Music Trade Review

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VOL. LXV. No. 12
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York. Sept. 22, 1917
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Absurdity of the Throw-In" Habit
A MONG the several interesting papers which were presented for the consideration of the members of the
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Piano Merchants' Association of Ohio, which met in convention in Dayton, O., last week, the
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address of C. E. Scott, of Mansfield, O., on the subject, "Is the Piano Dealer Making a Justi-
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^ flable Profit?" which was published at length in the last issue of The Review, was especially timely
and contained much food for serious thought. One of the important criticisms made by Mr. Scott concerned
the habit, all too prevalent among piano dealers, of "throwing in" something or other with the sale of every
piano or player-piano.
The retail piano trade is almost the only industry of any standing in the country at the present time
where the "throw-in" habit prevails. The automobile industry contains many things in common with the
piano industry, so far as the problem of retail distribution is concerned, yet there never has been an automobile
dealer who advertised any car for sale and offered as an inducement to "throw in" accessories of various
kinds. A casual examination of automobile advertising will show that the cars are quoted at certain fixed
prices, and that for all accessories, or extra improvements, which are not included in the standard equipment
of the car, additional charges are made.
There is no reason why this same system should not prevail in the music trade. Possibly the strongest
argument in favor of the retention of the "throw-in" system is advanced by the dealer in player-pianos who
claims that it is absolutely necessary for him to give away a half dozen, or a dozen music rolls in order that
his customer may become interested in the possibilities afforded by the player-piano.
It is true that a player-piano without rolls is absolutely useless save as an ornament, or as a piece of
furniture to stand photographs and bric-a-brac upon. Yet if a customer is sufficiently interested in a player-
piano to go to the expense of purchasing one, surely he is willing to make the comparatively small outlay
necessary to secure the rolls for the piano.
An automobile without gasoline is even a more useless article than a player-piano without rolls, for the
player-piano can be played manually, if the customer has learned the art of playing, while the automobile
cannot even be moved around in the garage without a great expenditure of energy unless its gasoline tank
is filled. Yet no automobile deakr would ever dream of throwing in a ten-gallon can of gasoline with every
car purchased.
The man who buys an automobile knows that the car is of no use to him without its accessory—gasoline—
and he is perfectly willing to buy that accessory. The man who buys a player-piano knows equally well that
the player as a player is useless without its accessory, the music roll, and he is perfectly willing to purchase
that accessory if the matter is presented to him by the dealer in a businesslike way.
The music roll adjunct of the average dealer's store should be just as profitable as any other department
of the business, and it can be made so if dealers and their salesmen will adhere to the policy of charging
for music rolls just as the sheet music department charges for music.
If there is any demand on the part of the purchasing public for "something for nothing" in connection
with the purchase of a piano or a player, it is simply because people have been educated to that viewpoint
by the advertising of retail piano dealers who have thought that the secret of success lay in "throwing in"
something with every instrument purchased.
The reasoning purchaser does not expect to get anything for which he does not pay, and the unreasoning—
or unreasonable—customer who does expect something for nothing should not have his expectations gratified.
The sooner the retail piano merchants in this country conduct their business on a strictly businesslike basis,
charging proper prices for their instruments, and making an additional charge for all other services rendered
their customers, the better will the status of the trade become.