Music Trade Review

Issue: 1913 Vol. 57 N. 1

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 Staff:
I
B. BKITTAIM WILSOK,
CABLITON CHACE,
A. J. NicKLiN,
AUGUST J. TiMPi,
BOSTON OFFICE:
L. M. ROBINSON,
WM. B. WHIT*,
GLAD H I H D U M H ,
L. fc.. BOWEM.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
JOHK H. WILTO*, 884 Washington St.
£ . P - V * N HABLINGBN, 87 South Wabash Are.
_ , .
„ . „„_„
H«N«y S- KiwcwiLL, Associate.
Telephone, Main 6850.
R o o m 806% Telephone, Central 414
PHILADELPHIA;
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUISt
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GKAY, 88 First St.
CINCINNATI, O.: JACOB W. WALTERS.
BALTIMORE. MD.t A. ROBERT FRENCH.
CLYBE JENNINGS
DETROIT, MICH.: M o u n J. WHITE.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND^ STANLEY H. Sunn
MILWAUKEE, W I S . :
L. E. MEYEJL
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham building*, Basinghall St., E. C.
• in

» ; •
i..
.-,
< m
|
'
1
T
'
" ' '
• -

• -
. . . . . . . . . .
••
. . . - — , „ . „ . .
, _
_,
. ,
••
,

.
• -
Published Every Saturday at 873 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage;, United States and Mexico, »g.00 per year; Canada.
18.60; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $8.60 per inch single column, per insertion.
On quarterly or
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Rill.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all que*
p
i _ n « Pi on A O
anil
• lOJCl'riaUV
IIU
t j o n s O f a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianoi *re
p
dealt with, will be found in another section of this
••per. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning which
will be cheerfrillv given upon request.
REVIEW
home joys, and falls an easy prey to the blandishments of the
country dealer.
Reports from our correspondents so far this month indicate
but slight evidence of marked trade dullness. The dealers who
are going after trade with energy and persistence are securing
good results. This is just as true of New York as other cities.
Those concerns whose policy it is to keep their outside men con-
tinually after trade are booking good orders. This policy illus-
trates the fact that there are no dull times in the business world
when the busy man is around.
It is always easy to dream of business accomplishments
while swinging in the hammock, but the accomplishment is
quite another thing. The ability to see conditions and meet them
is the secret of success in the business world to-day, and the
man who swings in the hammock dreamily thinking over past
victories, and fondly believing that he has reached a point from
which no competition can remove him, is swinging over dan-
gerous ground.
A man must be in touch with new conditions, by which
trade is revolutionized every few years in these rapid times, in
order to succeed. Some members of the trade are giving the
younger element splendid examples of learning, planning and
executing. They realize that there is always something to be
won, and a new way to win it, if the old way will not do, and so
long as a man has that ability years count for nothing.
of interest to members of the piano trade formed
A TOPIC
the basis of an interesting discussion at a recent meeting
of the Grand Rapids Credit Men's Association when Mr. Hamil-
ton talked on the evils of blind competition, of how hard it is
for the manufacturer who knows what his product costs him to
compete with the one who guesses. The old method of dealing
with such competition was to give the manufacturer who guesses
enough
rope and he was sure to hang himself, but this was
NEW YORK, JULY 5, 1911
demoralizing to trade and unsatisfactory. The new method is
to organize and educate. In the old days competitors were
suspicious of one another, always ready to engage in throat-
EDITORIAL
cutting, never believing in the good faith or honesty of the
others. The modern way is for manufacturers in similar lines
ITH the fiscal year which closed last Monday our for-
of trade to get together, get acquainted, exchange ideas and to
eign trade for the first time exceeded $4,000,000,00:).
work together to find out the best way to figure the cost of
Our exports amounted to $2,500,000,000, an increase of 72 per
production and then letting the matter of selling price take care
cent, in ten years. Our imports passed $1,750,003,000, an increase
of itself. Knowing how to figure the cost is the greatest
of nearly 76 per cent. The total, $4,250,000,000, is an increase
eliminator of waste and the greatest promoter of efficiency
of 74 per cent. Germany was already $170,000,000 ahead of us that could be devised, and so important to success is
in 1903, and is probably still ahead, but-with a slightly lower per-
knowing the cost that credit men more and more are de-
centage of increase. France is far behind, and all other countries,
manding that manufacturers who ask for credit have a satis-
except Great Britain, whose commerce, never more prosperous
factory system, and banks are insisting upon it. The cost sys-
than now, may this year reach $6,0:0,000,000. British commerce
tem is, in fact, even more vital than a financial statement as
in the census year 1911 had increased 46 per cent, in ten years.
foreshadowing what the success of the enterprise will be.
The export and import figures for the total trade of the
country, including musical instruments, for the eleven months
NOVEL feature is to be introduced in the public library
ending May 31, appear elsewhere in The Review, and are worth
of Los Angeles—a music room equipped with pianos on
consideration. The detailed figures covering the fiscal year above
which patrons of the general library can try. over any of the
referred to will not be ready for publication for some weeks. music on hand to find out if they can play it or care to buy it.
Meanwhile in proportion to population or wealth Great
Later on, according to the Tribune of that city, talking machine
Britain, Germany and France all have a foreign trade far exceed-
records will be provided for the benefit of lovers of the pre-
ing ours. Our foreign commerce is about $44.25 per per- served music in making selections before purchasing a set of
son; Great Britain's was in 1911 $122.50. Argentina, with a
new records. The room is to be made soundproof, so that readers
146 per cent, increase of commerce in ten years, has $90 per in other parts of the library may not be disturbed.
person. Canada, with an 85 per cent, increase in ten years, had
in 1912 $ri2 per person.
T has always been the aim of this publication to present the news
It will be interesting to watch the influence of the proposed
impartially and to make every department interesting to the
new tariff on our foreign trade, and whether import trade will
various divisions in the music trade treated in our columns.
show gains far in excess of our export trade.
We are constantly in receipt of communications from sub-
scribers who do not hesitate to express their pleasure in having The
HERE was a time in the music trade industry when July
Review a weekly visitor. Parks Music House, Louisiana, Mo.,
and August were considered dead months in the retail
write: "We get with some things we buy in this world an ever-
trade. They are yet, as a matter of fact, in some cities, but the lasting satisfaction and that is how we feel in renewing our sub-
piano merchant is fast getting away from this superstition.
scription to The Review.
and many firms in the larger cities and in the smaller towns are
"We are always glad to receive The Review and relish every
getting in their fine work during the summer months with sur-
page in it. It seems that you always have the news crisp and fresh
prising results. For while the people leave the great cities for
and that your criticisms are always fair and considerate. We get
the small places, the countryman, who is receiving either
the full value of our money and it is a pleasure to enclose you our
boarders or friends, wants a piano as an essential part of his
check renewing subscription,"
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grind Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 100*
Diploma
Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. . Lewis-CUrk Exposition. 1908
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 5982-5983 MADISON SQUARE
Connecting all Departments.
Cable addr«M : "Elbirt. N e w York."
W
A
I
T
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
WARS, RUMORS OF WARS AND BUSINESS.
(Continued from page 3.)
I hardly think that warships will go to the scrap heap for some time, but it does not seem civ-
ilized that in 1913 men should still continue to be cannon fodder.
Think of the world's loss because of the millions of men who are withdrawn from peaceful
pursuits in order to make up the large standing armies of Europe! They are consumers, and others
are taxed in order to maintain them. What a difference it would mean if they were producers!
What that would mean to the world is hardly possible to estimate, because the presence of vast num-
bers of young men in the various walks of life would mean a progressive impetus which is diffi-
cult to compute. The meeting of the Blue and Gray at Gettysburg this week should furnish an
object lesson for all America.
The fact that America has no large standing army, and that our young men have been devel-
opers in the business and inventive field, has helped this country immeasurably to obtain its present
progressive position.
Suppose, for instance, that a million of our young men were withdrawn from peaceful pur-
suits every year in this country! Would it not make a material difference in the development of
the nation? Some less pianos would be sold I think.
/Z^>
r+**
/K
A country progresses only by the power and ability of the men ( t ^ ^ ^ ^ C y * * mAllfill'll
who compose it, and the barracks and drill field have never been in- TOiW\IUVVU\WV\MlVVl VAX.
cubators for progressive men.
The Matter of Adjusting Payments.
N the matter of adjusting time payments on a set standard
that will prove attractive and appeal to the prospect as
well as protect the piano merchant, there have been many sys-
tems tried with varying success, though the general plan has
been in stores where the one-price rule prevails, to fix the retail
price and add interest, at varying rates, on instalment accounts.
Some merchants have fixed a price and given a discount
from that price for cash, incidentally charging interest on time
payments. In this connection the plan adopted by a prominent
Eastern concern is interesting. After careful consideration it
was decided to base all retail prices on a one-price system, to
represent the cash value of the instrument plus interest at six
per cent, for thirty months. When a customer pays cash in
full the interest charges are eliminated and a net price is charged.
Where the transaction is on the instalment basis the full price is
divided into equal monthly or weekly payments.
Under this system there is no bother of figuring interest
charges each month or each week, except in such cases where
I
payments pause or are carried over the thirty months. The
amounts are figured out in advance and are fixed. An attractive
feature of the plan, and one to encourage the purchaser to in-
crease payments and close up accounts in advance of the set
time, is that which provides for the canceling of the interest
on payments made in advance of the date upon which they are
due. In other words, the man who can clean up his account in
fifteen or eighteen months has credited to him the interest for
the remaining twelve or fifteen months, and in the hands of the
clever salesman or collector the importance of that saving can
readily be impressed on the purchaser. From the viewpoint of
time and labor saving and general simplicity, which practically
makes mistakes impossible, the plan is to be commended and
its working out will be watched with interest. Nothing is left
to the salesman but to sell pianos and to talk worth and quality.
The prices and terms are fixed absolutely, and are not subject
to change under any conditions, so they cannot enter into- the
sales argument.
"Knocking" Competitors' Wares.
URING the recent convention in Cleveland a topic was
brought up during the assemb 1 age of piano men at one
of the hotels that is interesting as it touched on a point fre-
quently overlooked by piano men and their salesmen.
The matter referred to was the assumption of a hostile
attitude toward a competitor's wares and the practice of talking
against him or his goods. For we all recollect not many years
ago when the knives were always ready for use, and the hatchets
were always sharpened to a razor edge to slash competing wares.
This feeling, however, has been gradually simmering down, and
to the credit of the national and local piano trade associations
it may be said that they have been a powerful factor in bringing
about better conditions in this particular matter.
As a matter of fact neither the American businsss man nor
the American public have time or are inclined to become inter-
ested in the quarrels of rival concerns. The piano salesman
usually drops in the estimation of a customer when he runs
down a certain competing piano, and if he begins to tell all of
the mean and dishonorable things that so-and-so has done the
wandering eye of the prospective customer quickly betrays the
weariness the subject creates in him; or in the other case it in-
D
terests him sufficiently to call upon the man whom the sales-
man has abused and ascertain just what truth there is in the
statement which has been made to him.
If the "other fellow" must be spoken of at all it is the part
of wisdom either to damn with faint praise, or, better still, to
speak well of him, and lead up to some other topic as quickly
as possible. Attacking a rival is the sign of weakness. It indi-
cates clearly enough that something must have happened, and
the public wants to know this. Its sympathies consequently go
out to the concern to which the caustic or scathing reference is
made. Sometimes a "roast" turns out to be a boomerang.
It was the consensus of opinion of the piano men who were
discussing this topic in Cleveland that there is no room for these
practices to-day. Living in a more enlightened age, with closer
intercourse among competitors, really progressive piano men
have little use for the "knocker."
Values and quality, combined with name prestige, are to-day
the standard arguments used by intelligent piano men on which
to develop sales. There is a pleasing reaction from the days of
the puzzle contest and coupon craze—one that is helping to place
the industry ethically on a new basis.

Download Page 4: PDF File | Image

Download Page 5 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.