Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1912 Vol. 55 N. 3

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
GLAD. HENDERSON,
A. J. NICKLIN,
H. E. JAMASON
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE;
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone, Main 6950.
PHILADELPHIA:
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
C. CHACE,
B. BRITTAIN WILSON,
WM. B. WHITE,
L. E. BOWERS.
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 87 South Wabash Ave
Telephone, Central 414.
Room 806.
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
ADOLF EDSTEN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 88 First St.
CINCINNATI, O.: JACOB W. WALTERS.
BALTIMORE, MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
CLYDE JENNINGS
DETROIT, MICH.: MORRIS J. WHITE.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.: STANLEY H. SMITH
MILWAUKEE, WIS.: L. E. MEYER.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghail St., E. C.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Sec • t , Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Can.-ula.
$3.60; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.50 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly oi
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edwar.l
Lyman Bill.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques
Pi an A 5ini1
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, rep'i
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos ar.
p
d e a I t h w i t h j w j n be found in another section of tl;5<
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
Parts Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 190°
Diploma.... Pan-American Exposition. 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 5982-5983 MADISON SQUARE
Connecting all Departments.
Cable address " "ElbllL N e w York."
NEW YORK, JULY 20. 1912.
EDITORIAL
W
E are now on the threshold of what we would term a "new
era in politics," the outcome of which will not he definitely
decided until the late fall.
In our opinion, it will he an era which will result in national
advancement and a hetter understanding between capital and labor
—a clearer knowledge by botli factions of what is required to bring-
about national prosperity and because of the high moral and mental
caliber of the candidates engaged in the contest -for the office of
President of the United States we believe that the contest will be
waged upon the principles involved and these will not act as a
deterring influence in business.
The underlying conditions of the country are healthy and busi-
ness is not frightened at the coining political struggle.
Judge Gary, chairman of the United States Board of the Steel
Corporation, is one of those who believe that business is going to
be better—not worse.
Tt is well known that the state of steel trade reflects business
conditions in general. The chairman of the steel board said re-
cently, concerning the affairs of his corporation: "At present
there are about eighty-five or ninety per cent, of the steel mills of
the United States Steel Corporation in operation, and for the imme-
diate future there seems to be no likelihood of a falling off. The
Steel Corporation is going to spend about $20,000,000 in improve-
ments and enlargements of its plant during the next year."
Surely this is the right kind of optimistic support from the
head of a gigantic business organization, and it is hoped that poli-
tics will be unable to frighten capital and that it will go ahead
attending to expanding business.
W
E have instanced above the steel industry, now let us go
into another which reflects the sentiment of the people.
No business enterprise of modern times has experienced a more
wonderful development than has the building and loan association.
REVIEW
It hits the imagination the harder because its growth represents
almost wholly the accumulated savings of wage earners.
Figures tell the story. According to the report of the secre-
tary of the United States League of JJuilding and Loan Associa-
tions, now in annual convention at Atlantic City, the aggregate
assets of the 6,000 associations in the league exceed $1,000,000,000,
the savings of 2,300,000 thrifty Americans.
The vastness of this savings account can be better grasped
when it is realized that the wealth of the entire nation is variously
estimated at from $130,000,000,000 to $150,000,000,000.
With such statements and such figures before then-i, Weak-
kneed business men should take heart and should go.*ahead and do
business along rational lines.
F
OR some reason or other it does not seem to have occurred
to the theatrical managers who .are now disputing with the
musicians' union that an efficient and novel substitute for tine
theater orchestra might be found in the player-piano." Tt is true
that an automatic instrument which plays both violin and piano
has been tried and has performed its functions very well, it being
a thoroughly artistic device. A prominent theatrical manager and
musician to boot, projected the opinion this week that a player-
piano under the control of an expert performer would'provide an
even better substitute. •
, r
.
In the first place, the grade of music generally doled out be-
tween the acts at theaters is anything but good. In the second
place it is not easy—at least in the present circumstances—to en-
gage first-class pianists. In the third place, given a good player-
piano—for instance, a grand—a good player-pianist, and the de-
sire to provide a good grade of music, much more can be done in
the way of giving real, pleasure to an audience than by any other
method that appears practicable. There is no doubt whatever thai
audiences would sit still and listen with pleasure to the finished
performance of a finished player-pianist on a first-class instrument,
if the music were intrinsically good.
Whatever may be the public opinion as to the artistic merits
of the player-piano, the trade well knows that this instrument can
be well played. And so long as the idea of "mechanical piano" is
not thrown at people's heads, there is no reason to suppose that
they would not enjoy the result. Of course, if the whole thing
were announced as entr'acte performances given by a ""mechanical
piano," the result would be failure, flatly. But if the idea were
put forth judiciously and the public simply allowed to hear the
music without consideration of its course, the pleasure they would
gain would be genuine, and they would doubtless be the first to
express surprise when informed that a player-piano was the cause.
Here is a chance for player men to make an impressive and
imposing demonstration. The hint is given for what it may be
worth. Some player manufacturer might do worse than take it.
W
HEN we were conducting an argumentative campaign
against the coupon-guessing schemes for selling pianos
we were appealing to the intelligence of our readers by using argu-
ments and not abuse.
We were constantly urged by word and letter* by some of our
readers, to mention names—to pitch into the firms with ungloved
hands, who were leaders in the puzzle picture, guessing contest
plans.
Tt will be recalled that all of these influences brought to bear
upon us did not swerve us in the slightest from the campaign
which we mapped out, and that was a campaign free from per-
sonalities and free from individual abuse.
We treated the subject as one embodying a principle rather
than the condemning of a single individual or a combination of
men, and while we "were subjected to all kinds of abuse we re-
frained from indulging in personalities by showing up the actions
of men who personally were striking at us as hard as they could.
Not once in the campaign did we mention the name of a single
puzzle contestant and only once did we reproduce one of the
puzzle contest illustrated schemes and that was when the Presi-
dent of the United States was caricatured and the people invited
to pick pianos out of his facial exaggerations.
We stated that this was the first time that the President of the
United States had ever been used for so low a purpose, and we
felt that the position which the Chief Executive of this nation
occupied should protect him against such atrocious caricatures.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE
The influences which were opposing us, however, did not hesi-
tate in the slightest to impugn our motives and to sneer at our
actions in their endeavor to discredit our utterances, but that abuse,
however, did not affect us.
We were conducting a campaign on a principle above per-
sonalities 1 , and, now viewing the field after years of effort, we are
inclined to the belief that our attitude was a correct one.
Finally, the Government stepped in, and the last stroke was
applied recently when large fines were imposed upon men who
pleaded guilty to using the mails for deceptive purposes.
Who came out best, the trade newspaper which opposed its
own clients in their attitude and finally won, or the men who held
to these methods until they were driven out by the Government
and in the meantime indulged in bitter invective and violnt abuse
anent the trade newspaper which was opposing them?
We are quite satisfied to rest the case with the music trade as
the jury.
This case only represents in a forcible manner that personal
abuse is not necessary to accomplish a purpose. If we appeal to
the reason—to the intelligence—to the fairness of men we will
accomplish much more than by personal abuse.
That is why this publication has never paid the slightest atten-
tion to the snarling whines of the jackal press whom we have
antagonized in our attacks upon holdup journalism by making their
career of piracy more and more difficult.
If we should lower ourselves to the point of a reply to the
men who have neither morals nor manners—who have long dis-
graced trade journalism by their presence, we, ourselves, would
have dropped down a point or two from the position which a digni-
fied, straightforward exponent of journalism should retain.
If one gets down to the level of these leprous members who
conduct alleged trade publications some kind of frightful disease
would be the natural result of such contamination.
Let the yawning doors of the prison close upon the slimy
creatures who pollute a decent trade by their presence.
W
E are in constant receipt of communications embodying
complimentary criticisms anent our new journalistic crea-
tion, La Maquina Parlante Mundo. It would seem as if this paper
was destined to be a powerful influence in business building
throughout Latin America. Certainly the new move starts off with
hearty good wishes from many people who have been kind enough
to pass appreciated compliments upon our work.
This Spanish paper is the only one covering the music trade
and talking machine interests in the countries which lie south of
us. In addition, thousands of copies are sent to merchants of
standing who will doubtless be interested in taking on American
specialties such as pianos and musical instruments.
This new move gives this trade newspaper institution a dis-
tinct position and strengthens it in every way.
We publish, too, the oldest and most influential paper cover-
ing the music trade industries in a comprehensive manner—also
The Talking Machine World, which occupies a unique position
in that it is T H E recognized exponent of the talking machine in-
dustries of the world circulating not only extensively in.this coun-
try, but throughout the globe as well.
Now, with the Spanish publication it places us in a position
comprehensively covering the music trade and allied fields of the
world.
. We have some new moves which are now being planned which
will be announced later.
The result of a constructive policy is naturally a business build-
ing influence which operates distinctly to the advantage of our
advertising clientele.
;i|
l T T T T H a great many piano dealers, all too many in fact, the
V V
sale of a piano is corpleted as soon as the instrument has
been paid for. and the matter holds no further interest so far as
thev are concerned. With such a dealer, the instalment buyer re-
ceives the greatest consideration, for be must be kept satisfied and
contented until the last payment is made, and through the collection
department the dealer Ve^ps in touch with him for several years.
There are dealers, however, and they are the dealers who can see
their businesses "rowing year by year who make it a point to keep
in close touch with the customer as long as possible and long after
REVIEW
Legal Questions Answered for the
Benefit of Review Readers
questions, which have direct bearing on music
trade affairs, will be answered free of charge.
fflThis Department is under the supervision of
Messrs. Wentworth, Lowenstein & Stern, attor-
neys at law, of 60 Wall Street, New York.
tflMatter intended for this Department should be
addressed plainly, Legal Department, The Music
Trade Review.
there is any possibility of. financial benefit from the connection, on
the theory that the friendship of a satisfied customer is an adver-
tisement the value of which to future business cannot be computed
on a cash basis. When the dealer sees to it that the piano of such
a customer-friend is always kept in first-class condition, he is pay-
ing proper attention to the publicity end of his business.
An example of post-sale service and attention that is worthy
of study and emulation on the part of piano dealers in practically
every part of the country is that recently set by the Knight-
Campbell Music Co., Pueblo, Col., who took advantage of the dull
summer season to send out several automobiles through the
Arkansas Valley, manned by salesmen, repairmen and tuners, who
called upon a large number of people who had purchased pianos
from the Knight-Campbell Music Co., and put the instruments
of a variety of makes' into first-class condition.
Besides the good will of the people called upon, the direct
result of the tour, which lasted a week, was the sale of a Kurtz-
mann piano and an Apollo player-piano and a number of live pros-
pects were added to the company's list. Many piano dealers dur-
ing this season of the year could work the same scheme even in a
smaller way.
Even one tuner spending, a fortnight in looking over the
pianos sold by the dealer some years before could produce results
that would make for a better business in the fall even if immediate
sales were not closed.
r
I ^HE question as to the destination of old pianos is discussed
X
almost as much as the immortality of the soul, and it is
always interesting to find our brethren of the daily papers delving
into this abstruse subject about the future of the old pianos. Re-
cently a contemporary solved the problem to its own satisfaction
at least by repairing those old instruments, revarnishing them and
sending them to South America for the purpose of enlightening our
musically benighted friends, if there be any, in the countries to the
south of us. But .here is the momentous article: "What becomes
of all the old pianos? Thousands of new pianos are sold every
year, the greater number to those who already have musical instru-
ments'. The salesman allows a liberal price for the old piano in
trade, accepts a little cash, and takes the balance on monthly pay-
ments. Now, while he has sold one piano he has just as many on
his hands as before, for he has accepted an old one. What becomes
of it? He does not care to sell it to soreone who has ever had a
piano if he can avoid it, for if the process of trading continued he
would soon be following himself around in a circle and there are
no dividends in that. He must find a market for the old musical
instrument. To do this he repairs and revarnishes the old piano,
boxes it, and with hundreds 1 of others, it is shipped to South Amer-
ica, Africa, Asia, and other benighted portions of the world, where
it is sold to the natives, who yearn for music and whose ambition
is' to drum out tunes on an instrument of their own. These pianos
are sold for a small amount down and the balance in monthly, some-
times weekly, payments extended over a long period of time. In
this way the dealer gets back not only the price he allows for the
old piano in the first place, but the cost of repairing, boxing and
shipping, with irferest added to each of the charges."
Sounds well, doesn't it?

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