Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
It is worthy of note that the Federal Reserve Board in its
report this week stated that general business conditions through-
out the United States were unusually good during August, and
the prospects were never better for September. The Federal
Reserve districts are on record to this effect, and it may be
added that no district sent out a discouraging report.
THE
fftJJIC TIRADE
PUBLISHED BY THE ESTATE OF EDWARD LYMAN BILL
(C. L. BILL, Executrix.)
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
J. RAYMOND BILL, Associate Editor
AUGUST J. TIMPE
Business Manager
Executive and Reportorial Stall:
'*•- BRITTAIN WILSON, CARLETON CHACE, L. M. ROBINSON, WILSON D. BUSH, V. D. WALSH,
A. J. NICKLIN,
WM. BRAID WHITE (Technical Editor),
L. E. BOWERS.
•
BOSTON OFFICE i
IOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone, Main 6950.
CHICAGO OFFICES!
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, Consumers' Building,
220 So. State Street. Telephone, Wabash 5774.
HENRY S. KINGWILL, Associate.
LONDON, ENGLAND» 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall S't., E. C.
NEWS SERVICE IS SUPPLIED WEEKLY BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
LOCATED IN THE LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
"
REVIEW
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $5.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $3.50 per inch, single column, per insertion. Of. quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising pages, $no.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to the Estate of
Edward Lyman Bill.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
alltl
a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu-
l tions
a t i n of
S a n d re Pa irin E o f P ia . nos a n d Player-pianos are
l c C n D l C a l U c p d r i l I l c U l » . ^ ea it with, will be found in another section of this
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.... Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
I.ONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 5982—5983 MADISON SQ.
Connecting all Departments
Cable addres«: "Elbili, New TTorlc."
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 9, 1916
EDITORIAL
USINESS men experienced great relief this week at the
ending, for a time at least, of probable railroad troubles,
B
due to the demands of the railroad workers for increased pay,
and an eight-hour work-day.
Few have relished the idea of Congress being held up, so
to speak, and compelled to pass a law, which inevitably is bound
to increase freight rates, without the subject being given longer
time for consideration. Hasty legislation is always unwise. It
means a tendency to overstep the constitution, with the result
that the courts are appealed to, with a likelihood of continued
agitation and disturbance.
The railroad workers made their demand at the "psycho-
logical moment"; for with a presidential election on, political
parties afraid of offending the labor vote, and a congestion of
freight, perhaps unparalleled throughout the country, they knew
that they had the entire country at their mercy and they put
on the screws so successfully that the President and Congress
capitulated. Meanwhile, manufacturers and the public will
have to pay the freight.
There is considerable relief, meanwhile, that the country is
not tied up with a strike, for it would be most disastrous to
the business of the nation at the present moment. As it was,
the placing of embargoes last week on freight shipments in
anticipation of strike difficulties, unsettled many lines of busi-
ness, but despite that disturbance, business continued to make
substantial headway, and in the piano trade—at least with a
number of concerns in New York—night work is the rule, in
order to catch up with orders.
With railroad labor troubles out of the way, there is no
question but that great activity is scheduled this fall. Traveling
men are sending in splendid orders, and with stocks low\ it will
be a matter of difficulty for some manufacturers to supply the
demands of dealers between now and Christmas. One thing
is sure, the wise dealer will place orders as early as possible. He
has himself to blame if he fails to take action promptly.
the most serious conditions now confronting the
O NE piano of dealer
is his inability to obtain price guarantees on
piano orders from the manufacturers for any definite length of
time. Early in the year many piano manufacturers were com-
pelled to advance their prices owing to the increased cost of
supplies, and during the succeeding months the cost of piano
supplies has continued to increase to such an extent that even
the advanced prices are beginning to afford the manufacturer
too small a margin on which to do a profitable business. This
condition has induced many foresighted dealers to place large
orders for immediate shipment, as they realize that there is
every indication of a serious shortage existing, so far as sup-
plies and finished instruments are concerned, before the wintei
season is over. The difficulty in securing goods exists in every
branch of the industry, from the manufacturer of piano sup-
plies, who finds it exceedingly hard to get a proper supply of
raw material, down to the local piano dealer, who finds that
orders to the factory for future delivery at a guaranteed price
are hard to place. The coming of this situation was foretold
in The Review last fall, and those dealers who were wise enough
to profit thereby, and who placed large orders with their manu-
facturers, have discovered that they have made a material sav-
ing, not only from a financial standpoint, but also from the
standpoint of prompt deliveries and sufficient shipments to en-
able them to supply their trade.
W
ITH the fall season actually here and the work of recruiting
and building up piano sales organizations actively under
way in all sections, there again comes the cry of a scarcity of
experienced piano salesmen, with the consequent flood of explana-
tions. Whatever the cause for the scarcity of good salesmen, it
will undoubtedly be found within the trade itself, and it would
seem as if there should be some group of individuals or some
association, say that of the merchants', which would be suf-
ficiently interested to give the matter proper consideration.
Each year sees hundreds of young men taken from other
industries into the piano trade and turned loose on prospects.
A good proportion of these men produce results and develop into
satisfactory piano salesmen. Each year, however, there is almost
an equal number of piano salesmen, good, bad or indifferent, who
desert the field to embark in some other line of endeavor. In
other w r ords, they find other fields where the opportunities are
greater and the results more satisfactory.
With all the talk of increased cost and increased prices comes
the query as to whether the average piano salesman is getting"
as much money as he should. In the great majority of cases the
salesman is, or should be, working on a commission basis, with
possibly a small drawing account as a basis. This means that
the man with a twenty-five, dollar drawing account who is earning
$60, $75 or $100 a week is getting that money because it repre-
sents his commissions on a certain number of pianos sold, it
means that he is paid for actual results and not on what he
promises or expects to accomplish.
It is noteworthy that in those stores and departments which,
even in the face of strong competition, manage to keep their sales
staff practically intact, year after year, it will be found that the
salesmen are making money and that the only limit to their in-
come is their ability to sell.
If the prices of pianos and players are not sufficiently high
to permit of a fair commission for the salesman, they should be
raised sufficiently to permit of such a commission provided the
dealer himself does not see the way clear to shave his own profits
just a little more. As a matter of fact cases are not unknown
where the commissions earned by salesmen have been so large
that the percentage of commission was cut in half arbitrarily. It
gives the house a little more, and where salesmen's incomes have
been so large the method of payment has often been changed
from a percentage basis to a straight salary to the advantage of
the house.