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THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
j . B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
CJBO. B. KXOXKB,
_ W. H. DYKBS,
A.
B. BmiTTAiN WILSON,
R. W. SIMMONS.
J. N I C K L I N ,
L. B. Bowras,
A D Q C S T J.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
G. W. HENDERSON, 180 TVemant St.
E. P. V A N HAHLINGBN, 156 Wabash Ave-
Room 18.
.
Room 806.
Telephone, Oxford 2936-2.
Telephone, Central 414.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS a n d S T . P A U L :
S T . LOUIS:
R W. KAVFFMAN,
ADOLF EDSTBN.
CHA8. N. VAN BURIN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GBAY, 88 First Street.
CINCINNATI.©.:
BALTIMORE, M D . :
LONDON. ENGLAND:
JACOB W. WALTBEB.
A. ROBERT FRBNCH.
69 Baslnghall St., B. C.
W. LIONBL STUBDT,
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION. (Including postage). United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $8.50; all other countries, f4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2,00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. AdTertlslng Pages, $60.00; opposite
leading matter, $76.00.
REMITTANCES. In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman BUI.
An
Q«>f»tirin
important feature of this publication is a complete sec-
U ^ ^ * * V M » t i o n devoted to the interests of music publishers and dealers.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Brand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1000 Silver Medal. Charleston Bxposltlon, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Bxposltlon, 1901 Gold Medal
Bt. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal
Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting a l l Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s : "Elblll. N e w York."
NEW YORK, APRIL 30, 1910
EDITORIAL
ATTACKS UPON THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE PRESS.
S
his opinions upon trade matters to any client before printing them
he will step down and out, and cheerfully admit that trade journal-
ism for him has ended in inglorious failure.
An advertiser has no more right to demand a subservient policy
on the part of a trade publication than has an advertiser in the New
York Tribune to say that the editor of that publication should sup-
port Mr. Bryan for the Presidency, else his advertising support will
be withdrawn, or to say to the Chicago Record-Herald that its edi-
torial policy should be changed according to the whims of adver-
tisers.
When that time comes papers will cease to be valuable from an
American viewpoint.
•
They will simply be little pocket-pieces of the advertisers, to be
tossed aside when desired.
When the button is pressed they must speak their little piece
according to the dictates of the men who patronize the advertising
columns.
Fine position, is it not?
Not for us, thank you.
PECULIAR ATTITUDE OF SOME PAPERS.
Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
INCE throwing open the columns of The Review to a general
discussion of the coupon scheme of advertising we have been
in receipt of many communications, some of which have been more
than ordinarily interesting.
()ur attitude in this matter seems to have aroused considerable
surprise in the minds of many, who have expressed amazement and,
we may add, admiration that a trade publication should voice its
sentiments as opposed to certain of its clients.
One man, a prominent dealer, in writing this week, said: " I
want to express my hearty appreciation of the way you are battling
against the contest schemes in the piano business. I think that
everything of a scheme kind does harm. No line of goods could
be handled in that way, so why should a business which ought to
be on the very highest plane be discredited by the many schemes
which only appeal to the lower nature of those who would like to
have a piano.
. "I want to express my admiration further of the editorial policy
of a paper which dares to say things which must necessarily offend
some of its clients and- I have no doubt some are narrow-minded
enough to sever their business relations with you."
Funny conditions prevailing that a man should find it necessary
to express his admiration of a paper which dares to voice an inde-
pendent policy!
We never have felt that because any individual or corporation
places advertising with us that the editorial policy of the paper was
a part of the contract.
We have no knowledge of any time in the history of this paper
when a collar, to which there was attached a string, held by an
advertiser, chafed our editorial necks.
In other words, we render to our advertisers a full equivalent
without including in it our editorial freedom.
When the present editor of The Review is compelled to submit
REVIEW
I
^ H E position of independence of a trade paper, however, is even
more difficult to maintain than in a daily newspaper, because
the editor of the former is brought into close contact with his business
clients. In fact, many of them are personal friends and it requires
greater firmness on his part to combat their views along certain
lines, but the moment a threatening attitude is used towards the
editor of a trade publication and he bows the head and bends the
knee in fear thereof from that moment dates his downfall. He
becomes a mere automaton—a spineless specimen of humanity,
whose chief work in life is to obsequiously acquiesce in everything
which is presented to him from the man who is willing to spend a
little money in his columns in order to control his utterances.
The man who will bend the knee to such dictation is little bet-
ter as far as usefulness goes than the blackmailing journalist whose
demand for business is accompanied by a threat.
After a while he finds his true level and that is pretty well down.
Whether he damns or praises any special product it amounts to
the same thing.
His praises are looked upon as purchased and his abuses are
known to be threats for money.
No industry should support a venal, blackmailing press nor a
gelatine, sycophantic, spineless bunch of papers.
We believe that every man is entitled to his opinion upon any
public question and, if our opinion does not coincide with some of
our friends, we certainly would be weak if we failed to state what
we believe to be right.
It is rather amusing to see the attitude of some of the trade
papers on this great proposition of coupon guessing contests since
The Review began the agitation. No less than three of the papers
have asserted that while the danger existed that it is all passed and
there is no use of discussing ancient history, and in the same breath
one states that 100,000 pianos were sold last year through guessing
contest schemes which would not have been sold otherwise.
This same publication stated in an earlier issue that nearly
215,000 pianos were sold in this country last year.
Of course, the latter statement is absurd and shows ignorance
on the part of the man who wrote it, but, taking the paper at its
own word, it admits that nearly one-half of the pianos sold were
sold on a scheme plan, and yet it says that the danger is passed.
That's strange logic, is it not?
The truth is the coupon scheme is eating into the very heart
of the trade and the danger is not passed.
It is growing daily and every man who is in touch with the
true situation in all parts of the country must realize the great
danger to piano selling of the future which will come through the
destruction of public confidence in all the values brought about
through the widespread adoption of coupon schemes for piano
selling.
T H E DANGER IS GROWING ALL T H E TIME.
OW, if anyone, whether conducting a trade publication or run-
ning a piano store, entertains decided views upon this great
question, thev should not hesitate t<> express their opinions, but it
is not a time for papers to hide behind the statement that the danger
is over.
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