Music Trade Review

Issue: 1911 Vol. 53 N. 17

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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
V O L . LIII. N o . XI- Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, Oct. 28,1911
CENTS.
Keeping Pace With the Onward March
T
HE tidal wave of progress is sweeping a lot of weaklings from what they have supposed to be im-
pregnable positions.
No man can sit down supinely and figure on yesterdays and maintain his position.
The business man must keep constantly absorbing new ideas, for the conditions around
him are constantly changing—requiring new strength—for newer weapons of competition are being con-
stantly introduced into the battle for trade.
The weaklings are doomed unless they change their policies in a radical degree, for, it is the virile,
active, progressive business men who are constantly absorbing new theories who will eventually dom-
inate everything in the trade world; and, the men who sit indifferently by and fritter away opportunities
will be wiped out just the same as the rotten nations are doomed to decay. They will constantly lose terri-
tory to the stronger and more aggressive nations. The narrow nation cannot survive any more than the
indifferent business man can win out.
To hold the vantage ground in business a man must constantly renew his vitality and review his
knowledge so that he is accurately posted and is always keeping pace with the onward march of prog-
ress.
Of course, there are many men in trade disgusted with what they call the new policies; but, disgust
never conquered the enemy more than indifference.
It is true there are many plans in the trade world of to-day which will not stand the searchlight of
investigation.
.
There are many ultra-sensational methods. These are destined to extinction because public opinion
will be opposed to them more and more; but, up-to-date, progressive methods of the right kind are bound
to succeed; and, it pays every business man to-day to give closer attention to details than ever before.
He must work out a campaign in advance and give each factor its position of relative importance, for,
if we ignore the little things or.give them but passing attention, we are apt to encounter failure.
We must build from the ground up; and, the cause of many a failure is due to the fact that aspirations
are fixed upon a finished product instead of keeping the mind on day-to-day details.
We fail simply because we have not the patience to climb to ordinary heights step by step.
We expect to reach the top rounds of the ladder before we have touched the lower ones.
Now, all great achievements have been accomplished by the step-to-step methods; and, to succeed one
must find joy in the successful performance of each day's duties.
When each day's work is well done—each detail properly perfected, there need be no fear as to the
character of the finished product.
Success is very difficult to reach if one goes at it the wrong way; but, it is not difficult if the right
methods are used!
I do not mean away up in the clouds kind of success, for few of us can get beyond the snow line—but
just plain, ordinary, everyday kind of success—which means some of the good things.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC
TRADE! REV! El W
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Staff
GLAD. HENDERSON,
A. J. NICKLIN,
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
B. BRITTAIN WILSON,
WM. B. WHITE,
W. H. DYKES,
L. E. BOWEHS.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 37 South Wabash Ave.
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone, Central 414.
Telephone, Main 6950.
Room 806.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS a n d ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
SAN FRANCISCO:
CLYDE JENNINGS.
S. H. GRAY, 88 First Street.
CINCINNATI, O.: JACOB W. WALTERS.
BALTIMORE, MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, 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 Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Can-
ada, $3.50; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.50 per inch, single column, per insertion.
On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $75.00.
REMITTANCES,
in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyraan Bill.
Music Section
An important feature of this publication is a complete sec-
tion devoted to the interests of music publishers and dealers.
P| Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
• lajcl
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, reg-
allU
Tf>plinif»!ll F i o n a r t m i m t c
ulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos are
l C l l l l l l i a i VCffdl tlllCllt&. d e a ] t w i t h j W JH b e f oun( f j n another section of this
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
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal. . .Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma. ...Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. ...Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES - NUMBERS 4677 a n d 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting a l l Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s : "Elbill, N e w York."
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 2 8 , 1911
EDITORIAL
R
EPORTS from Review correspondents in leading cities indi-
cate a better condition of business in the music trade field this
week than for some time past, but collections still continue poor.
Piano dealers everywhere are rather conservative in placing
orders, and a cautious attitude is being exercised which, although
wise, is placing manufacturers at a disadvantage in regard to pre-
paring stock for the holiday and winter trade. Dealers possessing
a knowledge of local conditions should make it a point to analyze
the situation and endeavor to place advance orders for pianos and
players with manufacturers at as early a date as possible, so that
there will be no delay in supplying their demands when a larger
activity materializes at a later period.
• Pianos cannot be made in a week, although some dealers seem
to think so when they complain of orders not being filled as quickly
as. they would like. Manufacturers should not be expected to carry
an unusual amount of finished stock unless the dealers advise them
exactly regarding their needs for the next six months. This is a
duty they owe the manufacturers—that is, provided they desire to
secure pianos when, they want them later in the year.
Without any exception the commercial reports in all lines of
trade this week are most cheerful, containing news of increased
activity and higher expectations among business men. The dry
goods trade at wholesale seems to be leading the improvement, but
the kindred line of men's clothing, and the shoe and leather trades
seem to be keeping close up with it. Even in iron and steel lower
price schedules are attracting some buying.
Without any misgivings as to hurtful effect on trade, the mer-
cantile community is keeping in the back of its head the fact that
the tariff is coming up in January again, and merchants, simply
because they are looking out for profit and loss, are buying shrewdly
at wholesale. In the mid-West this tariff expectation is without
doubt influencing country merchants more than any fear of de-
creased purchasing ability among the farmers. In the face of this
fact, it is a sign of the latent strength of the whole situation that
whenever price cuts are made, new buying, with obvious intent to
take speculative advantage of low prices and stock up for coming
months, makes its appearance.
More freight cars are being put in use on the railroads, and
there appears a slight advance in gross receipts from traffic. Bank
clearings have shaded off just a bit, but it is possible that this indi-
cates as big a turnover of goods as last year, at lower prices.
\ CCORDING to reports from abroad, the automobile is cutting
±~\ into all lines, of trade, and the statements which are made
officially to our Department of Commerce and Labor regarding the
effect of the automobile upon trade in various lines in some parts
of England are particularly interesting.
Our Consul in Birmingham, in reports of interviews with rep-
resentatives of various branches of the trade, presents the following
array of facts:
House painters and decorators complain that their business is
injured materially by the increasing habit of the people to spend
money for automobiles and neglect the interior finish of their
homes.
The furniture trade has been affected seriously because house-
holders cease buying in order to invest in the machines.
Real estate dealers complain of dullness in their line on ac-
count of the tendency of people to buy automobiles instead of
lands and houses.
Theater managers assert that their business is in /danger be-
cause of the claim which the horseless machines seem to possess
over the attractions of the stage.
Dealers in musical instruments, booksellers, clothiers and cos-
tumers, in fact, nearly all class of tradesmen and manufacturers,
join in evidence that the automobile craze is injuring their business.
Our home dealers in general merchandise blame the automo-
bile for many things, and piano dealers particularly say that it not
only cuts into the sale of pianos, but in many instances it is creating
unused pianos.
In other words, in thousands of homes where pianos are already
placed, members of the family are more interested in automobile
rides than they are in piano playing. Hence it is helping along
the abandonment of the piano for outdoor enjoyment.
There is another and more serious side, and that is the fact
that thousands of people have purchased automobiles whose finan-
cial condition did not warrant them in making such an outlay, the
maintenance of which is making inroads upon their income.
But, view the automobile as we may, we may as well make up
our minds that it has come to stay, and the automobile factories are
busier than ever.
LEADING manufacturer remarked this week: "I believe
A
that The Review is doing a vast amount of good for the
music trade, and, to my mind, its attitude on trade subjects is most
commendable."
Letters are being received from subscribers almost everywhere
showing that The Review's campaign for trade uplift is having its
effect.
Leland B. Gorton, of Paw Paw, Mich., writes: "Permit me
to acknowledge my esteem of the high character of your publi-
cation, covering, as it does, the entire domain of the music trade
in a manner unapproached by any other trade paper to which I
subscribe. Certainly you are exerting an influence through your
many corrective and educational campaigns which must inevitably
raise the trade to higher business standards. In my opinion, every
dealer who respects the attainment of high ethical principal should
feel himself personally indebted to you for your emphatic stand
against everything detrimental to the best interests of our industry."
W
E should all endeavor to acquire a positiveness and strength
of character so that those with whom we come in contact
will feel an enlightening and encouraging influence. There are
many human beings in this wide world who need a sustaining and
agreeable personality cast about them in order to develop into
successful men.

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