Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
10
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
formed that the cities of Batavia and Lockport
have been assured by the State Fuel Adminis-
trator that their requisition for coal will be
tilled in full. A requisition of upward of 200,000
tons for general use at the Cataract City has
been forwarded to the state coal administration.
Isadore Melzer, Victrola dealer at 1048 Broad-
way, has gone to Great Lakes, 111., to be trained
for the navy.
B. E. Neal, vice president of Neal, Clark &
Neal, has returned from a month's vacation.
The A. F. Koenig Piano Co. recently sold a
Conway Virtuolo to Chester Winn, a Buffalo
business man,
"July business was better than June, and
August started out line," was the report of
President Koenig, who handles the Hallet &
Davis line.
The Wurlitzer Co. is running a series of ads.
in the Buffalo newspapers. The purpose is to
familiarize the people of this city with the com-
pany's complete line of pianos and players.
The National American Music festival, held
annually at Lockport, will open there September
2. Believing that music is a wartime necessity,
the directors will present a fuller week's pro-
gram than ever before. Many of the 160 American
composers represented on the programme will
also be present to hear their works interpreted.
In becoming host to these national musical fes-
tivals, Lockport has followed many examples
from the Old World, where small and compara-
tively unknown cities have sometimes acquired
great fame through presentation there of plays
or musical events annually.
Local piano salesmen say that their sales are
often killed or delayed through unnecessary
misunderstandings. A recent example follows:
The W. S. S. committee of this city announced
that the amount of War Savings Stamps to be
bought by each family here should average $150.
The heads of many homes in Buffalo overlooked
the word "average" in the ruling and even
those of limited means had an idea that they
would have to save up $150 immediately for the
present stamp campaign. They also lost sight
of the fact that many families who have plenty
of means have bought not alone $150, but $2,000
worth of the stamps in this campaign. When a
local salesman was ready to ask a prospect for
a down payment of $25 or $50 on a piano she
balked because she had an idea she would have
to buy $150 worth of the War Savings Stamps
forthwith. Her means allowed her to buy a $50
Liberty bond in each of the three campaigns,
but, through her misunderstanding, the W. S. S.
campaign was causing her financial worry. It
was this state of the prospect's mind which
killed the piano sale.
WANAMAKER EMPLOYES SEE FILM
ESTEY PIANO FOR THEATRE
Attend Performance of "America's Answer" at
Cohan Theatre Last Week
Smith Music Co. Places Instrument of That
Make In Strand Theatre, Marshalltown, la.
PROPOSED WAR TAX AIDS SALE OF PIANOS IN BUFFALO
Local Dealers Closing Many Sales Among Customers Who Desire to Purchase Before Price In-
creases, Due to War Tax, Go Into Effect—Business Continues Good, Despite the Heat
BUFFALO, N. Y., August 5.— Published reports
on the proposed tax on musical instruments
have caused a number of Buffalonians to buy
pianos, players and talking machines before
prices move another notch upward. This is one
of the reasons given for the satisfactory condi-
tion of the music trade at the end of July and
the early part of August.
The Utley Piano Co., Inc., of Buffalo, has
filed incorporation papers, with a capital of
$50,000. The directors are Mary B. Utley, Al-
bert Stettenbenz and Thomas R. Wheeler. The
concern will conduct the piano and talking ma-
chine business of the late C. H. Utley. Mr.
Stettenbenz, one of the directors, was manager
of the Utley store for several years.
Several western New York music dealers who
are bachelors as well as true patriots, are al-
ready figuring out on paper what they will do
with their piano or talking machine stores in
case they are called to the colors by the pro-
posed raising- of the draft up to forty-five years.
They claim that while they have alwa'ys feared
the unerring shafts of the diminutive Cupid, they
will be willing to face unswervingly the "shots
and shells of the brutal Huns."
Cooler weather in Buffalo at this writing has
helped the piano trade. During the recent hot
spell customers and sales persons alike shared
In the discomfort at the stores and business was
threatened with a slump. Trade was later
stimulated by a tumbling temperature.
K. J. Dingley, of the Victor Talking Ma-
chine Co., was a Buffalo visitor. His purpose
was to allot Victrolas and records among the
Victor distributors.
The Columbia Co.'s Buffalo branch reports
an increase of 75 per cent, in trade in July over
the record of the same month a year ago. The
new type of Grafonolas equipped with the new
non-set automatic stop has been distributed
among many Columbia dealers in this terri-
tory.
John Lund, who lias charge of Buffalo's mu-
nicipal musical affairs, has been appointed the
city's ofticial organist. Mr. Lund uses a Stein-
way grand in his studio.
The Buffalo Music Co., of 708 Swan street,
has taken over the Victrola agency held by Paul
Kuehu, of Walden avenue.
A phonograph booth, built in a balcony ef-
fect at the rear of the Brunswick-Balke-Collen-
der Co.'s store, has been completed. This room
is pleasingly furnished and electric-lighted. New
Brunswick dealers include the Hoffman Piano
Co. and M. Turchin, of this city.
Even while the mercury was aviating toward
the hundred mark, the piano dealers of Niagara
Falls recently had their minds on the below-
zero weather that is sure to sweep that city
next winter. The fact is that their 1918-19 coal
supply is worrying them. They have been in-
AUGUST 10, 1918
MARSHALLTOWN, 1A., August 5.—The Smith
The employes of John Wanamaker, New
York, attended the George M. Cohan Theatre Music Co., who feature Estey pianos most suc-
Friday night in a body to see the film "Amer- cessfully in this territory, have recently placed
ica's Answer," which is a motion picture re-
leased by the U. S. Government authorities.
The members of the piano department were in-
cluded in the audience, and Ben F. Owen, man-
ager of the piano department, was a member
of the committee which arranged for the event.
During the course of the evening Miss Edna
Bloom, of the Wanamaker concert department,
sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and other ap-
propriate selections, and a male chorus was
also included on the program. Several of the
organizations connected with the John Wana-
maker store, including the John Wanamaker
Police Reserve Junior Band, etc., marched to
the theatre in a body.
MOVING TO LARGER STORE
HAMMOND, IND., August 5.—A new piano st.ire
is being opened in this city by J. N. Wilcokson,
who was formerly located at 150 East State
street. The new store is at 145 East State street,
and will contain the largest floor space of any
piano store in this city. Mr. Wilcokson will
handle the Bjur Bros, and Steger pianos and
ulayers, and Steger talking machines.
A Leader
at
Grands
Uprights
Players
Home
and
Abroad
WILLIAM TONK & BRO., Inc.
Tenth Ave., Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Sts., New York
The Strand Theatre, Marshalltown, la.
a piano of that make in the Strand Theatre here.
The Strand Theatre is considered the leading
picture house in this city and is one of a
large chain of theatres so well known through-
out Iowa and Nebraska. The theatre seats
about 750 people, and is generally well filled.
Music is furnished by a good orchestra of seven
men. The manager is J. Jolly Jones, Jr., who
is considered one of the live wires among the
motion picture men in the West.
Have you bought a Thrift Stamp to-day?