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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MUSIC TRADE NEWS FROM GERMANY
Manufacturers and Retailers in Germany Are Enjoying a Greatly Increased Business—Gen-
eral Conditions Show Steady Mend—The Outlook for 1910 Most Promising in All Lines
of Trade—Some Interesting Developments in Connection with Royalties on Records.
(Special to The Review.)
Berlin, Germany, Jan. 31, 1910.
The very great depression experienced in the
piano trade during the summer months was suc-
ceeded by such brisk business during the Christ-
mas season that the latter will bear comparison
with any of the most successful years. As was
only to be expected, there has been a considerable
falling off since Christmas, but it is nevertheless
evident that conditions have undergone a radical
cuange since the early part of last year.
Twelve months ago the piano industry in Berlin
was altogether at a standstill, whereas the other
centres of the trade, such as Leipzig, Dresden
and Stuttgart, had less reason to complain. This
year Berlin has the advantage and the other
towns have fallen more to the rear.
Improvement in German Trade.
Reviewing the condition of German trade in
general during the past year, an improvement is
to be noticed almost everywhere, even though it
be but a slight one. The ill effects of the year
1908 were felt right up to the end of June, when
business began to pick up. However, the re-
covery during the second half-year was only
sufficient to counterbalance the shortcomings of
the previous six months and was altogether in-
adequate to bring the trade up to the level of
the years 1905-1907.
One of the best gauges for the activity of in-
dustry at large is the coal consumption. Ever
since the year 1903 there has been a constant in-
crease in the consumption of coal. After making
due allowance for the increase in the quantity of
coal used for private purposes, which would
arise as a natural result of an increase in popula-
tion and the growing wealth of the community,
there still remains enough to clearly demonstrate
the increase in commercial production. The con-
sumption has risen on an average by about 7
per cent, per annum. The increase during 1908
over 1907 amounted to barely 3 per cent. Last
year the increase was only such as might be ex-
pected from the increase in population, although
it would be safe to assume that during 1909 con-
siderable quantities were used which were taken
over from the previous year, and which are not
allowed for in the statistics.
A review of the railway goods traffic leads to a
somewhat more favorable conclusion. The total
receipts of the German railways from goods
traffic during the first half of 1909 amounted to
763 million marks as compared with 761 million
marks for the same period of the preceding year.
During the five months July-November the re-
ceipts amounted to 728 million marks as against
690% million during the corresponding period
of 1908. There was an increase in the goods
traffic with foreign countries amounting to 5
per cent, of the total value, which was fairly
evenly divided between imports and exports. The
actual figures for the exports were: 5,137 million
marks in 1907, 4,787 million marks in 1908 and
5,017 million marks in 1909.
to expect that the exports will soon reach the
level of former years and will furnish ample
employment for German industry.
An Interesting Record Situation.
The German Grammophon Co. sprang a peculiar
surprise upon the commercial world at New Year.
A lawsuit is pending in which a firm of pub-
lishers have taken action against a disc manu-
facturer on the ground of his having unlawfully
manifolded the words of a song, the musical
score of which is not protected by copyright.
Judgment has been rendered against the disc
manufacturer in two instances, the courts having
decided that he has not the right to make use of
the words of the seng without paying royalty.
This judgment has, however, not become legally
effective, owing to the case having been appealed
a second time. In spite of this the Grammophon
Co. have introduced royalty stamps for all discs
which are protected by ordinary copyright. This
innovation was made effective on Jan. 1. This
proceeding is most surprising, as the Gram-
moph'on Co. have never had any dealings with
the composers of the words of the songs and
have therefore fixed the royalty of 2-17 cents quite
arbitrarily at about 3 per cent, of the selling
price of the disc. The Grammophon Co. give as
their reason for the voluntary purchase of
royalty stamps that they wish to protect their
customers against subsequent claims for damages.
They hope in this way to do an increased busi-
ness with the dealers and to steal a march on
other manufacturers who have not adopted the
royalty stamp idea. The dealers have, however,
refused the proffered bait, very correctly reason-
ing that there is still time to tax stock when the
courts have definitely decided that publishers
are entitled to copyright protection for the words
used on the discs. It also remains for the pub-
lishers to see how they will obtain damages in
respect of discs which have passed into private
hands. Should, however, the courts finally de-
cide that the discs are not subject to royalty, the
Grammophon Co. would have to endeavor to re-
fund the amounts paid for royalty stamps, which
would be a tremendously difficult and trying
undertaking, unless they wished to expose them-
selves to a charge of having obtained money by
false pretences. As far as can be judged up to
the present, it would seem that the Grammophon
Co. have made a very great mistake and the
dealers will doubtless choose the easiest way out
of the difficulty by confining themselves as far as
possible to the sale of discs which are not subject
to royalty.
CLOUGH & WARREN ACTIVITY.
Working Overtime and Running Factory to
Capacity in Order to Catch Up with Orders.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, Mich., Feb. 15, 1910.
Although the Clough & Warren Co. are work-
ing overtime and running their factory at Adrian,
The Outlook for the Present Year.
Mich., to the limit of its capacity, the company
The outlook for 1910 is not unpromising. The is behind in its orders for early spring delivery.
depression during 1908 was chiefly caused by The last week has been the best this old estab-
enormous over-production. The feeling of reti- lished company has ever had. Orders have come
cence which dominated trade afterwards had the in so rapidly from traveling representatives that
effect that only the most necessary articles were the workmen have been unable to keep up with
manufactured. Now that the demand is con- them. It may be possible that the Clough &
stantly increasing, manufacturers will take full Warren Co. will be compelled to run double
advantage of the improvement. Another interest- shifts at their factory if their traveling salesmen
ing fact is that the buying power of the agricul- continue as successful during the rest of the
tural population is continually increasing, owing spring season as they have been so far this year.
to the heavy protective duties on agricultural
products and to several very favorable harvests.
W. C. LANNING IN TEXAS.
If Germany is successful, by suitable concessions
in the German duty, in warding off several
W. C. Lanning, formerly with Sohmer & Co..
threatened protective measures on the part of
New York, is now connected with the Ross &
foreign countries, there seems to be every reason Heyer Co., piano dealers, of Fort Worth, Tex.
" T h e y Chose
the Best"
"They"
are Messrs. Heintz-
man & Co., (Limited),
the leading piano man-
ufacturers of the Do-
minion of Canada.
''The Best"which they chose
is the player mechan-
ism of the Autotone;
and they chose it from
a m o n g All p l a y e r -
pianos.
^ p H E name and reputation of the
Heintzman Piano arc very jealously
guarded by its makers. When they de-
cided, therefore, to equip it with a self-
playing mechanism they determined that
they would not stop short of the most
musically efficient in existence—a mechan-
ism moreover that should be so con-
structed as not in the slightest degree to
injure cither tone or action of the finest
piano.
They passed in very careful review
ALL the better known player-pianos, only
to reach the conclusion that the best
player-piano manufactured is
The
Hardman Autotone
The Piano all can play by hand or
perforated Music Rolls
In spite of the heavy import duty, which
they realized must be paid on a mechanism
of American manufacture, negotiations
were at once begun with Messrs. Hard-
man, Peck & Co., regarding the installa-
tion of the Autotone player mechanism in
Heintzman pianos.
The Makers of the Autotone had been
from time to time approached by the
makers of the best American pianos with
propositions similar to that presented by
Messrs. Heintzman & Co., of Canada.
They had consistently declined to allow
the Autotone playing mechanism to be in-
stalled in any piano in this country not
made by themselves, or under their direct
supervision and control.
But here, they were dealing with a for-
eign country, where they had no factory
of their own; so, especially in view of the
reputation enjoyed by the Heintzman
Piano, the flattering request of its makers
was willingly acceded to.
The playing mechanism, therefore, of
the Heintzman Player-Piano will be iden-
tical witli that of the Hardman Autotone.
It will be made in New York by the
same makers and shipped in a complete
state to Canada, there to be installed in
the very excellent instrument which it is
to transform into "a Piano ALL can play,
either by hand or perforated music rolls."
Hardman, Peck & Co.
(Established 1842)
138 Fifth Avenue, New York