Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1911 Vol. 53 N. 20

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THE:
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
TOWEL
T is conceded by those who have given close consideration to the
matter of publicity in connection with piano sales that the well-
printed catalog has been a most helpful factor in promoting interest
in pianos, player-pianos and other musical instruments. Recent
publications sent out by prominent houses in the trade have been
of a high order of merit, particularly in the care devoted to the
illustrations of the various instruments presented. Their produc-
tion has cost much money, for it goes without saying that nothing
of such a high grade character can be produced without unusual
expense, but it is a wise expenditure, for what is worth doing at all
is worth doing well, and a catalog that is well written and well
printed is a permanent advertisement for the house issuing it—one
that is bound to attract and hold the attention of those considering
the purchase of a piano. To paraphrase the Bard of Avon, "It's
the catalog that oft proclaims the house," and it is from this form
of publicity that many people get their first impressions of the manu-
facturer and his products. Hence the wisdom of sending out
literature that impresses and convinces.
•t H *
RIGINALITY pays just as much in the retailing of pianos as
in any other line of business, and the dealers who recognize
this fact are the ones who are getting the best results from their
efforts. For a dealer to adopt up-to-date methods does not neces-
sarily mean that he displays originality, for he may simply be fol-
lowing in the footsteps of a competitor while still keeping in advance
of the remaining dealers in his territory. To give player-piano
recitals does not call for any special comment at the present time,
for such recitals offer the most direct means for interesting would-
be purchasers in the instrument featured. The recital is recognized
as the up-to-date and established method of introducing and selling
player-pianos, but it has been a recognized factor in that trade too
long to permit it to lay claim to originality to-day.
Take the chains of branch stores run by several piano manufacturers
and by large wholesale houses and which are proving highly suc-
cessful. In such systems each store is an individual unit, complete
in itself, and under the direction of a local manager who is looked
to for results. The only details of the business of the branch stores
that interest the main house is the volume of sales and the profits.
When either does not come up to expectations it is up to the
manager to explain, and if he does not make good a new manager
is installed. Under such a unit system the officers of the company
do not have to face the problem of a weaker store in an unprofitable
location absorbing the profits made by another branch in more pro-
ductive territory. Each store must swim or sink on its own re-
sponsibility and the fact that the greater number of the branches
continue to swim along nicely indicates that the system is sound.
RECOGNIZED necessity in developing trade in all lines is
keeping in touch with customers. This, of course, is only
A
possible through the salesmen, and it may be said that the ambassa-
dors, as we usually call them, of the piano trade are men of unusual
ability, well worthy the confidence of their employers and thoroughly
equipped to augment the business of their house and improve the
existing relations. When the traveling man possesses intelligence,
personality and a knowledge of the business, the house can safely
trust its customers to his handling. The longer such a man calls on
dealers the greater his influence becomes, and in dealing with a
successful salesman year after year, the retailer is bound to consider
him an important factor in his relations with the firm. An intelli-
gent salesman is worth good money to any business house. He
makes the bond between the house and the dealer close, but the
moment the salesman begins to resort to lavish promises or decep-
tion to secure an order, then it goes the other way. Troubles are
inevitable and friendly relations are liable to become somewhat
•t *? 16
strained, but a good salesman can always untangle any of the little
HILE the recital itself may not be called an original method knots which iray be tied in business. It's good salesmanship to sell
of attracting public attention, it is still possible to evolve goods at right prices to responsible parties, but it's not good sales-
original forms of recitals, and in that direction a prominent house manship to grant ridiculous terms to dealers—prices which afford
in Toledo, O., The Whitney & Currier Co., stood forth to advantage the manufacturer no profit. That is not good salesmanship, and
recently. It happened that the famous grand opera tenor, Scotti, it's mighty poor judgment.
was scheduled to appear in concert at one of the local theaters on
a certain evening, and the music house referred to immediately
arranged for the use of the ballroom in the leading hotel at an
ITH the aid of a $48 instrument known as the aerophone,
earlier hour of the same evening. Invitations were then extended
Grindell Matthews, an English inventor, has just succeeded
to the members of a prominent club and their friends to attend a in projecting the sound of his voice through material which the
Victor talking machine and Pianola piano recital as the guests of biggest steel projectile on earth would fail to penetrate. United
the Whitney & Currier Co. During the recital practically every well- States Consul-General John L. Griffiths, of London, in a Consular
known record made by Scotti for the Victor Co. was played on the report says that Mr. Matthews was placed in the strong room of
machine, the singer's voice being accompanied on several occasions a big London commercial house and locked in, with nine inches of
on the Pianola piano, with excellent effect. There were also solo armor steel, nine inches of fire brick and six feet of concrete between
numbers for the latter instrument. The performance aroused much him and the outer world. By means of his small portable apparatus
interest on the part of the audience, and after they had attended the he carried on a conversation with an operator in another room on
concert and heard Scotti in person, their enthusiasm regarding the the farther side of the building. So distinct and faithful was the
instruments that so faithfully reproduced his voice and its accom- transmission that the experts in attendance were actually able to
paniment was apparently unbounded. Such originality in the hear the tick of his watch, notwithstanding the almost impenetrable
arrangement of recitals is of the sort that pays dividends.
mass between the two instruments. So great is the faith of the
inventor that he contemplates a further test through five miles
* * «
of
solid rock. In speaking about the aerophone he said that vibra-
HE head of a prominent piano and music house in the Middle
tions
produced in the air by his apparatus do not take the form of
West says that the branch store proposition is not one that
is likely to prove satisfactory or profitable to the house back of it, the Hertzian waves, as in the Marconi system of wireless telegraphy.
and as a result this particular concern has disposed of several In fact, they are not waves at all, inasmuch as the disturbances
branch stores and concentrated its business in its main establish- are of such high frequency that there is no appreciable break
ment. The trouble with many of those who attempt to build up a between them, and their action is rather continuous than fitful and
chain of branch piano stores is that, they look upon those stores as separate, as in the case of Hertzian waves. It is estimated that a
simply tentacles of the main establishment and without the power complete set of instruments for practical work and by means of
to exist on their own account. The result is that the energy and which it will be possible to carry on a conversation through walls,
attention that should be centered on the main store is divided be- mountains or any other objects within a radius of five miles will
tween the branches to the detriment of the business in general. cost $48.
O
W
W
T
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
LATEST TRADE NEWS FROM GERMANY
Business in Germany Suffering from Unrest Due to Politics and High Cost of Living—Export
Trade in Musical Instruments, However, Excellent—"Melograph" the Title of a New Re-
cording and Reproducing Device—Windows Must Be Closed When Pianos Are Played in
Germany—Dutch Musician Invents Aid in Playing Band Instruments—Other News.
(Special to The Review.)
Berlin, Germany, Nov. 1, 1911.
The business position at the present time is char-
acterized by two main features. First, the uncer-
tainty of the political position, and, secondly, the
general increase in the cost of provisions owing
to the great drought during the past summer. Al-
though the political horizon is not actually threat-
ening, complications arising out of the Morocco
question and out of the war between Italy and
Turkey are by no means beyond the bounds of
possibility. This state of unrest is exercising a
very damaging influence on the export trade. On
the other hand, the increase in the price of pro-
visions and consequent scarcity of money among
the general masses of the people constitutes the
chief obstacle to the customary autumn strengthen-
ing of the market.
Nevertheless, in spite of all this, German manu-
facturers of musical instruments are not complain-
ing to any great extent, owing to the fact that
countries outside of Europe are very little affected
by the disturbances here and, further, England is
not holding off with orders. A number of minor
strikes, which have broken out in different Berlin
factories, show that the workmen also regard the
present situation in the piano branch as favorable,
because it is a well-known fact that the men onlj
go out on strike when the market is in good con-
dition.
Music Recording Device Patented.
A Swedish engineer named Nystrom has in-
vented a device for recording and reproducing
tones played on the piano or organ. The reports
so far received about this invention are not suffi-
cient to permit a decided expression of opinion
about it. It will therefore suffice if the main fea-
dTT A satisfied customer
\ J I is a real profit maker
—the best salesman a
piano dealer can possibly
have
Every Packard owner is a Packard
booster. He is more than satis-
fied—for he has received more
than "full value" for his money
That's the reason Packard pianos
are easy to sell—and that's the
reason you will find profit and
pleasure in selling them. Also it's
the reason why we are finding it
easy to get the better dealers
everywhere to handle them. Write
The Packard Company, Fort
Wayne, Indiana—to-day. If we
are not already represented in
your territory, we may be glad
to make agency arrangements
with you—and it may mean for
you the one big opportunity.
tures of the construction are briefly described, as
gathered from reports received. The music roll is
made of a chemically-prepared oil cloth and is
guided over the rollers by an electric motor. The
inventor is said to have worked twenty years on
this apparatus, which he has named the "Melo-
graph." It is further said that the apparatus is
such an unqualified success that it is expected to
bring about a marked improvement in the Swedish
music trade. Patent protection has been secured
for it. The Melograph is said to combine record-
ing and reproducing devices in such a way that a
piece of music just recorded by the apparatus can
be automatically reproduced at once. It remains
to be seen whether the apparatus will fulfill this
promise in actual practice. At all events, in Sweden
it is expected that the Melograph will prove a valu-
able auxiliary in teaching organ and piano playing,
as by immediately reproducing passages played the
teacher can better explain mistakes made by the
pupil.
Trade May Be Affected by New Law.
For a long time past a movement has been afoot
to agitate against the playing of musical instru-
ments with the windows open. The inconsiderate
playing of talking machines has lent additional
force to this movement. Now an anti-noise league
has been formed and has already a considerable
membership in the different cities of Germany.
This league is displaying an entirely rational activ-
ity in agitating against all kinds of unnecessary
noise. It is therefore not out of the question that
the entire music trade may be threatened by a new
law as a result of this agitation. The position in
Prussia at the present time is that the three com-
petent courts have decided that the police authori-
ties have power to forbid the playing of musical
instruments with doors and windows open. Very
little has been done so far to make use of this
power, but we must not let this fact blind us to the
possibility of a severe blow to the musical instru-
ment trade, especially to the mechanical instrument
branch. By summoning the police in Prussia, any-
one can enforce the closing of doors and windows
where a musical instrument is being played. The
police can punish all offenses of this nature by
fines. Therefore, in the interest of the music trade
in general, dealers should, wherever possible, re
quest the public to close the windows when play-
ing, because a law forbidding the playing of musi-
cal instruments with the windows open would be
a serious matter for all branches of the music trade.
Aid in Playing Band Instruments.
A Dutch musician, Mr. Samuels, a member of
the Grand Duke of Schwerin's court orchestra, has
invented a device which makes it possible to play
passages of any length on wind instruments with-
out the interruption caused by drawing breath. Mr.
Samuels effects this by using artificial wind in the
instrument. As the musician's lips are directly
concerned in producing tones from any wind in-
strument, it follows that the artificial current of
air must come from the inside of the mouth. Mr.
Samuels has constructed a small bellows which is
worked by the pressure of the foot, or, if preferred,
by a small electric motor. The air from the bel-
lows passes through a rubber tube into the hollow
of the mouth, and thence into the instrument, just
like ordinary air from the lungs. In inventing this
device Mr. Samuels was guided by the considera-
tion that no player of a wind instrument closes his
teeth while playing and the lips are not disturbed
by a small tube passed through the teeth into the
mouth. If properly arranged, this does not inter-
fere with the playing in the least. There were,
however, other difficulties which had to be over-
come ; the compressed air which is forced into the
mouth would be driven into the lungs (this actual-
ly happened several times during the first trials)
had it not been that a part of the human body,
never used in this connection before, came to the
help of the inventor. It will be found upon trial
that when breath is inhaled through the nose with
the mouth open no air passes from the hollow of
the mouth into the windpipe. Therefore, if air
enters the mouth in such a moment, it finds no
access to the lungs and must take the only other
exit, that is into the instrument. The lips, of
course, must occupy exactly the same position as
if the air came from the lungs and they must
afford the artificial compressed air no indirect
means of exit. Consequently if the musician sets
his lips so as to bring forth the tones, they will be
brought forth by the compressed air.
The use of this device can be mastered with
very little practice. Some musicians are able to
use it after a few hours without the audience being
able to detect any difference in the music. The
most unusual part of the proceedings for the mu-
sician at first is that he can inhale through the
nose and at the same time continue to play his in-
strument with artificial air. In a short time the
musician is able to cut off air from the lungs alto-
gether and play with compressed air for some
minutes. The value of this device is not only in its
saving the strength of the musician, but also in the
fact that connected passages which on the violin
are played with one stroke of the bow can now
also be played on wind instruments without breath-
ing intervals. Eminent musicians, for instance, Dr.
Hans Richter and others, have spoken in the high-
est terms of this new invention.
NEW CROWN REPRESENTATIVE.
VV. S. Banta, who for some time has been man-
ager of the retail branch of the Kroeger Piano
Co. in Bridgeport, Conn., has resigned from his
position and has opened a new store in that city,
where he will handle Crown and Concord pianos
exclusively.
An interesting series of articles will be inaugu-
rated in The Review of November 25. We pro-
pose to give five dollars a week for a short, chatty
expression of views upon interesting topics. Con-
sult our special announcement elsewhere.
THEY
COST
MORE
THEY'RE
WORTH
IT
To the manufacturer who
values hn reputation, and to
the dealer who wants his cus-
tomer's confidence, demand
them in the pianos you han-
dle—especially in the players
adc of superior German
felt."
401-424 E. 163d St., New York
Chicago Office: Republic Bldg.

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