Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE POINT OF VIEW—(Continued from page 5).
Views of F. S. Cable, President Cable-Nelson Co., Chicago.
In answer to your inquiries, I am glad to have
the opportunity of communicating to the retail
piano merchant something of our enthusiasm over
the wonderful possibilities that the player-piano
has put into his hands. In regard to the first part
of your inquiries, I feel that the piano merchant
ought to be made to understand better how the
player-piano is giving to each retailer—or, at any
rate to the live retailer in each community—a fresh
start in a virgin field. When he starts to push the
player-piano in an intelligent way, he finds that
everyone is his prospect, whether he owns a piano
or not. But I need hardly enforce the idea of
intelligence in sales policy. The player must be
studied, its peculiarities understood its demon-
stration mastered. Haphazard methods do more
harm than good.
Especially, however, I would point out that the
player-piano offers an especial benefit in that it
will never be satisfied till he owns one. That more
automobiles than player-pianos are sold for pleas-
ure we regard as a reflection upon the enterprise
and enlightenment of the trade, and we hope that
the charge of neglect of opportunity may not much
longer justly be made against piano men. There
is no reason in the world why more automobiles
than player-pianos should be sold and many rea-
sons why the latter should excel in sales. We
look to see the day when this is truly the case.
What Paul B. Klugh, Vice-President, The Cable Company Says:
These questions could be answered in two hun-
dred times my available space, and still there
would be something more to say. I mean that
these are three very large subjects and that it
would be impossible to get into them properly in
too brief a space.
1. The biggest mistake the retail dealer is mak-
ing to-day is in not showing player-pianos to every
customer that comes into his store, who is able to
buy a fairly good grade of piano. Many are the
sales made of regular pianos at $300 and $400
which might be players at $500 if these instru-
ments were shown. Frequently, the player is just
what the prospective purchaser would want if he
could see it. The dealer commits a great injustice,
both to the customer and himself, in not giving
the customer an opportunity to buy a player.
2. The future of the player has never been in
doubt. Its progress has not been as rapid as was
hoped, but this has been due to the fact that play-
ers were selling at a higher price than the average
prospective purchaser could afford to pay. Now,
however, we have good player-pianos within the
reach of the average player-piano buyer, and in
fact, 1 might say, within the reach of the average
piano buyer.
There have been many kinks to iron out in the
development of the player and I know that these
kinks; represented by mechanical deficiencies in the
old types, are absent to-day. I believe that at the
present time the retail purchaser can procure a
better instrument for $400 than he could seven
years ago for twice that amount and I also be-
lieve that the next seven years will show as much,
if not more, improvement. It is natural that the
interest in the player should increase as it becomes
mechanically and musically more perfect, and, as
the interest increases, the sales increase. Not the
least contributing factor in the development of the
Fayette S. Cable.
gives the retailer a chance to get away from forced player has been the improvement of the music roll.
sales. I know nothing more certainly danger- I think T can safely say that as much progress has
been made in the production of this controlling
ous to the business than this development of
factor in all player-pianos as has been in any other
retailing.
In fact, I can answer your third question here cne part of the player idea. It is now possible for
and without getting away from the subject at all, one who has no idea of music whatever, with the
by saying that the manufacturers are probably a modern type of hand-played roll, to produce in-
unit in desiring that the retailer should get down stantly very much better effects than he could have
to right business methods in selling to the public. produced with a regular roll after he had been
Such methods, I feel, are far more easily attained operating a player for some time, and, especially
is this true of those people who are without musi-
with the player than with the straight piano. If
cal
intelligence and sensibility. The trend of
the dealer knows his business he has the oppor-
tunity with the player-piano to sell to people who player development is, undoubtedly, toward a more
have the money to indulge in luxuries. That faithful reproduction of hand playing than has
means that he has the opportunity to incorporate been possible in the past. Many meritorious ef-
into his business a fair percentage of cash transac- forts have been made in an endeavor to produce a
tions—'which must be the basis of every big suc- piano-player where there is an independent con-
trol of each one of the eighty-eight notes. These
cess.
devices are all steps in the right direction; yet, I
The retail business has not been run on a
feel that the day is not far distant when player-
broad enough basis. The player-piano, if in-
pianos will be for sale in which there is such per-
telligently pushed, can be sold more as the auto-
fect control of each one of the eighty-eight-note
mobile is sold; namely, to people who have the
fingers that the very best hand playing can be
cash to pay for it. There is no reason why an in-
duplicated, or—and I mention it softly—improved.
strument of the player-piano type, with all the in-
3. This question involves purely the com-
genuity that is expended on it, with the luxurious
character that pertains to it, should be sold on a mercial aspect of the player business and any
picayune basis. Let the retailer go after the trade manufacturer asked this question will immediately
which has the money to pay cash and he will find hurry to condemn the long time upon which play-
ers are retailed. Much has been written in an ef-
that he has an almost untouched field.
It is satisfactory to know that, in fact, many fort to influence dealers to restrict their sales to a
retail piano merchants are coming to see the period of not longer than thirty-six months. And
player-piano in this light. These wiser men are yet we see every day player-pianos being sold on
reaping the benefits which follow from the right five years' time to people whom the salesman
conception of the player-piano commercially. The knows will not be able to keep up their payments
truth of the matter is that any man who has any and then the time becomes extended beyond five
leisure moments and who knows what a player- years about the same percentage as the past due
piano can do to fill such moments with pleasure any regularly organized music house will condone.
The player business with some dealers and manu-
facturers is a banking business and not a retailing
business, and, from my viewpoint, if greater care
is not used in the length of time goods are sold
upon, there are some dealers headed straight for
the rock pile.
Ignorance on the part of the dealer, the salesman
and even the repair man, of the most elementary
principles of player construction works a hard-
ship upon the manufacturer and his product.
Many efforts have been made by manufactvirers,
such as invitations to visit their factories for the
purpose of learn-
ing about play-
ers and the trade
schools of the
New York City
Board of Educa-
tion, to help to a
b e t t e r under-
standing of the
working p r i n-
ciples of players.
The smaller and
m o r e ignorant
the dealer, the
more complaints.
The larger deal-
ers, with com-
Paul B. Klugh.
petent and expe-
rienced help, rarely have a complaint to make. When
the small dealer has a sticking key on the piano,
caused by a swollen bushing, he remedies the
trouble. When a similar difficulty, of no more
serious nature, occurs in the player, he condemns
the whole player.
The small dealer does not know, and if he
does, he does not appreciate the fact that there are
more working parts in a player action than there
are in a piano action, and it is simple common
sense to accept the small adjustments necessary,
as a part of the obligation incurred in the selling
of players, just as he accepts the inevitable tun-
ing, regulating and voicing of a piano.
* * *
Comment is unnecessary on the words set forth
above. These men know what they are talking
about. But it is a queer commentary on trade con-
ditions that the gentlemen whose opinions are set
down here have come so close to exact and pre-
cise agreement in the essential elements of their
answers. This unanimity is most significant.
Where there is much smoke, fire cannot be far
away.
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F. E . COLE, 3 Appleton St., Boston, Mass.