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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FALLING ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH.
(Continued from page 3.)
a single advertisement or an attractive feature concerning a new music roll, and yet, The Review pub-
lishes monthly a large list of new rolls. Surely there should be some way of interesting the public in
them.
Now, what are the dealers doing to interest the owners of player-pianos in these rolls?
Just sitting back and waiting—and the watchful waiting means a business loss.
There should be a magnificent profit in music rolls, and there could be if handled rightly and ex-
ploited along intelligent lines.
The mere matter of offering a player-piano and a bunch of music rolls and a stool as throw-ins
means nothing in business building.
The point is to intelligently interest the public in what the music roll creators are putting forth each
month. As soon as that is done, and carried straight on to the users of player-pianos, the more inter-
est will be created in something which is vital to every piano merchant in America.
Educate the public in the marvelous possibilities of the player—and the attractiveness of new
music.
!
To sit.back and cry and suggest Partingtonian methods anent the talking machine is absurd.
Of course, there is a difference between talking machines and player-pianos; but, both are music
creators—both are entertainers—both enter into the lives of our people, and the first one, which is a
new industry, has been admirably controlled so that interest is constantly being accentuated by intelli-
gent lines of publicity.
For the other, which is much older, nothing in an artistic manner is being done to interest the
public in what the music roll manufacturers are doing.
We talk about the value of trade associations. It would seem to me that right here, good, com-
prehensive work could be accomplished along lines of general advance.
The music roll business, interestingly advertised, should promote the sale of player-pianos. Its
proper exploitation should accentuate interest in this marvelous creation.
But what are some piano merchants doing? Advertising to give away a bunch of music rolls, a
stool and scarf with a player-piano, and such is progress!
How many talking machine dealers will you find offering a lot of throw-ins?
The talking machine record business is a profitable one, and that is why a good many of the piano
merchants and manufacturers, as well, have engaged in this line. It pays and that brief statement—
it pays—is full of business meat.
The creative work put forth by the talking machine manufacturers reflects to their credit and to
the advantage of the selling forces. A close and comprehensive study
of the methods employed by them should be of value to the piano mer-
chants, many of whom are wasting time and opportunity in waiting
for business to grow better without doing their share to make it better.
It is a case of being asleep at the switch.
Orchestral Instruments for The Schools.
A
X educational authority in this city comes forth with a rather
unusual, but in some details worthy suggestion, that the
makers and dealers in band instruments and musical merchandise
should find it to their advantage to supply orchestral instruments
without cos'; to the public schools in their respective territories.
] The authority makes a point, and it is a good one, that music
does not receive the proper amount of attention in the public schools
to-day largely owing to the fact that the purchasing powers of the
Board of Education are limited to the selection of pianos and
do not consider instruments of any other character. He claims that
the school children, especially those with foreign born parents, are
instinctively fond of music and simply seek an outlet for their de-
sires in that connection. If the various schools were supplied with
orchestral and band equipments the scholars would welcome the
opportunity of forming their orchestra and bands during the school
term. With careful attention the instruments could be kept in
good condition and passed from one class to another, serving their
purpose for a number of years and satisfying the musical ambition
of thousands of students.
It is held that the dealer will profit by the fact that once the
child having learned to play any particular instrument, such as the
violin, guitar, cornet, he becomes a live prospect for the sale of a
musical instrument of higher price when he is a little older.
It is claimed that in the normal course of events the contri-
bution by a dealer of a dozen musical instruments to a school should
result in the sale of several dozen instruments of much higher grade
to the scholars and graduates of the same school.
The idea may not be so very practical in its present shape, but
the suggestion should give dealers in musical instruments something
to think about.
families, or sent mere postal cards, that would cost him $20,000 for
postage alone, allowing nothing for the expense of writing or mail-
ing. And if a man tried to send representatives to such a number
of families, even though paid only a dollar a day, it would cost at
least $200,000 to do the work.
Every intelligent American merchant should be interested in
advertising; for be sure of this—that if he is ever to succeed he will
need to know about advertising. And if he doesn't know about
advertising his success will never be more than a smafl fraction of
what it might have been.