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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
j . B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
L. B. BOWERS,
QBO. B. K m n ,
>v. H. D u n ,
B. W. SIMMONS.
AUGUST J. TlMPB.
B. BSITTAIH WlLSON,
A. J. NlGKMN,
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
GLAD. \V. IIENDKHSON.
B. P. VAN HARMNQBN, Room 806,1B8 Wabash Are-
Telephone, Central 414.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
B. W. KAorrirAH,
A D O U EDBTBN.
CHAS. N. VAN BUBBN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY. 88 P i n t Street.
CINCINNATI. O.:
JACOB W. W i L n i 8 .
BALTIMORE, MD.:
A. ROBERT PBBNCH.
LONDON. ENGLAND: 69 Baslnghall St., B.C. W. LIONBL STUBDT, Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
), 1 United Statea and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
SUBSCRIPTION. (Including postage).
Canada, $8.50; all other countries, f 4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2,00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. AdTtrtlsIng Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $76.00.
REMITTANCES. In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill
An
t { on
important feature of this publication is a complete sec-
devoted to the interests of music publishers and dealers.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Brand Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1001
Gold Medal
Bilver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Oold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1004
Lewis-Clark BxposiUon. 1908.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting all Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s : "Elbill. N e w York."
NEW YORK, APRIL 16, 1910
EDITORIAL
NOT AGAINST THE INDIVIDUAL, ?,UT THE PRINCIPLE.
ROBABLY no position taken by a trade publication on a single
subject lias aroused the interest that The Review publicity
campaign on .scheme and coupon advertising has created in this
industry.
We have received communications from every State in the
Union, and it is gratifying to note that with rare exceptions the
dealers have put themselves squarely on record as opposed to mis-
leading forms of advertising such as the puzzle contest and the
issuance of bonds, coupons, etc.
While there have been some bitter criticisms made concern-
ing the attitude of this paper it should be understood
distinctly that The Review is not making a campaign against the
individual using the coupon form of advertising, but rather against
a principle which exists which to our reasoning is detrimental to
the best interests of the trade.
We have been careful to eliminate the names of dealers and
manufacturers who have been exploiting scheme contests.
Our belief is, if the. system is right then all should adopt it.
But, on the contrary, if it is as we believe it to be, injurious to
the best interests of the trade then it should be torn out root and
branch.
It should be so thoroughly squelched that it will never reappear
in music trade circles.
Some of those who have secured good business out of the
coupon schemes console themselves with the statement that there
are forms of advertising which have been used, which are just as
misleading as the coupon schemes.
They refer to the misrepresentation which is made regarding
values of pianos in advertising matter which is put forth.
Let us suppose that there is now, and has been for years past,
certain forms in vogue which savor of misrepresentation in the
exploitation of pianos!
P
REVIEW
Suppose we concede that without argument.
Is there any reason why a still worse plan should be adopted?
Do two wrongs make a right?
Of course, everything is not white as the driven snow in busi-
ness circles and neither will it be, but there is no reason why we
should drift from modest misrepresentation into the most twisted
and distorted methods that can well be conceived in the trade world.
There is no reason why we should enter upon a policy which
savors of misrepresentation from the start.
The statement that coupons are issued in lieu of commissions
is absurd to say the least.
Because there may be certain abuses in the trade then that
condition at once justifies the adoption of infinitely worse methods!
Queer logic, is it not?
Of course, pianos have been disposed of through the adoption
of these methods in large numbers and quite naturally the scheme
is inviting and as such it must have some enthusiastic supporters.
It should be understood, however, that the Post Office Depart-
ment is carefully watching this coupon scheme, and a prominent
dealer in southern territory has recently advised the Department,
after an investigation into his advertising had been made, that he
will not publish another contest until the proposed matter has been
first submitted to the Post Office authorities.
The newspapers are aware of these conditions and some of
them to-day are refusing to accept coupon advertising.
One of the legal authorities connected with the Post Office
Department recently passed upon an advertisement which contem-
plated the award of prizes to persons finding a number of faces
represented in an outline advertisement.
He stated that it is uniformly required that in such contests
all of the prizes to be given should be listed in the order of their
award so that a definite prize will be provided for each contestant
to whom it is intended to give a prize.
This was not so stated in the advertisement to which his atten-
tion was called and he stated unless this was amended accordingly
it should not be accepted for mailing.
So, it will be seen that conditions regarding this coupon adver-
tising have reached a state where il is necessary for the Post Office
Department to watch these advertisements.
Surely, such a condition does not reflect credit upon the
methods employed in the piano trade.
THE PATHETIC SIDE.
WELL-KNOWN dealer, while discussing this subject with
The Review, said that the more intelligent portion of the
public have long ago learned that these contests are fakes and that
they do not enter into them and the contestants to-day are the least
posted—hence the poorer class.
He says that no matter how legitimate the contests are adver-
tised the poor people go to work to solve the puzzles or count the
dots, or draw the faces, or do whatever else is suggested, believing
that they are going to get something, and when they have the
formidable gold decorated bond or coupon in their hands they look
upon it as a medium of exchange.
He referred particularly to one house which had been running
a heavily advertised contest in which a large number of poor people
became intensely interested.
When the great contest was over and the coupons distributed,
many of the holders called upon the local dealers to ascertain further
particulars and there was not in the entire lot a prospect which could
be called a live one, and yet the salesmen and managers had to
stand up and tell those poor deluded victims that the bonds were
not worth car fare home.
One young girl with tears streaming down her face said weep-
ingly that if she could get enough out of her bond to send her to
school she would be satisfied.
Surely there is a pathetic side to this business, and it does not
speak well for the music trade that such methods arc adopted to win
piano patronage.
In the end it can have but one result—to destroy the confidence
of the people in piano values and they will look upon piano mer-
chants in every city and hamlet in the land with a certain degree of
distrust. And when confidence is once destroyed it will take a long
time to replace it, and it will mean that instead of increasing the
piano output a great curtailment will result.
A