Music Trade Review

Issue: 1918 Vol. 66 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TIRADE
VOL.
LXVI. No. 10
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York.
March 9, 1918
Single Copies 10 Cent*
92.00 Per Year
The Market for Small Grands
I
T is estimated by those in close touch with piano production that the output of small grands during the
year 1917 approached very closely, if it did not exceed, 25,000 instruments of that type, and it is believed
that the figures are not extravagant, for at least 3,000 small grands were turned out by one factory alone.
One prominent action manufacturer turned out something over 6,000 grand actions last year, and, unless all
signs fail, will come close to turning out 10,000 grand actions during 1918.
Practically every manufacturer of. standing is reporting an unusual demand for the small grand from all
sections of the country, and the big increase in the output of those instruments in the various factories during
the past year is particularly significant in that all the manufacturers of grand actions together, including
piano manufacturers making their own actions, probably did not turn out more than 15,000 such actions during
any year previous to 1916.
Those who can discern the signs of the times know that all this is simply a preparation for the coming
great successes of the small grand piano. The small grand, sold at a moderate price, promises to be the straight
piano of the coming years.
This is not fantasy, but fact. Consider the situation. The upright piano is being superseded, to a
considerable extent, slowly but steadily. It is being superseded partly by the player-piano, because the
player-piano can now be bought in good grades at a price not larger than was asked for a good upright twenty
years ago, and also because the player-piano to-day is so wonderful a refinement over that of ten years ago that
the older prejudice against it is rapidly dying out.
For those who cannot play or will not learn, the player-piano is the natural instrument of music. It is
impressive in appearance, can be played by hand if required, and is in a state of high perfection as to its
playing mechanism.
But—the player-piano is not acceptable to all. The straight piano is still in demand. We want the demand
for the straight piano to continue and to increase steadily. But with the upright straight piano we have no
weapon potent enough. That potent weapon is, nevertheless, ready to our hands. It is the small grand.
The growing army of those who are not content to be mere listeners to music, but who insist on making
their own music, does not wholly consist of player-pianists, as we may call them. It largely consists in the
steadily growing army of boys and girls who are studying piano, and numbers, in addition, thousands of
amateur pianists, especially among ladies. The country is flooded with old uprights, of a thousand and one
broken-down, cheap makes, which stand neglected, not because no one can play, but because no one will
play on them. •
Such instruments can he replaced, but it is hard to replace them with high-priced uprights, and the
owners have got a thorough dose of cheap stuff. Here comes in the small grand; something beautiful,
fine-sounding, of high and fine tradition and, in these days, of singularly moderate price. Convince the
myriad owners of these old uprights that the small grand is the fashion, is suitable in size to the modern
small apartment or house, and is reasonable in price; and the small grand will win consideration and lead to sales.
But this is only one side of it. The piano business has two sides, the technical as well as the commercial.
The war is bringing, as never before, a general searching of hearts and a re-thinking of values. To make a
sale of a piano in the future will be to submit one's claims to a more searching criticism on the part of the
prospective owner. He will demand value, as never before. Then again the people know more about mechanical
matters than ever before. They are more interested in them, and the grand piano is, mechanically, a more
interesting piano than any other.
Push the grand piano. There are grands to suit every purse that is worth while seeking. The quality
(Continued on page 5)
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
REVIEW
MARCH 9, 1918
ucts less tardy. That the congestion in transportation has meas-
urably subsided is indicated by the continued revival of manu-
facturing, with operations on a more nearly normal basis, and not
only are there fewer labor controversies than usual, but no single
strike of far-reaching importance is in progress."
T
S U B S C R I P T I O N (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $5.00.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S , $4.50 per inch, single column, per insertion.
On quarterly or
yearly contracts a s]>ecial discount is allowed.
Advertising pages, $130.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill, Inc.
HE Committee on Daylight Saving of the Chamber of Com-
merce of the United States is making a strong fight to have
Congress pass the Daylight Saving Bill, and has offered to that
august body over fifty excellent reasons why the measure should
become a law.
The bill provides for the turning of all clocks ahead one hour
during the period from the second Sunday in April to the last
Sunday in September. It is estimated that the reduction in heat
and light will save more than 1,500,000 tons of coal. It is esti-
mated that 150 hours will be saved out of the annual average of
1,320 hours requiring artificial illumination, and if the bill is
framed to cover the whole year, approximately 198 hours will be
saved. It is emphasized that the plan is not an experiment, but
has proven successful in Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany
and other nations since the outbreak of the war. It is also quite
evident that working in daylight serves to increase the efficiency
of employes. If the daylight saving plan will result in the saving
of a substantial amount of coal, it will mean that next winter's
fuel problem will be lightened to just that degree. That reason
alone is so good that it is hardly necessary to name anv others. '
Plavar D j . . . , _ J
De]>artments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
I layer-I IttllU ana
of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
t j ons
T e r h n i r n l H p n a r t m o t l t t regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
l e C n n l C a l U e p a r i m e n i S ;1 re dealt with, will be found in another section of
this paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concern-
ing which will be cheerfully given upon request.
I
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President, ('. L. Bill. 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vicc-President, .T. 15. Spillanc,
373 Fourth Ave., New York; Second Vice-President, J. Raymond Hill, 373 Fourth Ave.,
New York; Secretary and Treasurer, August J. Timpe, 37i Fourth Ave., New York.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
J. RAYMOND BILL, Associate Editor
AUGUST J. TIMPE
Business Manager
Executive and Reportorlal Staif:
It. HRITTAIN WILSON, CARLETON CHACE, L. M. ROBINSON, WILSON D. BUSH, V. I). WALSH,
W M . BRAID W H I T E (Technical Editor), K. B. MUNCH, A. J. NICKLIN, L. E. BOWERS
BOSTON
JOHN
II. WILSON;
OFFICE:
324 Washington
CHICAGO O F F I C E :
St.
E.
P.
VAN ITARI.INGEN,
Republic
Building,
Telephone, Main 6950.
209 So. State St. Telephone, Wabash S774.
LONDON, E N G L A N D : 1 Oresham Buildings, Basinghall St., I). C.
N E W S SERVICE I S S l I ' l ' L I K D W E E K L Y BY O C R C O R R E S P O N D E N T S
LOCATED I N T H E LEADING C I T I E S T H R O I O H O U T AMERICA.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the Nciv York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
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
LONG DISTANCE T E L E P H O N E S — N l MBKKS 5982—5983 MADISON
Conner!liifr all D e p a r t m e n t s
Cable uddreHH: " E l b i l l , Now York."
SO..
NEW YORK, MARCH 9, 1918
= EDITORIAL=
B
USINESS in all branches of the music trade industry has
shown a decidedly better trend during the past week, and
this, of course, can be attributed in a large measure to more
pleasant w r eather conditions which have resulted in improved
railroad service, particularly in the delivery of coal and freight
shipments generally. Then again roads in the rural communities,
following the usual February thaw, are in better shape for travel-
ing and transportation, all of which has a bearing on trade ex-
pansion in the smaller communities where the automobile is a
factor in making deliveries.
The business community has now fully realized the serious-
ness of the war and the nation's obligations to back the efforts of
our men abroad in winning a victory for American arms, and
business fundamentals are being rapidly adjusted to this end.
Business now knows exactly where it is at, and this should
result in a steady betterment in all branches of industry, particu-
larly the piano trade, for it cannot be overlooked that the employ-
ment of millions of men, earning wages far in excess of anything
dreamt of in their careers, will enable them to become purchasers
of such necessities for their homes as musical instruments.
For these men music is a necessity, as it is a necessity for
everybody during war times. These workers have the money to
spend, and they constitute a vast army of "prospects" who will
undoubtedly receive the consideration of live piano merchants.
The general tone of the financial publications this week in
commenting upon the condition of trade throughout the country
is distinctly optimistic. Dun's Review, for instance, says: "With
the restraints on business further diminished, evidences of recov-
ery from the recent practically general interruption of activities
are both more numerous and more clearly discernible. In widely
separated sections of the country, and in various branches of trade
and industry, a decided change for the better is now perceptible,
and financial obligations are met with greater promptness as the
moderated weather renders deliveries of raw materials and prod-
F a bill before the New York State Legislature becomes a law,
it seems as though the piano merchants in this State will be
compelled to observe a one price policy regardless of their per-
sonal desires. The bill seeks to amend the personal property law
in order to make it compulsory upon the merchant offering goods
on contract, or conditional sale, to place upon the article both the
cash price and the conditional sale price. If the bill becomes a
law it should prove of material aid to piano merchants who are
already observing the one price policy, and it should likewise
serve to increase the number of cash sales by presenting to the
customer the exact saving he can effect by buying on a cash basis.
In other ways, also, a law such as that proposed should work to
the advantage of both the merchant and the customer.
I
T took a long time in this country to develop into tangible form
the ideas long cherished by some leading men in the trade to
bring the various association activities and interests under one
common head, and it might be said that the prevalence of threat-
ening war conditions had much to do with the success that at-
tended the work of placing the various trade activities under the
direction of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce last fall.
The object once having been attained, however, progress has been
rapid and real things have been accomplished. The success of
the plan has not only been realized in the United States, but has
appealed to trade associations in both Canada and England, the
result being that the Associated Music Industries of Canada is
now already a fact, and committees representing the various trade
organizations in Great Britain, including the piano, piano supply,
talking machine and sheet music sections, are busily working
out a plan for the centralization of activities in that country.
Piano men in the United States have taken the lead in this
matter, however, and will have to see to it that they keep well
ahead of the procession in the matter of actual accomplishments
through co-ordinated effort. It may be that after the war the
idea will spread to other countries, and if such is the case, all
the more honor will be due to those who had the courage and
ability to bring about a centralization of effort in this country on
a practical basis.
() one in any way connected with the music industry should
overlook the work that is being done by the Boston Music
Publishers' Association in the interests of American music.
Members of the association, particularly the officers, have been
most active in carrying on the propaganda for the further recog-
nition of the works of American composers, and the use of native
music in concert programs, to the exclusion of the foreign product
which dominated to such a degree in the past.
The lioston music men apparently have no false idea regard-
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