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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1JE informal conference of technical piano makers held the
T
other day in Chicago heralds the dawning" of a new conscious-
ness in that craft. We all need, goodness knows, to become more
aware of our own shortcomings and the player men are no better
off in this respect than their brethren of the straight piano. We
do not know whether any suggestion has ever been made towards
the calling of a conference of practical player men, but we think
that perhaps the industry is still too much in the individualistic
stage to make this idea immediately practicable. So long as
important persons in the industry are still in a state of mind that
causes them to believe in the possession by their organizations,
or by themselves, of marvellous mysteries, revealed to no other
mortal eyes, so long shall we have waste, duplicated effort and
futile experiments. So long, also, of course, shall we have much
opposition, probably effective, to any sort of co-operation. Still,
the player industry is out of its swaddling clothes and ought to
be thinking of putting on boy's garments at least. Is it too much
to hope that we shall soon hear a call for a technical player con-
ference, designed to lay the foundations for a permanent congress
of the same kind founded on the understanding that true progress
is a matter of co-operation, not of selfish individualism, and thai
we gain most when we can give something ourselves first?
HERE was a time—and not so long ago, either—when as
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many new concerns entered the player industry each month,
as to-day are entering the field of the talking machine. Tt is a
happy fact, however, that the industry is settling down to some-
thing like stability. The fellows whose capital consisted largely
of nerve and a belief in some new way to beat the laws of Nature,
have folded their several tents like the celebrated Arab of legend
and have (measurably) faded away; to the great relief of the rest
of us. We are getting gradually into a condition of equilibrium,
which is only another way of saying that the industry is finding
itself and that the old days of empirical guesswork are gradually
passing away. Technological principles, long ago preached in
this newspaper, are being put into practice, and the industry is
getting rapidly through with the days of wild and hopeful experi-
menting. Still, we shall be quite sorry when the last wild-eyed
enthusiast has concluded to enthuse no longer and when the in-
dustry has entirely assumed the stable and respectable appear-
ance of old-line piano making. For there was a romance in the
nervy fortune-hunter who had always a sure-fire player to make a
million for any one who would take it up.
LL signs point to a general shortage of goods in the piano in-
A
dustry before Christmas. It is, of course, an old story that
the dealer neglects to stock up until the last moment, but after
all, it is not always the dealer's fault. The manufacturers them-
ACTIVITY AT THE UDELL WORKS
Noted Cabinet Manufacturing Concern in In-
dianapolis Reports Exceptional Demand for
Its Products From the Music Trade—Compre-
hensive New Catalog Just Issued
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., September 25.—There are
few busier spots in the music trade industry
to-day than the plant of the Udell Works in
this city. There is evident a steadily growing
appreciation of the company's cabinets, both
in the player-piano and talking machine fields.
This is undoubtedly due to the very attractive
designs gotten out, and the reliable construction
and careful finish of their products.
An idea of the wonderful line now produced
is to be found in their new cabinet catalog,
which has just been issued. As the index page
shows, this company is making an extensive
line of cabinets for player-piano rolls, and some
very attractive designs are illustrated. Those
made specially for the Solo-Apollo are a won-
derful line, and one that has taken this com-
9
selves are sometimes as much to blame as anyone else, for they
run short of supplies and let their stock down too low in dull
times. Of course they ought not to. But then again, of course,
they are but human and they do not always do the things that
they ought to do. Which is merely another and rather elaborate
way of saying that until business is managed on a scientific foun-
dation there will always be chaos in place of order, always seasons
of repletion followed by seasons of famine. Some day we shall
find a way out of the confusion. Already some big business minds
have seen the first faint glimmering of ideas in the direction of
the systematization of business.
N the current installment of Adventures with a Player-Piano,
I chalance
the narrator takes occasion to say something about the non-
of attitude assumed by some piano merchants towards
the question of retail roll selling. He complains that if he had
not been lucky enough to have a list of fifty selections given him
by a musical friend, the salesman who sold him his player-piano
would never have thought about whether his musical taste was
worth consulting, or not. The complaint uncovers a source of
weakness in the player trade to which we have more than once
directed the attention of readers. The music roll selection which
the purchaser of a player-piano obtains at the beginning of his
ownership, determines, to a very great degree, his satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with his instrument. It largely depends upon the
kind of music he gets, whether he likes the player-piano under
the strain of use, or gets tired of it in a month and spends the rest
of his life damning it to all his neighbors. Not only upon the
kind, but also upon the quantity of music.
Plenty of music at the beginning keeps the owner's mind
occupied until he has come to find the player-piano indispensable
to him. But both quality and quantity are much at the mercy
of the young person who presides over the roll library. Stupidity
and indifference, coupled with dense, appalling, abysmal, igno-
rance of everything musical above the level of "Everybody Rag
with Me" and of every musical term more complicated than
"one-step," may be amusing, or even extremely funny; but it
does not sell music rolls or help the sale of player-pianos. The
very best experience of the very best and most successful re-
tailers shows conclusively that a music roll department handled
acutely and with knowledge by a man or woman of musical dis-
crimination and business ability—not to say affability—can be
made into a profitable element of the business; profitable both
directly and indirectly. Moreover, the indirect profit is the more
valuable, for this means the influence of the roll library on the
purchasers who have player-pianos already, the purchasers who
are being kept in good spirits and who boost for the house none
the less effectively because voluntarily and of pure good will.
pany many years to perfect. There is an ex-
tensive line of cabinets shown for Victrolas,
Grafonolas, Pathephones, Aeolian-Vocalions,
Sonora and Empire talking machines.
This
volume is very handsomely produced, and deal-
ers and manufacturers will find it to their ad-
vantage to have one of them on hand for ref-
erence purposes.
In a chat this week with Tom. Griffith, sales
manager of the Udell Works, in regard to the
business growth of the company, he remarked:
"We are in close touch with the dealers
throughout the country, and know exactly what
they require and what they can sell. We, there-
fore, are able to supply those designs that they
are apt to duplicate on and which show a good
profit. Our construction and finish is recog-
nized as being second to none. We realize,
however, that we must make the price which
we are able to do because we get the volume
of business. In the line of talking machine
cabinets, we have built them so that the port-
able types of machines and the cabinet would
match and make an attractive unit, and we
have unquestionably succeeded wonderfully well.
"As far as our plant is concerned, we were
never busier, and in fact, our production depart-
ment is working on top speed all the time. Our
suggestion to dealers would be that if they
consistently can place their orders early that
they do it. We are not enitrely selfish in
making this suggestion, as we want to give
them the right kind of service, and this year of
all years, the matter of deliveries is a big one."
APOLLO FOR MME. SCHUMANN-HEINK
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., 119 West Fortieth
street, New York, local representative for the
Melville Clark line, carried an interesting ad-
vertisement in the Sunday newspapers, inform-
ing the public that Madame Schumann-Heink,
the world-famous soprano, had chosen an Apollo
player-piano for use in her home. The copy
briefly referred to Mine. Schumann-Heink's re-
nown in the musical world, and mentioned that
she will use the Apollo player to accompany
her songs.