, as against $480,-
016 exported during the same period of 1907, and
495,155 exported during the same period in
1906. This shows an increase of $48.
SHOW WINDO\V PUBLICITY
Is One of Best Mediums of Attracting Public
Attention to the Piano Dealers' Stock—It
Works All the Time, Night and Day.
The properly used show window is the best ad-
vertising medium within the reach of the retail
piano merchant, and yet, curiously enough, it
seems to be the least appreciated of all the means
he uses His show window is his best medium
because it will sell goods for him at a less per-
centage of cost than any other means at his
command. We say that it is the least appreciated
because of the fact that it is so very generally
neglected. Most retail merchants have not yet
learned its true value. Many of them seem to
think that it is merely a space which must be
filled up with something—it does not really mat-
ter what or how. All this is wrong.
Your department store manager appreciates his
window space and makes good use of it. The
big store even goes to the length of employing
an artist who spends all his time and thought in
getting up an exceedingly attractive window dis-
play. And these window displays sell goods
enough to make the window dresser and his big
salary a good investment. We called these win-
dow trimmers artists, but it is not enough that
a display shall please the eye, it must sell goods
or it is not successful. The big store demands
that there shall be a sale of a displayed article
while it is in the window, and if the increase
does not come the fact is chalked up against the
window dresser in the records of the manager.
In show windows, the acme of achievement is
to be found in the big stores. The real poten-
tial value of a show window lies in the number
of people who will pass it within a given space
of time. Its value may be computed on the same
basis as that used for the computation of the
value of any other means of publicity. Maga-
zines charge so much a line per thousand circula-
tion. If you buy space in the pages of a maga-
zine you pay for the privilege of exhibiting your
announcement in a place where a given number
of people will pass. It is up to you to make your
announcement in such a manner that these peo-
ple, or a goodly number of them, will stop to see
what you have to say.
It is just the same with your show window.
No matter what your location, there will be
about so many people pass your window each
day, and it is your task to make that window
catch and hold their attention to such an extent
that some of them will feel a want for what you
have to offer.
There is no line of merchandise of which an
attractive window display may not be made. As
an illustration of the way in which these dis-
plays sell goods, a case was instanced recently
by New Idea, of a "seasoned bird," not easily
caught by the advertiser. He was on his way
home and he had to pass three grocery stores.
When In need of goods, he stopped where he
traded habitually, for all oi us have our prefer-
ences. The store has attractive windows, but
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
|S.OO PER YEAR.
nothing deserving special mention. Another
store, however, always makes a special display
no matter what the season. It was much further
from the man's home and as a consequence he
has to carry his purchases a greater distance,
and yet he frequently stops there and buys some-
thing just because the window display makes
him think of things he wants or thinks he wants,
something which he had no idea he wanted until
the display created the need. In other words, the
windows sold the goods.
ERNEST URCITS ITINERARY.
Visiting South and Then Return to New York
— W i l l Visit Ohio, Pennsylvania and New
York States Later.
Ernest Urchs, the traveling representative of
Steinway & Sons, contrary to his original inten-
tion, is due in Chicago in a few days; then goes
South direct to New Orleans, then will call upon
the Steinway representatives in other southern
towns, and then return to New York direct.
He will not call upon Steinway dealers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York on his present trip,
but will start out again and cover these points
after a few weeks' rest in New York.
-TO BOOM PROSPERITY.
Four-Day Convention Began
Baltimore.
on
Tuesday
\f\
(Special to The Review.)
Baltimore, Md., March 3, 1908.
Under the auspices of the Travelers and Mer-
chants' Association, a "prosperity convention"
opened here to-day to continue four days.
Speakers of National reputation are scheduled
to make addresses.
Gov. Austin B. Crothers and Mayor J. Barry
Mahool welcomed the delegates and to-night an
interesting letter was read from President
Roosevelt. The purpose of the convention is to
restore confidence by showing favorable business
conditions in the sections from which the dele-
gates come.
SPIRIT IN DETROIT WORTH EMULATING.
A characteristic illustration of that courtesy
that exists between members of the piano trade,
was recently disclosed in Detroit, Mich., when a
Steinway grand piano, handled in that city by
Grinnell Bros., was chosen for the Torrey Re-
vival to be held in the Light Guard Armory,
despite the fact that J. Henry Ling, a competing
dealer, was chairman of the music committee
and could have boomed one of his own instru-
ments had he so wished. The revival will last
four weeks and thousands are expected to at-
tend.
COLELL WITH KNABE.
Edward H. Colell, for many years with Chick-
ering & Sons, and later with Otto Wissner, has
joined the sales force of Wm. Knabe & Co., New
York City.
The Reed Piano and Organ Co. will shortly
open a store in Shreveport, La.