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THE: MUSIC TRADE: REVIEW
DESTRUCTIVE PIANO ADVERTISING CONDEMNED.
Prominent Piano Merchants of Detroit Uphold The Review in Its Assailment of a Class of
Publicity Which Is Undermining the Faith of the Public in the Piano Business—The
Comments of Messrs. Grinnell, Ling and And ews Are Pertinent and Most Interesting.
(Special to The Review.)
Detroit, Mich., Dec. 31, 1912.
The editorial in The Review of last week re-
garding destructive piano advertising, in which
the case of Grinnell Bros, discontinuing purchasing
instruments of one of its prominent representations
because that piano had been advertised by a cut-
throat concern at a cut-throat price, was cited as
a concrete example, was universally praised by the
leading piano dealers of Detroit.
Coincidentally, an item which appeared in an-
other publication was roundly condemned. It was
one of personal felicitation to the head of a firm
which is advertising in almost every large city
in the country the high-grade goods of other
manufacturers at from one-fifth to one-tenth their
value, such as a Vose for one hundred dollars, a
Smith & Barnes for fifty-eight dollars, an Emerson
for twenty-eight dollars, etc., as was done in De-
troit last week. At the end of the item was the
following: "The company is a strong factor in
the retail business wherever it is represented. Its
advertising and merchandising methods are closely
studied by dealers everywhere."
"Yes, they are. Not only closely studied, but
righteously damned," said C. A. Grinnell. "That
publication is getting the advertising support of
dozens of reputable manufacturers whose business
is being preyed upon and retarded, if it is not
actually being destroyed, by the methods of this
institution, and how it can extol such destructive
methods in that manner and hope to hold the sup-
port of the manufacturers who are the victims is
more than I can guess.
"The course of The Review is directly the op-
posite and highly commendable. It never hesi-
tates to condemn that sort of business. Appar-
ently it does not hold the price of an advertise-
ment above the welfare of the entire piano
business.
"If the establishments who indulge in this pirat-
ical business would devote equal energy and money
to legitimate channels they could build up much
larger institutions on firm ground, and build for
the future; help the piano business instead of
killing it. They are killing it by destroying the
confidence of the people in the business."
"The Review is right in denouncing that method
of business," said J. Henry Ling. "I had the same
experience here this month that Mr. Grinnell did.
An officer of a piano manufacturing company, who
is a personal friend, called and ask.ed me to take
his line. It is a high-grade line; one that would
be an asset to any dealer if handled right. 1
don't care to mention the name, for this firm has
enough trouble already through the methods of
these stool pigeon folks. I would like to handle
his line, but I couldn't, simply because one or two
of the pianos had fallen into the hands of this cut-
price establishment and had been advertised for
fifty dollars or so. When a firm tells the public
in half-page advertisements and big black type that
such-and-such a piano is worth fifty dollars, how
could I convince my prospects that it was worth
eight times that much?"
"Such methods are robbing the piano business
of all semblance of dignity," said E. P. Andrews,
"and with the loss of dignity disappears, of course,
prestige and the profits that accrue to prestige.
That kind of work and advertising cannot be too
strongly condemned. It is a shame that any pub-
lication supposedly devoted to the uplift of the
music trade should even tacitly condone this value-
destroying business by saying: 'Its advertising and
merchandising methods are closely studied by
dealers everywhere.'
"As far as the actual damage they are doing our
business in particular is concerned, I don't think
it amounts to much, for the sort of people who will
be lured by an advertisement of a piano for fifty-
eight or twenty-eight dollars would not buy a high-
grade piano anyway. Deceiving them is a crime in
another way, however. It is inducing people who
cannot afford it, to forego some actual necessity
for the sake of having a piano in their home for
a while, even if they lose it. The real damage to
the business is in the destruction of dignity and
prestige, and evidently it is worse in other cities
than here. Mr. Farrand went to Chicago last
week and returned sick at heart at what he saw
in the windows there—every piano dealer appar-
ently was endeavoring solely to knock his com-
petitors rather than to boost his own lines."
Half a dozen other store managers talked in
similar vein. They all commended The Review
for its campaign against destructive methods and
excoriated the companies which indulge in mislead-
ing advertising and publications which accept ad-
vertising from such concerns.
A CABLE COMPANY REMINDER.
CONSIGNED PIANOS NOT ASSETS.
Interesting and Important Decision to That
Effect Handed Down by Special Commis-
sioner in Ambuhl Case.
Piano manufacturers, as well as merchants in
other lines who send goods out to dealers on con-
signment should be particularly interested in the
important decision handed down by W. R. Blair,
a special commissioner appointed by the United
States District Court to render an opinion on the
claims of the Sterling Co. and the Huntington
Piano Co. against the receiver for the Ambuhl
Bros. Piano Co., bankrupts, of Pittsburgh, in which
it was held by the commissioner that goods sent
on consignment were not part of the assets of
the bankrupt company.
The Sterling and Huntington companies had
been supplying pianos on consignment to the Am-
buhl Bros. Piano Co. under an agreement entered
into in 1904, whereby the manufacturers controlled
the leases and received the payments as made, the
Ambuhl company receiving as its share any amount
over the wholesale price of the instruments.
Following some financial difficulty, the Sterling
and Huntington companies agreed to take over
their property and leases and organized the Sterling
Piano Co., with R. C. Ambuhl as manager, to take
care of the business.
When the Ambuhl concern went into bank-
ruptcy the receiver brought action to recover the
goods turned over to the two manufacturers
named. The commissioner, however, upheld every
contention made by the Sterling and Huntington
companies and decided that they were within their
rights in taking back pianos sent out on consign-
ment and in which the title rested with them.
Another matter of interest to come up later will
be the question of the profits that may accrue
through payments on the leases.
INSTALLING KIMBALL PIPE ORGAN
In the Home of J. W . Holland, the Prominent
Organist and Choir Director of Detroit.
(Special to The Review.)
Attractive Calendar Mailed to Trade Friends of
Chicago Company.
Detroit, Mich., Dec. 31, 1912.
The W. W. Kimball Co., of Chicago, is installing
in the studio of J. W. Holland, the well-known
The Cable Company, Chicago, has sent to its organist and choir director, of Detroit, a pipe
representatives and friends in the trade an attrac- organ costing more than $2,500. While on a re-
tive calendar for 1913 bearing a picture of a pretty
cital tour of the West last spring Mr. Holland
young lady playing the Conover Inner-player. The played upon the organ in the Mormon Tabernacle
picture gives the effect of one looking through
in Salt Lake City, which is a Kimball product.
an open window into the room where the young
He was so much pleased with it that he decided
lady is performing. The envelope in which the to have one like it. He built a special room for it
calendar is mailed bears in one corner the mess-
in an addition to his studio.
age, "Wishing You a Prosperous New Year."
It is a two-manual organ with chimes, tubular
pneumatic action and electric blower, having about
TO HANDLE THEJCNABE PIANO.
500 pipes. Its weight is about three tons.
The Western Piano and Music Co., which was
recently organized in Saskatoon, Can., has opened
The Hawley Music Co., of which Isaac Hawley
handsome warerooms at 140 First avenue, North,
is proprietor, has moved its headquarters from
that city, where the Willis and Knabe pianos will
Earlham to Red Oak, Iowa, and opened the new
be handled.
quarters in the latter city this week.
you hear this persuasion used:
As good as the Schmidt hammer"
just think what it means!
"
It is an open acknowledgment that the Schmidt
hammer stands supreme; with every similar com-
parison boosting it a notch higher.
"As good as the Schmidt hammer' 1 sounds fine to
us, because it tells the live manufacturer just
what hammer to buy in order to secure the best.
DAVID
H. SCHMIDT CO., Poughkeepsie, N. Y.