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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
He has the whole campaign carefully worked out on a copy-
right advertising plan, so that a scheduled amount of advertising
space is used in the local papers during the time when his sale is
scheduled.
Piano men are naturally interested in methods which insure
to them a maximum of business at a minimum selling expense.
Now, if plans can be inaugurated whereby a business may be ma-
terially increased without clogging up the trade machinery with a
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor lot of old exchanges taken in on high allowance, why, it would be
quite worth while investigating.
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
That there are inevitable changes in the music trade is admitted
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
by all who have given the business the closest study.
B BRITTAIN WILION,
CAKLETON CHACK,
L. M. ROBINSON,
GLAD HXNDEMON,
Some believe that the department stores, through their method-
A. J. NiCKLiN,
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
WM. B. WHITE,
L. E. BOWEM.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO
OFFICF?
p VA
ical
and
systematic work, and through ample capital employed will
JOHN H. WILSON, »2« Washington St.
£ -
» HAELINGEN, 87 South W»b*«h Ave.
_ . .
n, . -OKft
HENRY S. KINOWILL, Associtte.
be
the
dominating
factor in the retail piano output in the great
Telephone, Mam «860
Room 808. Telephone, Central 414.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS a n d ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUISt
cities
within
the
very
near future.
R. W. KAUFFMAN
ADOLF EDSTIN.
CLYDE JENNINGS,
We
do
not
believe,
however, that the day of the specialist has
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 88 First St
DETROIT, MICH.: MORRIS J. WHITE.
CINCINNATI, O.: JACOB W. WALTERS.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.: STANLEY H. SMITH.
gone
by,
but
the
day
of
the non-progressive specialist is rapidly
RALTIMORE, MO.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
MILWAUKEE. W I S . : L. E. MEYER.
going.
KANSAS CITY, MO.: E. P. ALLEN.
PITTSBURGH, PA^ GEORGE G. SNYDER.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Uresham Buildings, Basinghall St., E. C.
There is no reason why a piano merchant should succumb to
outside competition when he can control avenues which will insure
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
him an increased output of instruments.
Entered at the JVew York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
The point is, that old and unprofitable methods must be dis-
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada,
|8.60; all other countries, $4.00.
carded. There must be an clement of progressiveness infused into
ADVERTISEMENTS, $3.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
the work of the piano man, and a man cannot expect to do business
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $90.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
in small cities by confining his publicity to a sporadic advertising
Lyman Hill.
announcement, which may be presented in an unattractive form.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
Player-Plane and
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu-
The value of publicity depends largely upon its attractiveness,
1Whnitf*Jll I t o n a r f m P I l f c
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos are
• C l U U I C a i V e p a i lUIClllS. d e a ) t w j t h i w i u be found in another section of this
and
upon
its consecutive appearance.
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning which
will be cheerfully given upon request.
It is said that one of the large department stores of New York
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
has a piano advertisement appearing every day in some of the New
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 1902
York papers. This house never spends very much at any one time,
Diploma
Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1V0*
but it keeps continuously at it. It never ceases.
I.ONQ DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 5982—5983 MADISON SQ
Such work brings results, and that is the point The Review
Connecting- all Departments
Cable address: "Elblll, New Tort."
desires to impress upon its readers in every section of the country.
The methods of marketing are changing, and if the old plans
N E W Y O R K , D E C E M B E R 6, 1 9 1 3
have not proven successful, try new ones.
Get in touch with the modern trend of thought. Work out
special lines—interest the people.
EDITORIAL
There is plenty of good piano business to be secured in every
town.
Very frequently the trouble lies in imperfectly worked field—
A READER who has been interested in the various articles which
not
in
the fact that business cannot be secured, but in the fact that
xA. have appeared in these columns anent the problem of the
it
cannot
be secured by the old methods and old powers of non-
trade-ins writes: "I believe, with you, that it is a question that
attraction.
requires serious consideration, and when you say that Martin
An imperfectly worked territory is often dead territory, and
McCarrick has conducted co-operative sales throughout the trade
the
point
is to make it profitable.
and has sold millions of dollars worth of pianos and player-pianos
How
can it be done?
without having taken back a single second-hand piano in part pay-
By
the
infusion of new ideas, by the adoption of methods
ment, it becomes more interesting."
which
will
interest
the people in an unusual way, and by adhering
There is no question but that the trade-ins is one of the serious
to
sound
business
methods.
problems of the trade, and it is bound to grow in importance with
It is not necessary for a man to discard good business prin-
the growing dominancy of the player-piano.
ciples
to increase his business.
When an upright is traded in for a player-piano that means,
It
can be done along legitimate, methodical lines, which have
of course, that the upright taken in exchange has cut down the profit
been
proven
satisfactory in a variety of cases. The trade needs
on the player-piano, and it means necessarily that another sale must
vitalizing.
be made of the upright.
ffiWfflf
Now, what are trade-ins worth ?
Is there any standard by which their values can be measured?
Mr. McCarrick says that a man is fooling himself to take in a used
instrument as part payment on a new one. He bases his statement
upon an experience of years, during which time he has conducted
co-operative sales on a so-called club plan.. He disposes of from
350 to 450 pianos in a single sale, and these are sold on a perfect
system and on a fixed principle, and that anything which benefits
the buyer equally benefits the seller. The McCarrick plan has been
to sell a specified number of instruments at absolutely one price,
and to accept no exchanges in the way of used instruments. As
a matter of fact, Mr. McCarrick has disposed of millions of dollars
worth of pianos and player-pianos upon his club, or co-operative
plan. He has not taken in exchange a single instrument, nor has
he departed from rigidly fixed prices in his sales.
Mr. McCarrick affirms that exchanges have been a most un-
profitable factor in the piano business, and his carefully developed
plans show that it is possible to do business without taking ex-
changes.
T
HE surmounting of difficulties in business, as in everything else,
is a great test of character. The combatting of unfavorable
conditions arouses the very best there is in men—tests their capa-
bilities. It is when business slows up a bit that the mental equip-
ment of the man or men behind a business is best displayed, and
the policy adopted in this connection affords an index of the re-
sourcefulness of those "behind the guns." As a recent writer in
Printer's Ink put it: "When the first whisper of a business de-
pression begin to be heard there are always concerns that look
around for a soft place to curl up and lie down. They pull in their
lines, shorten their sales force and cut down their advertising.
"But there are also other concerns that see in identically the
same unfavorable conditions a reason why they should redouble
their efforts to get and increase business. That is why, when
there is talk of bad times, if you inquire among your friends, you
will hear very conflicting reports. Some are complaining of de-
creases in sales, while others are 'pointing with pride' to a record
of 25 per cent, increases."