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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
THE MUSIC ROLL BUSINESS SHOULD BE MORE PROFITABLE.
The Practice of Giving Music Rolls Free with Player-Pianos, and Other Evils Which Have Grown
in Connection with the Music Roll Business, the Basis of Questions Put by The Review
to Leading Members of the Retail Trade Throughout the Country—Some Views Expressed
by Piano Men of Prominence and Acknowledged Eminence That Will Be Read with Interest.
The steady ascendency of the player-piano in are so blind to the value of the music roll that it
trade and public favor makes it a subject of live is useless for us to discuss it. We gave away no
interest to every piano merchant;_ and, as new con- music with our player-pianos for years.
ditions are being developed it is well that we
The whole situation when it comes to a matter
should view the player-piano squarely from vari- of terms is the prices are so cut that we cannot
ous viewpoints.
conceive of any way of straightening it out.
The player-piano offered through the music roll
The exchange proposition is a vital one, but
there is another phase of trade life which is an endless profit that would have put the piano
closely interlocked with the player-piano, and that business on a far more profitable basis than the
talking machine, but the piano people would not
is music rolls.
It is generally conceded that the music roll have it so. The player-piano music roll is going
business should be a paying adjunct to the regular the way the sheet music business went. It will
trade. In fact, it should be made as profitable to soon be simply another philanthropic department.
the piano business as the sale of talking machine J. W. JENKINS SONS CO. (J. W. Jenkins,
records is to the talking machine trade.
President) Kansas City, Mo.
As to the music roll situation, we have no doubt
It is also conceded that The Music Trade Re-
view has occupied an exclusive position of leader- that much of the dissatisfaction with people that
ship in the player-piano world; and, following out buy player-pianos is because of the poor service
they get on the music roll proposition. This poor
our general policy, we have directed a number of
communications to dealers asking suggestions service is because of the fact that the dealer when
whereby it would be possible to make the music selling the player has named a fictitious price in
roll business more profitable.
offering it for sale, and he has named this price
We have asked the questions: "Should music in order to give music rolls, music cabinets or any-
thing else that the customer may take a notion to.
rolls be given away with each player-piano?"
Naturally there is no incentive for the dealer to
"Should not the free features be cut out en-
establish a well stocked, well manned music roll
tirely?"
"Can you suggest any remedies whereby the department because the people that he has sold
players to are really never expected to buy any
music roll business can be bettered?"
"Let us discuss this business and see if through music. When he sold the player he agreed to give
discussion we cannot make it more profitable and them fifty or a hundred rolls, and then he agreed
on a more stable foundation.
that they could exchange these rolls whenever they
"The player-piano business and the music roll pleased, hence the oft-repeated remark of people
business is still young, and if we begin now to selling player-pianos that they wish they were rid
get away from sound business principles, conditions of the music roll proposition altogether, that it is
will presumably grow worste instead of better." a source of worry and expense and trouble to them.
We believe in selling our player-pianos at the
Some of the replies which we have received
will be of interest; and we should be very glad to lowest possible net cash price, and that if people
hear from any of our readers upon this subject, want music with the same, they are to buy the music
because our aim is to open a fair discussion so that and pay for it just as they would expect to pay
all arguments may be fairly presented in the for sugar or bread from their grocer.
columns of this trade newspaper.
There is much more that might be said about
KOHLER & CHASE (George Q. Chase) San this and other things in connection with the play-
Francisco, Cal.
ers and the piano trade, but what's the use. The
In the first place, I do not believe in giving music faker has always been with us, and we do not ex-
rolls with a player; it is not necessary and is poor pect to see the day when we will be without him.
business. Every dealer who handles talking ma- The manufacturers are the ones that could clear
chines would laugh at the idea of giving records the atmosphere in the piano and player trade.
away with a machine; it is just as absurd to give There never will be a betterment of conditions and
away music rolls. The giving of anything further methods until the manufacturers earnestly, honest-
than a bench or stool with a piano is merely cutting ly and seriously take a hand.
the price, although the same amount of rolls may L. GRUNEWALD CO., LTD. (B. M. Grunewald)
be given with each instrument by a one-price
New Orleans, La.
house. The idea of throwing something in to There is not a question that the music roll busi-
make the sale is not the best practice in up-to-date ness should most undoubtedly be a paying adjunct
merchandising.
just as the Victor record is. There are a number
Within my own experience, the houses that give of music stores in this city who operate a free
away music rolls rarely, if ever, make a profit on library exchange. This system is ruining the
their music roll department; whereas, I am ac- piano player business, as well as the music roll
quainted with a number of houses who sell their business. I, personally, am very much opposed
music as they do other merchandise and who make to music roll libraries of any kind. The rolls
a very fair net profit each month. The case of should be sold out-right at the catalog price.
Kohler & Chase is a conspicuous one. We devote
It would help to educate the public to appreciate
an entire floor of our building in San Francisco a better class of music; our customers would be
to the sale of music rolls and employ from five to more satisfied, because there would be no un-
seven people in this department. Our music roll pleasant dealings, such as refusing to take back
business has steadily increased for a number of soiled rolls, broken boxes, etc. The music roll
years. This increase has been brought about, not business should be as you state, as profitable a
by cutting prices, for we never resort to that, but business as the talking machine records. But it
to the perfecting of our service and the increasing cannot be profitable if it is run on a library sys-
sale of players. We are thoroughly convinced that tem.
player piano owners.buy their music rolls from the
The free exchange should be abolished; there
house where they get what they want when they should be no rolls given with players and the music
want it.
rolls should be sold.
It is unfortunate, in my opinion, for the music
I have made several efforts to get all the man-
roll business that the manufacturers have not agers of the music roll departments together and
been able to legally regulate the retail prices of
discuss this subject, but have not met with any
the rolls as they have the talking machine records. results. I am going at it again and hope to have
Such regulation would put the whole music roll better results and to be able to report to you that
business on a firm foundation.
we have all mutually agreed to sell and not give
PHILIP WERLEIN, LTD. (Philip Werlein) or exchange rolls at exchange fees.
New Orleans, La.
I am sure if this subject is continued in the
The people engaged in the player-piano business trade papers and the music roll factories would
hold the dealers to a contract whereby they could
not give away or enter their rolls in any library,
the dealers would have to resort to a selling plan
only.
You have my co-operation, and I hope for the
abolishment of all free libraries ana exchange
libraries.
THE CARLIN MUSIC CO. (Wm. M. Carlin)
Indianapolis, Ind.
The manufacturer of player rolls should not al-
low any roll to be sold at less than the market
price, and no .discount, as the manufacturer is the
only one that can control the price of rolls. There
will be no system as long as it is left to the dealer,
as one dealer will give 20 per cent, off, another 30
per cent, and another 40 per cent., as they are
doing in this city. At least two-manufacturers of
rolls do not allow any discount from the marked
price. However, as there are many other manufac-
turers, this will not benefit the business until they
all combine.
It will be necessary to get the full price of rolls,
as there is a good deal of loss in selecting this
music for instruments. There should be no ex-
change whatever after a roll has been sold. The
circulating libraries should be "cut out." There
should -not be given more than twelve rolls with
each player sale.
THE EARLY MUSIC HOUSE, Fort Dodge, la.
We give no rolls with player-pianos, except in
cases where some fool has offered a lot of rolls
to the party in an effort to close a deal. We sell
Victrolas and Edison phonographs and we sell
players on the same plan and have no trouble ex-
cept where we come in competition as, above. We
simply say, "The player makers do not make rolls
and we do not get them with players and cannot
give them away.
EILERS MUSIC HOUSE (E. C. Blackwood)
Portland, Ore.
Answering your letter asking for our views con-
cerning the status of the music roll in relation to
the piano business, beg to state that it is our judg-
ment that a music merchant who can conduct a
sheet music department profitably, that is, a mer-
chant who knows how to organize such a depart-
ment so that the overstocking on any particular
publication is prevented, but yet so that every de-
mand within reason is promptly met, and who
knows how to dispose of so-called "dead stock" to
advantage, can make a success of music roll sell-
ing; but the man who does not know how to do
the former, will not, in our judgment, make a
success of the latter..
It may be put down as a fundamental principle,
however, that unless the player-piano owner is
equipped with a large quantity of music rolls of a
character that appeal to his or her special taste,
that the appreciation and enthusiasm which should
exist is mighty hard to secure.
We are not at all convinced that the statement
in the second paragraph of your letter is exactly
correct. We are inclined to think that there are a
good many talking machine dealers who do not
find the sale of talking machine records a very
profitable venture. The danger in handling talk-
ing machine records, as in music roll selling, is
the piling of profits on the shelves of the institu-
tion. If music rolls are given away with each
player-piano, then a quantity of one hundred more
should be given and included in the price, other-
wise none at all should be supplied. There is no
middle ground, in our estimation.
H. R. EISENBRANDT SONS, Baltimore, Md.
In our opinion the two most needed reforms in
the marketing of this line of goods are. First, the
avulsion of circulating libraries and exchanges, and
then a uniform and fixed retail as well as a fixed
wholesale price. The library and exchange are
in almost every instance unsatisfactory, both to the
dealer and the subscriber. For that reason that it
is impossible to meet all the demands of all the
subscribers all the time. The library and exchange
business has not been profitable to the dealer and
operates adversely against the sale of the goods.
Fixed prices guaranteeing the dealer a fair profit
would result in the increased sale of the goods.
By reason of such price fixing a standard value
(Continued on page 6.)