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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The Paramount Duty of Members of the Music Trade Industry Generally Is
to Unite Their Forces for the Common Good, So That the Best Interests of
Our National Government, as Well as of Our Industry May Be Served
ized activity which we see in some of our very
great corporations. Now, if we even look at
our own industry and really examine it in a de-
tached way, we shall find a thousand reasons for
regarding it with admiration and for seeing that,
here as elsewhere, American ingenuity and
American aptitude for organized effort are to
the fore as usual. Indeed, when the extremely
difficult nature of the piano and player business
is considered, we can only admire the spirit
and the skill which have built up so large an
output at prices so extremely low, and on terms
so extremely liberal.
But all this organization has been of groups,
each one working for its own aggrandizement.
The notion has been to gather men into organ-
izations and to use these as armies are used,
carrying on elaborate campaigns, defeating
There is neither space nor need to go into other business armies and treating business as a
details of the reasons for that general lack of sort of war between privately organized groups.
organized business co-operation which the na- Particularly has this been so in our industry,
tion is now happily remedying. It is sufficient for the reason that the principal value in a
to remark that the birth-circumstances of the piano or player-piano lies in an individual name
United States, together with that extraordinary and for other reasons which all who read will
eruption of the Civil War, which lifted the na- be able to understand for themselves. But,
tion out of infancy into youth, all combined to however this old idea of "every man for himself
produce a state of national feeling in which the and the devil take the hindmost" may have suf-
interests of the individual were everything and ficed for days of national self-complacency, they
of the mass were nothing. The extreme craze will not do for to-day. That much is by now
for individualistic, as opposed to nationalistic, clear to all.
viewpoint in all matters relating to national life,
"Unified Effort"
as shown so vividly by Dickens in his not very
The truth is that, in every branch of Ameri-
sympathetic Notes on his American Travels in can business, the great fact is becoming seen
1842, persisted with more or less vehemence that united effort is a vital necessity. It is not
down to within a few years of the Spanish war merely in connection with direct war-work, with
of 1898. The amazing expansion of industry transportation or with finance, that unification
and territorial settlement which succeeded the is seen to be necessary. In every type of busi-
outburst of 1861-5 fostered the notion that the ness, the same is true. The Government has let
individual citizen owes allegiance to himself it be known that preparations are in hand for a
alone from a practical standpoint.
three years' war. There is not much doubt that
Bit by bit, during the last quarter-century, before that time has elapsed, there will have
however, this individualism run mad has been come about, through sheer necessity, such an
subsiding. The contact with European politics organization of all the people for the common
brought about by the Spanish War did much good as has never been seen before in the
to wake us up and bring us to see that we world's history. But we do not want to wait.
have responsibilities to the rest of the world and The individual citizen, whether he likes it or
to ourselves. The outbreak of the European not, must learn two things: (1) that we are in
war set us to thinking; and when after two this war to the end and that we shall not try
years we ourselves entered the war, we began, to get out of it before we are all through, and
very hurriedly, to take serious thought of our (2) that the only way to win is to have the co-
position and for the first time to realize that, operation of every man, woman and child.
What Shall We Do?
as a people, we were not organized to carry on
a large and elaborate modern war.
Now, in what special ways can the music trade
industry organize itself for the common good?
"An American Profession"
Of all the interests which have together made This is the question of immediate importance.
up life for the mass of our people, organized Moreover, how, especially, can the makers of
business has been the most important and the player-pianos, rolls, automatic musical instru-
most remarkable. It is not saying too much ments, and other things of the same sort, get
to say that American business is becoming a together advantageously and practically? What
can be done now, and how can it be done?
profession and that the boasted efficiency of
the Kulturists becomes mere childishness com- Lastly, what will be the effect of doing what is
pared with the remarkable specimens of organ- to be done?
If one thing more than another is being dis-
played clearly upon the screen of the world-
situation, it is that predictions and opinions
based upon the facts of to-day are very often
confuted by the conditions of to-morrow. The
pressure of the immense struggle in which the
civilized world is engaged, a struggle which can
only be compared in its significance with the
Second Punic War, and which in its hugeness
is beyond comparison of any kind—by this time
should have begun to appear in its true light
even to those who are least likely to think seri-
ously about ordinary matters. One great fact
is steadily emerging from the welter of combat.
Plainly and clearly the fact becomes visible that
the American people must learn the lesson of
unified effort, of systematic organization.
Individualism
We «can look at the matter broadly and clear-
ly. In the first place, we must remember that
national interests come first and that the needs
of the nation in men, materials and money,
must have first call at all times so long as the
war lasts.
Secondly, we must realize that the above
means, without doubt, that eyes will be cast
upon our industry from time to time by those
who wish to escape the discipline of these times
by "passing the buck" to industries of which
it can plausibly be said that they are "non-es-
sential."
The Trade Must Get Together
Lastly, we must come to see that, where na-
tional organization is to be considered, we must
abandon the long-cherished notion that we are
a loose mixture of antagonistic trades, and must
be willing to get together, wholesalers, retailers,
piano makers, player action makers, hardware
men, piano action men, music roll makers, and
all, in one concentrated efficient music trade
body, ready to work with our trade brothers
for trade preservation and with our fellow-cit-
izens for national victory.
The Chamber of Commerce
The existence of the Music Industries Cham-,
ber of Commerce, one likes to remember, is
mainly due to the initiative of one who is best
known as a player man. This body, after suf-
fering from temporary neglect, is now being
looked up to as the natural representative of all
the forces that we need in this hour to put
forth, both for our own preservation and for
that of our nation. We are now able to lay our
hands upon a weapon which can be put to im-
mediate use. A month ago there was held in
New York a meeting of great importance. Men
representing every branch of the music indus-
tries met together and resolved to make definite
and co-ordmated use of the Chamber. The gen-
eral notion may be set forth plainly. A gen-
eral manager is appointed who will watch the
a-ttitude of the Government towards our indus-
try. He will endeavor, on the one hand, to
demonstrate the wrongness of any thoughtless
discrimination against the industry.
On the
other hand, he will try to find out wherein the
Government can make use of our manufactur-
ing facilities, and to what extent, as well as
how, we can, should the need arise, transform
part of our activities into others of practical war
importance.
• Already this program-is being carried out. It
should be supported heartily by every indi-
vidual in the music industries. We must hang
together, for, if we do not, we shall hang> the
shutters on our factories and stores.
The business of the player men at this mo-
ment is to join as heartily as they can In this
great work. For the directions in which their
(Continued on page 10)
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