Music Trade Review

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THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Why Piano Prices Have Advanced.
HERE should be no feeling of resentment on the part of piano
merchants at the increase of piano prices, for the price ad-
vance move has not been taken willingly by the manufacturers of
pianos.
It is simply a condition which has been forced upon them—a
condition to which they have had to submit, and if piano dealers are
conversant with the condition of the manufacturing world, they
would appreciate just what manufacturers have had to contend with
during the past few years.
There has been a rising tide of cost in everything and to keep
prices down and quality up has been a problem in ihe manufactur-
ing world. Some manufacturers have hesitated to advance through
fear of losing trade and a general unwillingness to mark up their
instruments, and they have actually sold some instruments at a
loss.
Now those conditions are not pleasant nor are they business-
like. Then on top of this came the recent labor troubles in New
York, which has ended in nothing else than an increased labor bill
on pianos. Now there is no other alternative but to mark up
prices.
Piano merchants may ?s well view the situation reasonably
and rationally. Some manufacturers may hold back in price ad-
vance for a while, but according to the best posted men in this
country, the increased cost has come to stay in eA r erything.
Now to be specific regarding increased piano cost let us take
up the cost of certain materials which enter into piano construction.
For instance, the price of copper wire strings has increased in
the last year 31^/2 per cent., while treble strings are much higher
now than they were a year ago. This is not the fault of the string
manufacturers, who have been forced to pay more for copper
wire and steel wire, and.even then are having their troubles in
getting any decent kind of deliveries, having to pay excessive ex-
press rates on small shipments in order that they may supply their
customers on time.
Lumber has gone up anywhere from 5 to 20 per cent., accord-
ing to its kind, and consequently case makers have been compelled
to increase the price on cases and manufacturers have been com-
pelled to pay more for lumber in the rough. Along this line comes
veneers, which, owing to the scarcity of Mexican mahogany caused
by the recent revolutions, are higher at present than they have been
T
in several years, the increase being from 10 to 20 per cent., accord-
ing to the grade.
In brass goods there has been another decided increase averag-
ing at least 20 per cent., while in some cases it reaches as high as
30 per cent. In any commodities where tin is used as a basis there
has been an increase, as in the last few years this metal has risen
in value from 32 cents to 51 cents per pound. In fact, all branches
of the hardware trade show a decided price advance.
Felts have not as yet increased in cost to any great extent.
Although wool has advanced the grade which is used in piano felt
has not as yet been affected. One reason for this is that the felt
manufacturers buy their wool about four times a year, but it is
predicted that as they expect to have to pay more at the next buy-
ing the cost of felt is liable to go up. This will, however, depend
on what wool can be bought for at the coming sale.
Ivory has also shown a marked increase and the manufac-
turers of high grade instruments have been forced to pay a much
higher price for keys than ever before.
And on top of this comes the fact that it costs more for labor
than it did previously. In the recent labor troubles in New York
the workmen, as is well known, demanded an increase of 15 per
cent. Although this percentage was not granted in the large ma-
jority of factories some concessions were made and the men re-
turned to other factories with the understanding that the matter
would be taken up with them individually after the strike was over,
which means that there will be more concessions made in the near
future.
This shows that with the increase in cost of supplies and labor
which has been noted above, some manufacturers will be compelled,
in every sense of the word, to raise the wholesale price of pianos
in order to make any profit at all. The situation is not localized
in the least. New York is not the only piano manufacturing center
which has been affected by the present increase in the cost of
supplies. The fact that the situation has been brought to a climax
in the metropolis does not mean that the same situation is not immi-
nent in other cities.
The Review predicts that in the near future there will be a
general raise in the wholesale price of pianos all over the United
States and justly so owing to the natural tendency of the increase
in cost in everything which goes in a piano.
A Gigantic Piano Selling Plan.
I
^ E W dealers have been aware of the big piano selling plan
which has been inaugurated in this city recently, and few
indeed have an adequate idea of the extent of this plan and its
selling possibilities.
We refer to the O'Neill-Adams Co. sale. Probably no single
piano selling plan has ever been worked up as elaborately from an
advertising viewpoint as this. There has been no haphazard work
about it, for every bit of copy has been carefully prepared weeks
ago and its selling possibilities weighed in every particular.
So far as its drawing power is concerned it has even surpassed
the predictions made for it by its originators.
It is a kind of "co-operative effort" that is certainly drawing
the piano purchasers and the "cash dividend of 15 per cent per
week" is certainly a winning card of the largest magnitude.
Every sentence in this series of advertisements has been care-
fully weighed and every line of type has a force to it which pulls.
The illustrations are attractive and the type arrangement is well
balanced.
The amount of space used forces the attention of readers to
the advertising matter. The pianos are offered at $250 each.
For a five-dollar bill a choice of pianos or player-pianos is
secured. Then payments of $1.25 per week on the piano with no
interest charges. This means that the purchaser is allowed 195
weeks' time after the initial payment has been made.
As a special inducement the offer is made that if the purchaser
desires to pay in shorter time he can earn a cash dividend of fifteen
cents per week. Money back is offered after thirty days trial and
exchange privileges within a year.
All unpaid installments are voluntarily cancelled in the event
the purchaser dies while paying for the instrument. The same
plan applies to the player-pianos, which are offered at $395, the
instrument being delivered upon the payment of $5.00, after which
$2.00 per week payments are required.
The same unconditional guarantee that is given on the piano
goes also with the player-piano, with the added inducement of a
player-piano bench and nine rolls of music, as well as an arrange-
ment where the purchaser can get new player rolls at a cost of
five cents per roll.
Conspicuous in the advertisement is a Kohler & Campbell tag
on which appears a guarantee for the piano for five years.
It is probably that this same selling plan, which is copyrighted,
will be used in the principal cities throughout the United States
and it may be that it will be extended to a number of other stores
in Greater New York, so that all of the districts may be served in
the same manner as the one adjacent to O'Neill-Adams.
It is quite probable that the next city will be Boston, after
which Philadelphia and then a tier of important Western cities,
for it should be understood that behind the initial move is a selling
company which is equipped with ample facilities to do business
on original and aggressive lines.
The piano business of the future will be conducted upon
broader methods—depend upon that.
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