Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1915 Vol. 61 N. 25

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
BANNER YEAR FOR TWIN CITIES.
Heavy Holiday Trade Brings Year's Average of
Piano Trade to a Very Satisfactory Point—
Northwest Prosperous—Ordering Steinways
by Telegraph—General News of the Week.
(Special to The Review.)
•-TST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., December
-13.—With a heavy holiday trade to close the year,
1915 wiil go down in the piano history of the twin
cities as among the best years, when all is said and
done. The last fortnight will be pleasing for all
the dealers without any question, as the injunction,
"Do your Christmas shopping early and often,"
has done much for the piano trade. The warm
weather has been somewhat of a drag on the local
volume, as everyone is intent on getting as much
country touring out of their cars as possible. The
roads are in excellent condition, and with the ther-
mometer ranging from thirty to forty above the
motoring conditions arc ideal except that it hurts
the piano trade a little.
Generally speaking, the Northwest is highly pros-
perous. Some of the big plants are getting war or-
ders and there is less unemployment in the twin
cities at present than for many years. The country
is even better off than the cities. A $1,000 Steinway
piano was sent by W. J. Dyer & Rro. to the hamlet
of White Rock, S. D., and this incident tells a con-
vincing story of rural prosperity.
The American Society of Equity, which met last
week in St. Paul, is not exactly satisfied with con-
ditions. They condemned the Federal reserve bank
system, and John Burke, Treasurer of the United
States, led the attack. The main complaint, when
analyzed, is that some farmers are disappointed
because they cannot get unlimited credit at the
bank at nominal interest.
Although F. K. Dolbeer, credit manager of the
Victor Talking Machine Co., is not a piano man, he
was warmly welcomed by several while visiting St.
Paul and Minneapolis last week. He complimented
W. J. Dyer & Bro. on the fact that the 1915 business
was $75,(100 ahead of that of the previous year. The
Dyers sold a Fotoplayer to a Duluth motion picture
theatre for $3,500, and this new branch of their
business shows an increase of more than 150 per
cent, when comparing the first five months of the
firm's fiscal year with that of the corresponding
period of 1914.
"We have all that we can do, and we are going
to break all records in December," replied Robert
(). Foster in response to the inevitable question.
"We just simply are too busy to talk anything but
piano sales."
The Cable Piano Co. stores also are too busy
to stop to discuss business prospects or trade condi-
tions. Sordid business is all that interests them.
Next month, maybe, they will organize bowling
teams, but not now.
The Metropolitan Music Co. has been compelled
again to order Steinway pianos by telegraph, as it
is impossible to keep up its stock. A notable sale
1 his week was a Steinway Duo-Art grand to Horace
Lowry, the street railway magnate. It cost Mr.
Lowry $2,500.
Influenza has gripped the twin cities and has
thousands of people under its power. The piano
store staffs are suffering somewhat. Allan T. Wat-
son, of the Watson-Lister Piano Co., has been con-
fined to his home for several days by the prevailing
malady.
Two Emerson grands were included in the early
December sales of the Linquist Piano Co.
The show windows of the T. C. Borg Furniture
•Co,, : St. Paul, are all but concealed in huge yellow
posters announcing a "$10,000 manufacturers' bank-
rupt stock sale." The sale is to be driven hard, as
the newspapers also are loaded with display ads
for the event.
ACTIVITY
SECTIONS
CALENDAR TIME IS HERE.
Is the Report Received by the A. B. Chase
Co. and Which Is Followed Up by Orders.
First of the Season's Souvenirs Comes from the
Laffargue Co., New York.
tSi>eeial to The Review.)
As we are rapidly reaching the stage in the year
when all find it necessary to have recourse to the
dates of the days in the new year, preparations
throughout the trade are made to provide the
proper record for us to keep tabs on old "Father
Time." Calendars of all shapes and sizes are dis-
tributed freely with the compliments of the sender-.
One of the first calendar arrivals at the office of
The Review is from the Laffargue Co., 134th street
and Cypress avenue, New York City. Its simplicity
of design and the excellent individuality shown in
the character of the picture depicting a beautiful
young lady seated before a Laffargue grand should
find it a place in the offices of many Laffargue
dealers during the coming year.
NORWALK, O., December 13.—Warren C. Whit-
ney, vice-president and general manager of the A.
B. Chase Co., this city, who has recently returned
from a trip through the East, reports that there is
a decided uplift in trade conditions in that section
of the country. The same report also comes to the
A. B. Chase factory from other sections of the
country and is emphasized by the heavy increase
in orders received during November and the first
few days of December. The grand department of
the A. B. Chase factory alone shows an increase
of 50 per cent, over a year ago, with prospects of
a still further increase.
Among the important deals closed by Mr. Whit-
ney while in the East was the placing of the A. B.
Chase line with Morehouse & Loomis, the success-
ful piano house of New Haven, Conn., which has
only recently moved into new and larger ware-
rooms in that city.
An up-to-date piano store will be opened in the
new Brokaw Building at St. Clairsville, O., as soon
as that structure is completed, by the Brokaw
Music Co.
MERICAN
OGANY
A New Type of Mahogany
Acid Stain, of Quality
Thoroughly Established,
Yet Not Dependent Upon Europe
for Its Raw Materials.
question of time when those dependent upon
aniline dyes would be in dire circumstances, due
to the complete stoppage of imports.
we turned our attention to the production of a
stain that would be independent of the European
sources of supply for its raw materials.
(J We concentrated upon the problem the entire facilities of
our technical department. Success did not come in a day.
We have been working at it for months. But we have suc-
ceeded in producing—in American Mahogany Acid Stains—
goods of absolute reliability.
finished with American Mahogany Stains, have been exposed
to light for months at a time, and the colors proved perfectly
FAST.
as our materials are of American origin, and our base of sup-
plies within easy reach ; We are ready for your orders.
The Marietta Paint & Color Co.
Marietta, O.
THE BALDWIN PIANO USED.
The Baldwin piano was used at a song recital
given by Miss Alice Sovereign, well-known con-
tralto, at Aeolian Hall on December 11. Miss
Sovereign rendered a very interesting program,
which was well received by the audience.
r»-- «
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
II
LIVELY HOLIDAY BUSINESS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Trade Keeping Up in Remarkable Manner—Big Shipments of Pianos Received from the East
—Sales of Aeolian Pipe Organs—Want an Annual "Piano Week"—Recent Visitors.
(Special to The Review.),
permanently established. Then, 1 think, the man-
ufacturers should enter into the spirit of the
business as a whole was particularly satisfactory movement and plan to carry more or less adver-
in this city, and December is opening up in very tising in the magazines and journals of national
promising form indeed.. There has been a good, circulation to give it wide publicity. Whether or
steady demand for pianos and player-pianos for not they can be induced to conduct national ad-
the past three months, in fact, and from present vertising campaigns throughout the year, t/iey cer-
indications it would seem that the Los Angeles tainly should feel disposed to do it for at least a
dealers are gong to wind up their affairs, for ;the. few weeks just preceding the observance of an
year in excellent shape. - Just now : the various annual 'Piano Week.' Of course, the retail deal-
houses are going after dilatory, instalment pur- ers could then be depended upon to co-operate ef-
chasers pretty strongly, and a number of repos- fectively by carrying special advertising space in
st-ss'ons are being made. On the whole, however, I heir local newspapers."
collections have been surprisingly good for some
Alterations Completed.
time, and the present action against delinquents
The William L. Glockner Music Co. has had
is merely a somewhat natural effort toward getting completed this week the alterations in its store
affairs in order for the close of tie year. The building, which were announced in The Review
Christmas talking machine trade is showing great two weeks ago as'being contemplated. T.iey con-
activity, and it is generally believed that last year's stitute a considerable improvement, and will facili-
record of sales is going to be exceeded. There is, tate greatly toward enabling t ie company to care
however, a more marked shortage in instruments, better for its Christmas business, especially in its
especially in certain styles, and this, in some cases, talking machine department.
is proving quite a handicap. All of the leading
Recovering from Auto Accident.
dealers are doing a great deal of advertising just
J. J. Griffith, president of the Holmes Music
now, and while talking machines.are perhaps get- Co., who was injured two weeks ago in an automo-
ting the more space pianos and player-pianos ar;' bile accident near Pomona, is rapidly recovering.
by no means being neglected. It would seem, in He has returned to his home in this city after
fact, that t.ie local advertising is more equally di- several days' confinement in a Pomona hotel, and
vided in this respect this year than it has been lor is again able to be at his desk, although still forced
two or three years.
. . :. ' . •
to get round on crutches. This handicap, how-
Fitzgerald Receives Big Shipment.
ever, will be only temporary.
The Fitzgerald Music Co." announces the arrival
Visitors and Personals.
this week of a shipment of sixty pianos and player-
A. H. Taylor, representing the factories of K
pianos. The lot includes Knabes, Mehlins and (>. Smith, of New York, is in Los Angeles on his
liehr Bros. This is the second big shipment re- annual visit to the Pacific Coast. He left New
ceived by this firm within the past month.
York in September, and will not complete his trip
Disposes of Small Goods Stock.
until some time in February. He states that he
The Gray-Mau Music Co., of San Diego, has finds conditions gradually improving all over the
sold its stock of sheet music and small goods to country. He arrived here from San Francisco
.the Southern California Music Co., of that city, and the cities of the Northwest, and while in
the former company discontinuing these depart- southern California will visit the San Diego ex-
ments.
I position. Mrs. Taylor preceded him to Los An-
Aeolian Pipe-Organ Sales.
geles, and will spend the winter there as usual.
The George J. Birkel Co., local representative
W. W. Griggs, Coast representative of the Estcy
for the Aeolian Co., has just sold to John D. Piano Co., New York, arrived here on Thursday
Spreckels, of San Diego, a $20,000 Aeolian' house of last week for a week's visit to the local dealers.
pipe organ, which will be installed in the million- He departed this week for San Diego. His home
aire's palatial home in that city as soon as the or- and headquarters are in Seattle.
der can be filled. The organ will be made to spe-
A. W. Nicholls, of tfie firm of Walter Nicholis
cial specifications and shipped direct from the Co., retail music dealer, of San Francisco, was in
factory. It will require some seven or. eight Los Angeles last week for several days on his re-
months to build it. The Birkel'Co.'is also, having turn from a trip through the East.
installed at present an Aeolian organ of sirnrlar style
R. Zellner, Jr., president of the Zellner Piano
in the elegant Pasadena home of William Wrigley. Co., has just returned from a month's business trip
the chewing-gum king. This: company is finding through Arizona. He states that he found busi-
southern California a particularly promising field ness exceptionally good in all sections of that State.
fbf the Aeolian instrument;: Its Aeolian Hall, was
A. P. Garrison, of the Bush & Gerts Piano Co.,
established only a comparatively short time ago, Chicago, is calling on the trade here.
but it has received wide recognition and is de-
T. N. Rice, of the Schiller Piano Co., Oregon,
clared to be one of the very" finest'in the'country. 111., returned to'the East last week, after spending
A "Piano Week?' Suggestion.
some time in southern California.
Said a Los Angeles ! piaiio dealer recently:
Joe Hughes, formerly with the Southern Cali-
''Piano Week' should be made an annual affair fornia Music Co., is now with the rlolmes Music
all over the country, with the time for holding it Co. as floor salesman. ' ' '
H. Shuman Jones, vice-president of the Starr
Piano Co., Pacific Coast branch, of this city, left
Tuesday for Richmond. Tnd.. to visit the com-
pany's factory and old home friends. He will be
ONK YEAR'S PIANO BUSINESS
absent until after the holidays'
WITHOIT MAKING AN OlTSIDK
John Mehlig, of the Brooks Piano Store, re-
turned this week from a trout fishing trip. He,
MY SELLING ARGUMENTS, SYS-
with two assistants, caught 150 itrout, the limit.
TEMS AND METHODS HAVE NOW
Mr. Miller, of' Harding & Miller, retail music
HE EN
PUT INTO ASSEMBLED
FORM, AND CAN BE BOUGHT.
dealers, of Evansville, Ind., reached Los Angeles
$1,000.00 WORTH OF PIANO SELL-
this week on an overland motor trip. He is ac-
ING KNOWLEDGE FOR $.'. — A 200
companied by Mrs. Miller. They will spend some
1() 1 SHOT ON A SURE THING—
t me with friends at Long Beach.
THE PRICE IS $5.00 AND CHEAP
• Leo Tones traveling representative of Jacob
AT ANY PRICE—NO BOOKS WILL
BE SOLD TO DEALERS LIVING
Doll & Sons, New York, departed last week for the
LESS'THAN 100 MILES FROM OUR
East, after spending several weeks in southern
CENTRAL STORE. HARRISBURC,
California.
PA. SEND ORDERS TO
Los ANGELES, CAL., December
11.—November
H. M. ELDRIDGE, JR., Mgr.
Winter Piano Company
Harrisburg, Pa.
L. Kirschhoff has opened a piano wareroom at
Third avenue and 146th street, New York City.
Victrola XVIII, $350
Victrola XVIII, electric, $400
Circassian or American Walnut
Other sty lee $15 to $350
"Will there be a
Victrola in your home
this Christmas?"
There's a lot in the power
of suggestion, and we're
using this phrase extensively
in our advertising to suggest
the Victrola for Christmas.
We get the peoplethinking
''Victrola," and then it is
easy for you to get action.
And there's going to be
plenty of action this coming
holiday season.
With every Victor dealer
doing his part, the volume of
Christmas business will be
unprecedented even for the
Victor.
Victor Talking Machine Co.,
Camden, N. J., U. S. A.
Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal,
Canadian Distributors.
Always use Victor Machines with Victor Records
and Victor Needles—the combination. There it no
other way to get th c unequaled Victor tone-

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