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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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Some Opinions as to the Underlying Policies for 1917 in the Music Trade, Pre-
sented By a Wholesale Sales Manager and a Retail Piano Merchant—Why
Merchants and Manufacturers Alike Should Stimulate the Love of Music
who can pay cash, get good prices, keep out of
the popular class and keep the reproducer se-
lect. Then go after the masses with the straight
player-piano to the exclusion if necessary of the
straight upright altogether.
"Secondly: I would try to retail the SOUR roll
on a basis of class; asking an increased price and
advertising it nationally, through the roll
makers' association. Thirdly: I would make a
general blanket raise of retail and wholesale
prices. The present prosperity is not going to
stop this year; and the people will have money
to spend even more liberally than in 1916. But:
they will not spend it on pianos and player-
pianos unless we go after them. And how can
we do that if we are not making a profit?
"That is my idea for 1917 policies."
cause they cannot get tuners who have the tech-
nical training that fits them to look after it.
"The. fourth is that the prosperity we have
had in 1916 will not be continued in 1917 unless
we stop letting the public 'buy' our goods and
begin to 'sell' them ourselves.
"My remedies are not many in number, but
they are easily understood. I arg-ue that we
ought to support Mr. Tremaine and his advance-
ment bureau, but not by blindly following his
suggestions. Let us rather back him up by mak-
ing suggestions ourselves. For instance: 'A
piano in every home' is good dope, but 'A music-
lover in every home' is better. We dealers ought
to do more to encourage actual musical culti-
vation in our communities. That is where we
neglect a great opportunity to push our business
in the best and most profitable way, financially
and otherwise.
STIMULATE THE LOVE OF MUSIC
"I also argue that we ought to learn to sell
By a Retail Piano Merchant
"You want my ideas in a few words: Here the straight foot-pumped player to the great
they are: 1917 ought to be a great year for us American people, before we turn the electric
all, but the piano business is queer, and what can on to them. The masses don't understand the
be calculated in other lines can often not be simple ordinary player yet. Then let the won-
calculated in ours. But that is mainly the fault derful new reproducing player-pianos be kept
of the men in the business, as far as I can see. back for the schools, the musicians and the
HIGHER PRICES—BETTER TRADE
I believe that we can do really big things and musical amateurs of wealth and taste who can
get real profit out of them during 1917; but I appreciate them, and pay the right price for
By a Wholesale Sales Manager
them. There are thousands and thousands of
"You put up to me the job of saying what 1 think also" that, to do this right, we have to these people who in the next year or two might
think the year 1917 will bring in the way of make up our minds to certain facts and stick to buy the reproducing player, but who will fail
changes of sales and manufacturing policy. them. Competition is tremendous, and in many to buy it because it will never be presented to
Each man would answer such a question dif- lines, simply fierce. The man who expects to them right, but will be left to be forced on
ferently, according to his temperament, experi- get ahead of competition in the trade as it is people who don't more than half understand or
ence and ability to foresee. But it seems to me, worked in the small cities and in the country appreciate it. Just this stupid policy on the
judging from our own experiences and from districts, has to have his business house in order part of dealers—and manufacturers are short-
those of our traveling men and dealers, as if and keep his wits about him. I am no prophet, sighted, too—will simply mean fewer of both
the one thing we really need more than aught but I think we must recognize certain funda- kinds sold next year.
else in this business is more brains; more brains mental facts and act on them.
"Finally, I argue that we ought to support
"The first is that costs of doing business are
in manufacturing, and more brains in distribut-
ing. The more I think of it and the longer I rising all the time' and the retail purchaser the Danquard School and any or all other men
or schools who are trying to help tuners in
stay in the piano business, the more I see that must bear the burden equally with the seller.
"The second is that the new electric player is general to gain an understanding of the player'
we all missed a great opportunity when the
player first came to us. We had then the coming in and trying to push out the foot- from the technical point of view.
"The player-piano is the greatest blessing we
chance to put the piano business back again into pumped player, before the latter has yet had a
have
ever had in the piano business; and it was
chance.
the condition of sound merchandising from
"The third is that the player game in general the salvation of our house, I know. But it has
which it had slipped. We had the chance to
cut out the very cheap piano, and to concen- is being played by dealers who have no special not been run enough on brams. May 1917 see
trate on quality and price, appealing to the in- faith in it (outside the large cities) largely be- improvement in that respect."
telligence of the American people and not to
arranged. Thumb-nail illustrations of some of
NEW RYTHMODIK CATALOG
their greed. We did not take the chance when
we had it, and all the evils we have complained Issued by the American Piano Co. Contains the most famous composers recording for the
Rythmodik record music roll library add to the
of since are therefore largely our own fault.
Many Features of Interest to the Dealer and attractiveness of this section. A composers' list
But 1917 is upon us, and new problems press
His Patrons—List of Composers Included
that catalogs the rolls under the names of the
for solution.
It looks to me as if the big
things we must settle this year are the follow-
The music department of the American Piano respective composers is one of the distinctive
ing:
Co., New York, has just issued a new catalog of features of this publication. A footnote calls at-
Rythmodik
record music rolls, which lists the tention to the fact that this catalog does not con-
"The electric player so-called, and its relation
tain current popular rag-time and musical
to the foot-pumper.
What is to be the out- Rythmodik rolls issued up to and including Jan- comedy selections which are listed in the
uary,
1917.
This
catalog
follows
the
general
come of the contest between the reproducing
monthly bulletins under the heading of "Popu-
player and the ordinary one? Upon each man's plan of arrangement that has characterized re- lar Music of the Day."
cent
editions
of
the
Rythmodik
catalog,
as
the
solution of that question will rest his prosperity
American Piano Co.'s dealers have found the
or the opposite during 1917.
''The song roll: are we to push it as some- present method of listing and arrangement of FOLDER ON "BLUE RIBBON" PLAYER
thing new, an improvement to be handled at practical value in every detail.
The Hstey Piano Co. are mailing an attractive
An interesting foreword is subdivided into the folder this week that describes the fine points of
an enhanced price and with intelligent advertis-
ing creating intelligent demand or are we to let following paragraphs, all of which contain valu- the Estey Blue Ribbon player-piano. This play-
it go like everything else., just as one more kind able information for the dealer and his patrons: er is meeting with exceptional success. John
"Appreciation the Result of Repeated Hearing," and Andrew Meikeljohn, of Pawtucket and
of thing to be sold somehow?
"The increase in prices of materials and the "The Need of Mechanical Devices for Producing Providence, paid a visit to the Estey Piano Co.
shortage of supplies: Are we to be bold, raise Music." "The Player-Piano Problem and Its when in New York this week.
our prices to the dealer and make him raise Solution," "Rythmodik Records Cannot Sound
them to the public, or sell at a virtual loss be- Mechanical," and an interesting section on the
OPEN NEW SALESROOM
educational value of Rythmodik record music
cause we are scared of competition?
The Choralcelo Co., manufacturer of auto-
"I think that my own answers to the problems rolls.
A full page tells the general public how to matic musical instruments, has leased the store
stated above can be given very briefly: I would
say: Separate the foot-pumper from the repro- play Rythmodik rolls, following which is pre- and second floor at 17 East Fortieth street, New
ducer.
Sell the second one only to people sented a list of Rythmodik rolls, alphabetically York City, as a display and salesroom,
With the new year come new problems. If
signs be not wholly fafse and misleading, there
is evidence that great developments are in front
of the player trade, from whatever aspect this
be viewed. The general increase in the cost of
manufacturing, the pressure of the reproducing
instrument idea, the new song roll and the prob-
lem of creating a larger and more intelligent
demand are all, in fact, elements in one great
problem. The trade recognizes this in part at
least, for the National Bureau for the Advance-
ment of Music, the conferences at the executive
committee meetings in Chicago recently, and
the proposal for another and greater Music
Show this summer, all point equally to the fact
that new policies are seen to be completely and
entirely necessary for the improvement, the
progress and the future success of the trade.
The Review presents herewith two impersonal
opinions, gathered impersonally from two trade
authorities, and set forth on their merits with-
out—deliberately without—the false influence
which sometimes spoils the utility of personally
presented utterances made in the glamor of a
name.