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THE!
MU3IC
TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
OEO. B. KEI/LBH,
L. E. BOWERS,
W. II. DYKES,
F. H. THOMPSON,
J. HATDBN CIABBNDON,
B. BHITTAIN WILSON,
L. J. CHAMBERLIN,
A. J. NICKLIN.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE
REVIEW
dealers at large with as much interest as by the writer. I be-
lieve that you are carrying on a splendid work. Keep it up and
while what you say about the methods of selling pianos improving
is doubtless true, yet there is a good deal of unfair competition exist-
ing here.
"Knocking in the piano business at this point seems to be a
fixed practice and I regret to say that after I had sold a W
piano, one of my local competitors said that this piano only cost
about half the sum which I asked for it. I sold another K
piano, and last night the purchaser came to my store and informed
me that he was being robbed, for he said, 'The most expensive of
the K
pianos did not cost more than $110.' Now do you not
think it would be well to advise piano salesmen who wish to expose
wholesale prices and tell untruths about them to get out of busi-
ness ?"
ERNEST L. WAITT, 100 Boylston St.E. P. VAN HARLINGKN, Room 806, 156 Wabash Ave.
Telephone, Central 414.
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
W
E regret to learn that such conditions exist in the city of
Altoona, as instanced above, but we hold to our statement
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
that
methods
of conducting business in the piano trade have mate-
CINCINNATI. O.: BERNARD C. BOWBN.
BALTIMORE. MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
rially improved within the past few years. Of course, there are
LONDON. ENGLAND: 69 Basinghall St., E. C. W. LIONEL STURDY, Manager.
some men who will never see light, som? men who stay in darkness,
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
always adhering to low, contemptible business methods in order to
destroy the confidence which purchasers of pianos may have in the
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
instruments which they have bought, as well as the houses which
SUBSCRIPTION, (Including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
supplied
them.
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2,00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
These instances, however, are only rare and our Altoona friend,
yearly contracts a special discount la allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
while discouraged by the kind of competition which he meets, should
REMITTANCES. In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
understand that these methods do not apply broadly to the trade.
I . v u u i n I'.lll.
Music Publishers'
An Interesting feature of this publication Is a special depart
It is true that salesmen will use every kind of legitimate argument
Department ^ V merit d«*vot»'d exclusively to the world of music publishing.
to advance the cause of the particular firm which they represent,
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
but few of them will to-day adopt mean or dishonorable tactics to
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, loon
Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma. Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal. ...St. Louis Exposition, 1904
injure a competitor. There is no more disagreeable practice than
Gold Medal. .. .Lewis Clark Exposition. 1 Uiio.
that of exposing wholesale prices. While every sensible man
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
must
know that a dealer is entitled to a legitimate profit on
Connecting a l l Departments.
his product, yet if he is told that a piano cost $100 or $125 he
Cable address: "Elblll, New York."
figures that if that instrument sold for $200 he is being robbed.
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 3 1 , 1 9 0 8
He does not stop to figure for a moment that there are certain fixed
expenses which must be added to the cost of each instrument, he
does not figure that freights and advertising, rents, salaries, inci-
dentals all creep in and are chargeable against the pianos sold, but
EDITORIAL
he only figures that if the piano cost so much at the factory in
New York and Chicago he should be able to purchase it for a few
T is now a little more than a year since the panic commenced in
dollars more.
New York which developed into bank runs, from the conse-
Sensible men, however, know differently, but it is a fact that
quences of which we are still suffering-. Fifteen banks and trust
there are many piano purchasers who do not use good sense in
companies in New York and Brooklyn closed their doors and it is
their business reasoning. If they did, they would not be so easily
well to recall the fact that not a single depositor in those fifteen in-
swayed by a lot of foolish and absurd stories told by a competing
stitutions lost a cent. Everyone has received or is in the way of
salesman.
receiving, every penny.
The best way to meet this kind of abuse is not by abusive re-
The men who risked pneumonia to stand in the waiting lines
taliation, but by explanation. Suppose that piano had cost $110
gained nothing over those who refused to be frightened. We know
and was sold for a substantial advance, every man with ordinary
now how wrong were those who asserted that the financial condi-
intelligence can see that no dealer could continue in business very
tions in New York were rotten. The light which has been turned
long unless he made a reasonable profit on the product which he
on has disclosed that here and there a dark spot existed, but nothing
sold above legitimate expenses.
more.
The trouble is that when men listen to certain statements made
Will the demonstration that there never was any reason for the
against their product, they lose their temper, and when that is lost,
panic, that the fear of the public rather than the misconduct of the reason usually goes with it, and no man is able to convince his fel-
banks brought the trouble to the country help us in the future when
low man when he has not his reasoning powers.
manufacturers of suspicion again become busy? Perhaps not; for
EARS ago advertising was a sort of listless occupation. Broad-
human nature forever rushes on to the same old folly, but we are
sides were fired aimlessly at space in the hope of hitting
not afraid to put the statement down where we can easily read
something.
There was no system and very little interest displayed
it, that a most severe trial in the fall of 1907 revealed a general
in
advertising
work. The copy which was prepared was not
financial soundness in New York which is practically without
weighed
as
to
its
trade-drawing force, but in many cases made up
precedent in a large community.
simply
to
fill
space.
But by and by the indifferent work began to
The business skies are steadily clearing and notwithstanding the
be
supplanted
by
system—by
real advertising rifle practice.
fact that we are closely approaching a Presidential election, there
Advertising gradually conformed to evolutionistic theories, ad-
seems to be less fear as to the result than a few days ago. A good
vertising copy was written to strike straight home at the hearts of
many orders for manufactured products in various lines have been
the people, trade was solicited and the old form has passed entirely
placed for future delivery, contingent upon the election of Mr. Taft.
Within the past ten days the tide has turned very strongly in the away. Successful men now show the same interest in advertising
which they do in any other important department of their business
alleged doubtful states toward Mr. Taft, under whose guidance the
and the business man who does not regard publicity in the right
country would undoubtedly prosper.
way usually has the sorrow of viewing 1 decadent business,
because almost every business which has retrograded has been
DEALER who resides in an important city in Pennsylvania
ruined by advertising paralysis, for business decadence is due largely
writes: "Your excellent articles treating of the various
kinds of competition in the piano trade are no doubt read by the to a policy of non-advertising.
PHILADELPHIA:
R. W. KAUTFMAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
CHAS. N. VAN BURIN.
I
Y
A