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THE MUSIC TRADE
FLVIFW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
G K . B. Kau.a»,
B. BRITTAIH WILSON,
W. H. DTKHS,
A. J. NICKLIN,
R. W. SIUUOIIS,
AUGUST J. TIMPM.
L. B. BOWERS,
WM. B. WHITE.
E. P. VAN HARLINGKN, 156 Wabash Ave.
Room 806,
Room 12.
Telephone, Central 414.
Telephone, Oxford 1159-2.
ST. LOUIS:
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS a n d ST. PAUL:
ADOLF EDSTEN,
CHAS. N. VAN BURHN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 88 First Street.
CINCINNATI, O.:
BALTIMORE, MD.:
JACOB W. WAT/TUBS.
A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON. ENGLAND: 69 Basinghall St., E. C. W. LIONEL STURDY, Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Cluss Matter.
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Canada. J3.K0: all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2.00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Music Section.
An important feature of this publication is a complete sec-
tion devoted to the interests of music publishers and dealers.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
Player and
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
are dealt with, will be found in another section of this
Technical
Departments.
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Qrana Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 190li
Diploma..Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Oold Medal.. .St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal
Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 a n d 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting all Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s : "ElbilL N e w York."
NEW
YORK, DECEMBER 24, 1910
EDITORIAL
/ ^ H R I S T M A S trade lias been disappointing.
y^s
There is no denying the fact that in many sections dealers
have not enjoyed the holiday activity which they had counted upon
and we may as well say so.
It is true that on the Pacific Coast trade has kept up splendidly
and in the Middle West business has responded fairly w T ell.
In the South good conditions have been somewhat sporadic.
In the East, particularly in the New England States, business
has been slow and collections have not been up to the standard.
As a result of a slackening in the retail demand some of the
factories have suffered.
It is a trifle too early to tell just how the trade will balance up
in comparison with last year, but business has been eccentric.
Some concerns have been extremely busy and will even show
an increase over 1909. while others will not reach nearly the point
which they attained last year; and, as we view it, 1910 has been a
year full of trade disappointments.
Business has lacked virility and strength which is at all times
desirable and there has not been a fair buying and selling market.
It is difficult to explain the causes; but, causes or no causes,
these conditions have existed and no one seems to have dug deep
enough to get at the real bottom of business stagnancy.
Nature has been rich in her gifts and the fundamentals seem
sound and yet trade conditions have not been generally satisfying.
I
throughout the Union which does not reflect credit upon piano mer-
chants generally.
It is obvious that by the form of advertising indulged in by
many the trade of piano selling is being pulled down to a lower
level.
In many advertisements which we have seen during the past
two months the intent of the advertiser to mislead is plain.
Now, misleading advertising reacts. It is bound to do that.
Straightforward publicity always pays and surely enough argu-
ments can be made for particular pianos without descending to
such low levels as are adopted by many concerns.
We dislike to particularize because that invariably creates hard
feelings and oftentimes the intent of the critic is misunderstood and
misconstrued.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
BOSTON OFFICE:
G. W. HENDERSON, 178 Tremont 8 t
R. W. KADITMAN,
REVIEW
T must be admitted, although reluctantly, that there has been a
vast amount of advertising matter put forth by piano houses
W
HEN we commenced the attack upon the piano puzzle con-
tests we were actuated by sincere motives to protect the
piano trade from destruction by those within.
That we succeeded in arousing country-wide interest is ad-
mitted.
That, however, does not mean that we could change the nature
of individuals.
Reformation is up to the trade itself. All the trade newspaper
can do is to point the way.
Now, if the way is not followed the newspaper is not to blame.
The issue was forced at Richmond notwithstanding great in-
fluence was brought to bear to delay action, but that all the men
who are members of the Piano Dealers' National Association are
fiving up to the resolutions passed at Richmond is not true.
Many of them are openly violating the expressed sentiments
of the Convention, but so long as there is no penalizing, what can
the association do?
That is up to the officers to find the way and not up to the
newspapers.
We made a good fight and the echoes are still rumbling.
B
EFORE us lies a recent copy of The Helena Daily Independent
in which appears a full page advertisement of the Reeves
Music House.
This advertisement is headed "Are Piano Puzzle Contests, Due
Bills, Coupons, Checks, Bonds, Etc., Calculated to Delude the
Public ?"
Then follows the subjoined:
"For a number of years there has been developing in the
piano trade throughout the United States two separate and distinct
opinions as to how piano merchants should properly conduct their
affairs to win the respect and confidence of the public, and we have
thought it not out of place at this time to submit to the people of
Helena and all Montana some information in our possession along
this line.
"On one side we find a class of merchants urging decency, moral
uplift and constructiveness; while on the other side we find mer-
chants practising schemes called illegitimate, such as puzzle pic-
tures, contests to procure names of prospective purchasers and
other schemes said to be misleading to the public.
"This subject has worried the members of the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Dealers a great deal and it was finally submitted
to a vote at the annual meeting in Richmond, Va., a short time ago,
honorable methods side winning three to one.
"The editor of The Music Trade Review is without doubt the
person who forced the issue and compelled the association to bring
it to a vote. He is a fearless writer and a man with clean thoughts
and wonderful ability. He is constantly pointing out the straight
and narrow way to us struggling piano dealers and urging us to be
good and do right at all times. It was he who first said if the mis-
leading forms of advertising such as the puzzle contests, issuance
of bonds, coupons, etc., was right and proper and a good thing then
every dealer should adopt the system; but if the system was wrong
then it should be condemned by everybody."
The Reeves Music House then reproduces a number of edi-
torials from The Review on the coupon system of advertising:
The instance cited above is only one of the many which have
come to us of the reproduction of editorials in The Review by
dealers who are opposed to the alleged puzzle contests.
It shows that they believe these utterances add to the strength