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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
NO TIME FOR SPINELESS INACTIVITY.
(Continued from page 3.)
a billion bushels, and yet this fabulous amount is not enough for next year. Not only must two
stalks of wheat and two ears of corn grow where one grew before, but three, four or five.
The American farmer must enroll at once with the reservists who are called out to fight and
win the commercial battles of the United States in the next year or two.
If there is a poor market for cotton, raise corn. That has been the trouble with the South.
It has held to cotton exclusively, and the same soil will raise corn as well. But these enormous
deficits in the production of the soil, of the mines and of the factories must be made good from
some source, and it is plain that America is the one great country upon which the whole world
must rely for its varied products.
The more uncertainty which can be taken out of the minds of men the better it will be, and
even the most pessimistic will admit that home prospects certainly look better than ever, and that
big crops at high prices certainly mean the distribution of material wealth.
The quicker American business men get the depression idea out of their minds the better it
will be for those with whom they are brought in contact.
There is no reason why publicity methods should be abandoned. Keen advertisers realize that
advertising is a powerful force to stimulate business confidence. Men who are on the fighting lines
of business realize that, and it is just at such a time when the weak and
inefficient retreat and abandon the field to the stronger and more ag-
gressive business forces.
Ginger up the business methods and remember spineless inactivity
never did amount to a rap in any kind of times.
Importance of Educational Advertising.
i n P H E subject of advertising received a great deal of considera-
[ J. tion at the annual meeting of the Oliio Piano Merchants'
[Association held in Columbus, O., last week, and among the very
interesting addresses made that of Perry B. Whitsit on "Educa-
tional Advertising" was admirable. He pointed out how the edu-
cational element in an advertisement plays a vital part in the suc-
cess of the article advertised, and in this connection gave a number
of instances that were most convincing. Getting down to the piano
trade, he said:
"I consider the piano and player-piano luxuries for the simple
reason that they are not necessities. It is true that a home is
hardly considered complete in this day without one or the other, so
jwhere there is a natural spark of desire in all new households to
J3wn a piano or a player-piano, it sometimes takes quite a time to
fan this spark into a flame of realization, and I believe the quickest
and best way to accomplish this is by the educational advertising.
Especially do I believe this in the case of the player-piano. Is it
not surprising to you gentlemen, to come into contact with so many
people who are terribly prejudiced against the player-piano? Why,
I meet men every week of my life who openly laugh when I speak
of the wonder of the modern player. I believe most of us take it
for granted that because we have watched every step in the player-
piano development, the public has done likewise, but we are de-
ceiving ourselves. Nine men out of ten, 90 per cent., mind you,
coming a back number. He loses touch with current conditions
and methods of doing business and is outclassed by the men who
get together and exchange ideas.
The piano business of to-day is an enormous proposition, so
big that haphazard methods don't count. The man who is unable
to mix with other merchants in his calling either at club or associa-
tion conventions is to be considered unfortunate. He is handi-
capped.
T
HE selection of the name "Chickering Hall" for the Audi-
torium of the new Lord & Taylor store shows an interesting
understanding of name values in music and in the music trade.
The term "Chickering Hall" is not unknown to the music
lovers of New York, for up to fifteen years ago or so the old
Chickering Hall at Eighteenth street and Fifth avenue was one of
the music centers of the city.
know the player-piano by some sort of a rattle-bang affair, whicbj
they accidentally heard a decade ago. We cannot run our players!
up and down the streets as the automobile people do their new model
I:
cars every year.
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"A man who can tell you every improvement made on the
Packard automobile since the first couldn't tell you whether you use
foot or steam or water power in that wonderful player you sell
and know all about. It is not the man's fault. We as a whole
simply have not done enough educational advertising. True, we
have spent out good money, but we have been content to tell the
public that our player was either very much better or very much
cheaper than the other fellow's. When we appropriate one-half of;
our money to making the public believe in player-pianos and in-j
vestigate the claims we make and buy them, and the other half of
our money for 'best for least' purposes, we will have started an
educational advertising policy which will cause the public to investi-
gate this wonderful instrument, and will also make them buy to a
greater extent than we have known. We must have at least part
of those 90 per cent, who are against us now on our side. We
have a wonderful instrument, but we must not hide it."
Mr. Whitsit's arguments are sound and well worthy the con-
sideration of every piano dealer, too many of whom, unfortunately,
do not utilize their advertising space along the most effective or
commendable lines.
If the conduct of the Lord & Taylor Auditorium is made to
conform with the traditions of the old Chickering Hall musical
New York will have much to be thankful for.
The name "Chickering" as applied to the hall does not simply
signify the adoption of a name of a prominent piano, but rather
the adoption of all that that piano and its associations represent in
the musical world.. It means that to live up to the name, the con-
certs and recitals given in the Auditorium must achieve a standard
—an ideal that means considerably more than the advertising of a
piano naire.
It is entirely fitting that a piano name shou 1 d mean something
in music—something tangible—something lofty. The use of the
name "Chickering" for the Lord & Taylor Auditorium reflects as
much honor on the house which employs it as there is honor
conferred upon the name of the oldest piano made in America
through its use.