Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
[1U JIC TIRADE
VOL. LX. No. 11
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 373 Fourth Ave., New York, March J.3,1915
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UDGING from a voluminous correspondence, my editorial of last week created considerable fa-
vorable comment, and I am therefore encouraged to continue further along the same lines.
If we can only arouse enough interest among the music trade men of this country to handle
the music roll department of the business more successfully, so that better financial returns may
be the outcome, we shall have accomplished a point to be desired.
The elementary move in that direction is to get men interested, and then it may be possible to get
them to thinking along lines of trade advance.
All of my correspondents thus far agree that the music roll business should be profitable.
Conceded. Then why not go to work along the right lines and make it profitable? Why say a
thing should be and not strive to make it so.
" In the first place, why give away a music roll as a baiting or throw-in proposition?
A little while ago one of the oldest department stores in New York, which has recently taken on
pianos and player-pianos, came out with an advertisement exploiting a player-piano at a cut rate, with
an extra inducement in the way of throw-ins of a big bunch of music rolls, together with a stool and
cover.
The throw-in proposition is such a rank departure from the ordinary policy of the department
store that it causes one to think that the manager of the department who works along these lines has
not consulted the chiefs of the business, for in what other department are there such cheap baits
offered to purchasers? None, so far as I have observed—then why single out music rolls?
That is point number one.
I should say first, do not give away music rolls, and last, do not give away music rolls, and all the
time do not give away music rolls.
You do not find that the talking machine men are giving away records. They are too keen. They
know that that is the most profitable part of their business, and yet piano merchants and department
store managers flamboyantly announce the giving away of products which should pay a profit.
Now, is there anything educational about such an offer of throw-ins?
Is there anything which would cause people to come in and buy a music roll, or player-piano, sim-
ply because a cut price is offered and a bait in the way of throw-ins?
Nothing whatsoever.
It seems to me, scanning the national advertising of the piano houses that they are pursuing lines
which do not make for business advance, and certainly do not make for music roll profits.
I have scanned music trade advertisements in more than two hundred papers in the past two
weeks, and in none of these have I observed the slightest educational force. On the contrary, an abso-
lute avoidance of matter which is calculated to interest the musical people.
These advertisements tell nothing of the marvelous possibilities of the player-piano.
They tell nothing of its rapid advance—why it is superseding the straight piano. They only tell
one thing—price and inducements.
Not a thing about music rolls—not a line about what specialties are out for the month. Surely
music roll manufacturers issue large and attractive lists each month. These are printed regularly in
The Review and constitute an imposing array, yet not a thing to encourage, not a thing to interest is
(Continued on page 5.)