Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1918 Vol. 67 N. 1

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President, J. B. Spillane,
373 Fourth Are., New York: Second Vice-President, J. Raymond Bill, 373 Fourth Ave.,
New York; Secretary and Treasurer, August J. Timpe, 373 Fourth Ave., New York.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
J. RAYMOND BILL, Associate Editor
AUGUST J. TIMPE
Business Manager
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
B. B«ITTAIM WILSON, CABLE-TON CHACE, L. M. ROBINSON, WILSON D. BUSH, V. D. WALSH,
WM. BRAID WHITE (Technical Editor), E. B. MUNCH, A. J. NICKLIN, L. E. BOWEIS
BOSTON OFFICE:
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HA*LINGEN,
Republic Building.
Telephone, Main 6950.
209 So. State St. Telephone, Wabash 5774.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St, D. C.
NEWS SERVICE IS SUPPLIED WEEKLY BY OCR CORRESPONDENTS
LOCATED IN THE LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $5.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $4.50 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising pages, $130.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill, Inc.
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
. ._ Plan/*
an<1
I p i layer-I
lanu ana
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
D p n a r f r n p n t i regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
l e C O D l C a i l S e p a r i m e i H S a r e 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.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal. .Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma... Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal. . . . S t Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal..Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES—NUMBERS 6982—6688 MADISON 8Q.
Connecting: all Departments
Cable address: "Elbill, New York."
NEW YORK,
JULY
6,1918
EDITORIAL=
interesting- figures appear elsewhere in The Review re-
S OME
garding the trade of the United States for the first fiscal year
as a participant in the great war which give a trade balance of
approximately three billion dollars. The showing as a whole is
regarded as gratifying by Government experts, and no uneasiness
. is felt because the trade balance declined $630,693,209 as compared
with 1917. It is expected that this loss will be retrieved the com-
ing year by a proper utilization of the available tonnage in for-
eign trade.
Owing to the needs of shipping for war purposes, our export
trade to South America was considerably diminished the past
year. With more shipping available we will soon be able to
reduce the shipments of gold, which has been made necessary by
the United States becoming a debtor nation of the other Pan-
American republics.
The products of Latin-American countries have been coming
in in great quantities, and we have not been shipping our manu-
factured products in sufficient quantities to off-set these imports
of raw materials. There is a great demand for pianos and other
musical instruments in South America, and there is no reason in
the world why we should not manufacture and sell more instru-
ments to the countries south of us.
This aspect of the situation was very interestingly presented
some time ago by Geo. W. Pound, general counsel of the Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce, in which he anticipated the
present conditions in the South and pointed out that we should
ship musical instruments rather than gold to the South American
Republics. That is one of the many reasons why the music
trade industry must be kept going. We have to create wealth
through manufactures, and we can best balance our trade rela-
tions with foreign countries, particularly South America, in this
way.
In this connection the remarks of Edward M. Hurley, chair-
man of the Shipping Board, before the Illinois Manufacturers'
JULY 6, 1918
Association are most timely. He pointed out that while vigorous
prosecution of the war was the paramount interest of the nation
now, it can not afford to wait until peace is declared before
beginning preparations for the wise employment of the enormous
new merchant marine which is being augmented at a rate of one
and two ships a day. He said that the country looks to the
manufacturers to find work for those ships after the war.
"The more vigorously we fight the war, the more tonnage we
shall have at our disposal when peace is declared," Mr. Hurley
said. "I believe that wise foresight now, in utilizing this tonnage
after the war to develop our own world trade and develop trade
and industry in other countries, particularly the smaller and
younger nations, will be a direct help to winning the war, not a
hindrance.
"The American manufacturer, banker and business man gen-
erally may well begin to-day to think in terms of world markets.
When peace comes we shall find ourselves with an enormous
mercantile marine on hand, as well as a ship manufacturing in-
dustry of magnitude unlike anything that has hitherto existed.
Success in employing that merchant marine hangs squarely upon
manufacturing efficiency."
slogan "Music Will Help Win the War" has been taken
T HE
up quite generally by the trade throughout the country, who
realize that the supporting of this doctrine is not going to do a
bit of harm where the interests of the trade at large are con-
cerned. The slogan was much in evidence at the recent music
show in various forms, and as was announced in The Review last
week, the Estey Piano Co. has ordered posters six feet long
and one foot high bearing the words "Music Will Help Win
the War" and plans to paste one of the posters on every piano
leaving the factory, no matter where its destination.
It has been suggested, and very properly, that it would be
an excellent move for the National Piano Manufacturer's Asso-
ciation to get up a poster of similar character and send a
supply to every manufacturer of pianos in the country, so that
the slogans will appear on every piano box in transit no matter
from Avhat factory shipped or what its destination might be.
Pianos in transit are much in the public eye. They are hauled
on open trucks to and from the railway freight stations, and the
slogan could thus be read by the public in the cities through
which the pianos are carted. Moreover, pianos and their cases
are frequently left on the sidewalk before the piano merchant's
store for some time awaiting unpacking, and the slogan again
has a chance of being observed by the passing crowds. It would
seem that the expense incurred would be infinitesimal in view of
the publicity that could be given the slogan by this suggested
move.
a means of arousing enthusiasm and interest in the great
A S patriotic
affairs of the day. the "Four Minute Men" have
been doing splendid work in theatres and other public places,
and particularly during the Liberty Loan, Red Cross and War
Savings Drives they helped in the great success achieved. In
the educational campaign conducted by these men, a number of
so-called "non-essentials" or luxuries are mentioned in the argu-
ments made for saving, which the public is urged not to patron-
ize, among which some uninformed person placed music and
music entertainment. These are classified with such other
"luxuries" as candy, tobacco, etc.
This assailment of musical instruments and music is not
official propaganda, but rather, shall we say, the views of the in-
dividual speaker who narrow-mindedly takes a parochial, rather
than a liberal view of things—a type of man who should not
speak in public on big, broad national issues, for people and their
habits in wartime cannot be remade in a few months. Any man
who speaks on public affairs should be at least tolerant, broad-
minded and sufficiently well informed to differentiate between
what are deemed luxuries and essentials.
It is beyond our comprehension why any speaker patriotically
inclined should assail music and musical instruments, for, as
was very properly pointed out by H. R. Langlie recently, "Music,
instead of being a luxury, although it is patronized most heavily
by the wealthy, is more properly an essential grace to human
life, and now, at this time of trial, is an absolute essential to the
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JULY 6, 1918
THE MUSIC TRADE
safety of our national morale. Music spurs men on to battle
and leads them to see victory ahead. Music holds men's hearts
atune to the resistance of a breakdown under war's burdens, and
music, above all else, soothes and relieves the mind from the
strain of conflict. Music can make war; it can also be made by
war. Again, music can bring speedy peace by its aid to the
cause of Right, by its strengthening effect on troubled peoples,
making them strong in battle and speedy in victory."
OR months past the piano retailer has been advised to edu-
cate the public to expect to pay higher prices for pianos and
player-pianos, just as they are called upon to pay more right now
for every sort of merchandise, but according to salesmen with
experience this educating of the public to higher piano prices
must be done tactfully. In other words, the possible increase of
prices must not be used as a club to force an immediate sale.
A. L. Garthwaite, of the Cable Company, Cincinnati, brought
forth a new idea in an interview in The Review last week when
he declared that experience had shown him that more than one
prospective customer has been frightened out of buying pianos
just by the advance price argument. There is a certain element
who apparently reason that if pianos are going to go up so will
other articles considered more necessary to physical comfort,
and, therefore, it is just as well to save the money to buy these
necessities.
It would seem that the proper thing to do would be to
prepare the public mind for higher piano prices gradually, and
by a logical explanation, rather than to point out the mistake
of waiting until prices advance to a prohibitive point. In short,
what is needed in this particular case is, what is termed in the
vernacular, "a little of the old oil."
F
the recent convention of the National Association of Credit
A T Men,
which was held in Chicago, a very confident feeling
seemed to prevail regarding the general business outlook despite
the war. The credit men keep their hands on the pulse of busi-
ness, so to speak, and are therefore able to form a very excellent
idea of the commercial health of the nation. In their discussion
in Chicago they were not unmindful of the pitfalls inseparable
from the abnormal conditions prevailing, but they realize that
with so many industries going full tilt and with so roseate a
prospect for the crops, buying is likely to be on a large scale
despite the admonitions for economy. The situation, however,
does not blind the credit men to the added risks which present
conditions foster. The higher prices for commodities call for
greater capital and a restriction of credit. The nearer business
gets to being done on a cash basis the less danger there will be
of a crash when shrinkage comes in values or buying inclination,
or both. As buying on a strictly cash basis is hardly feasible,
except in retail business, the next thing to it is to make capital
REVIEW
more liquid and enable a merchant to have more frequent turn-
overs of it. lie is often unable to carry his accounts until they
mature, and has found that borrowing money on open accounts
is expensive as well as cumbersome.
The trade acceptance plan offers him relief, and this the credit
men are urging as an especial need of the moment. Its general
adoption would not only enable the sellers to make their capital
go further, but it would help in bringing about more conservatism
in buying than is apt to be the case under the system of open
accounts. The acceptance calls for payment at the time specified
in it, and the buyer knows he must be prepared to redeem it at
maturity without recourse to any of the evasions which, in the
past, have put a needless burden on business. As a safeguard
against merely speculative purchases, which are so tempting
under the conditions created by the war, the plan is of equal
value to both vendor and vendee.
seems only a few years ago since the general supplanting of
I and T manual
labor by machines was looked upon by labor unions
their members as a direct menace to the future of labor.
But their views in this respect have been completely changed. It
is now generally recognized that without the utilization of ma-
chinery production would be curtailed immeasurably, the
Nation's progress retarded and the condition of the working man
would not be in any respect as satisfactory as it is to-day.
It is often overlooked that machines that see, that hear, that
speak, that respond to the faintest, or the greatest impulses,
that feel the weight of a fly's wing, that register the heat of
stars trillions of miles distant, and many other marvels of man-
made mechanics, are all the slaves of man and they will not
work without his direction. Wonderful as all these machines
are not one of them is endowed with real intelligence. As
so aptly pointed out by A. Russell Brand recently, man can pro-
duce a machine that will play chess, but the machine cannot
do its own thinking; it will only do what it has been designed
to do. It will react to the various conditions to which it may
be subjected, but it has no will of its own and no power of
thought. No matter how far we may advance in the develop-
ment of machinery we shall always come up against this bar-
rier—the impossibility of producing brains.
The most perfect of machines is useless without an intel-
ligent operator. In the industries of the future, no matter how
far they are advanced, operators will be indispensable; they will
be required for their directive intelligence rather than their
muscular power. Instead, therefore, of bewailing the fact, as
men frequently do even in these enlightened days, that machines
are replacing men, we must look upon the subject from a
broader point of view and realize that machines are demanding
men, and that they are elevating man to a higher plane of life
and activity.
Do You Want to Expand the Retail Market
For Player-Pianos and Music Rolls?
You can do this by educating the people in your territory to a keener appreciation of the amazing
possibilities of the player-piano. This will be admirably done for you by the volume entitled
Price, $1
THE PLAYER PIANIST
The Player Pianist deals with lucidity and
clearness upon the many problems which from
time to time confront the player-pianist and
player student.
This new volume is designed to afford a
complete and accurate guide to music appre-
ciation, player technic, music roll reading, etc.
This work is the result of many years' close
study o-f the player situation, and is put forth
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desire to acquaint themselves with the artistic
possibilities of the player-piano.
The book deals with the elements of music,
of musical form, and incidentally gives a short
sketch of musical history from early times
to the present day.
There are chapters devoted to practical talks
upon the management of the various expres-
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A perusal of the volume will provide the
player-pianist with a complete course of in-
struction in all of the aspects of expressive
and artistic playing.
There are chapters in The Player Pianist
upon practical studies in player interpretation,
illustrated with special drawings made from
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc., Publisher
DISCOUNT TO
THE TRADE
music rolls and designed to show how, step by
step, the interpretation of pieces may be
worked out artistically and satisfactorily.
It is conceded that interest must be main-
tained in the player-piano—that its marvelous
possibilities must be rxplained to purchasers,
and there is no worli put forth in the entire
world—and we say this unqualifiedly—which
will compare with The Player Pianist as a
stimulator and educator.
If you are not perfectly satisfied with the
book after examination, your dollar will be
refunded upon the return of the book. That
is fair, is it not?
373 Fourth Ave., New York

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