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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 13, 1919
DEALERS CONDEMN PRICE CUTTING
DETROIT READY FOR BUSY FALL
New York Music Roll Dealers Hold Meeting
at Cafe Boulevard—Fred Behr, New York
Attorney, Speaks on Price Maintenance
Piano Dealers Planning Active Campaigns for
Coming Season—Grinnell Sale of Used Pianos
Coming—Local Association to Meet
DETROIT, MICH., September 8.—We find every
The September meeting of the New York
Music Roll Dealers' Association was held at retailewbusy this week on advertising and sell-
the Cafe Boulevard on Tuesday of this week, ing plans for the coming season. At Grinnell
the general subject for discussion being up- Bros, we only could get a minute or two from
holding prices of music rolls and discouraging C. A. Grinnell, vice-president, who had just re-
the destructive practice of price cutting. A turned from an extended Eastern trip on busi-
luncheon preceded the business meeting, which ness for the national association as well as for
opened about 1:30 p. m. The meeting was his company. "Come in to-morrow—I've five
poorly attended, but the members present in- days' work ahead of me now," he said. "But
dulged in some lively discussion regarding the don't forget to come, as I always like to meet
part played by the manufacturer and dealer in you trade journal men." And this is a thought
that we want to pass along. You men of
price cutting and price maintenance.
the business world—think kindly of the trade
Fred Behr, a well-known New York at-
journal correspondent. Remember he has to
torney, was present and spoke on price main-
see a lot of people daily—the more he can talk
tenance, protection of the dealer. He men- to the better articles he can write and the
tioned the Colgate case, with which the trade is more good he can do the industry. Give him
already familiar, and its relation to price main- just a few minutes when he comes—and, better
tenance. He also cited the recent decision still, try to have something ready for him
rendered in the case of the B. V. D. Co. which about your business when he comes. It makes
took a view opposite to that handed down in "life worth living" for the man who is chasing
the case of Colgate & Co. In the B. V. D. news and makes better reading for those in
case the court held that the manufacturer the trade.
parted with his title to the goods when he
Grinnell Bros, are busy mapping out their
sold to the jobber and therefore could not fix
campaign of advertising and selling in connec-
the retail price.
After the routine matters had been disposed tion with the annual sale of used summer resort
of the meeting was thrown open for dis- pianos, which will be much bigger this year
cussion on the matter of price cutting. G. than ever. S. E. Clark, general manager, says
never in the history of the concern have they
Howlett Davis, president of the Standard Music
had out so many pianos at summer resorts
Roll Co., gave the manufacturers' side of the
and all of these will be offered at discounts
price cutting evil and said that the manufac-
during the clearance sale.
turers had suffered equally with the dealers
The J. L. Hudson Music Store had good
and that it was up to the dealers themselves
business
all last week on the Apollophone, com-
to straighten out this evil. He stated that
the Standard Music Roll Co. was doing all in bination player-piano and talking machine,
which retailed at $800 during the sale. Man-
its power to prevent dealers cutting prices on
ager E. P. Andrew is now busy on plans for
their rolls, and to this end had reduced the
the coming season and with everybody back
number of its New York jobbers to one in
from vacations weekly sales meetings are
order that responsibility for selling to unscrupu-
again held regularly.
lous dealers might be fixed in the future. In
A. E. Trebilcock, of the Detroit Music Co.,
the matter of selling cut-outs he advocated that
is prepared for the best fall trade on record.
they be sold by special sales.
Not only has he a larger stock of musical
Z. Namais, chairman, voiced the sentiments
instruments, but during the summer he had
of the dealers present by saying that the the entire store redecorated a lighter color so
manufacturers should cut off dealers who con- that it seems as if the place is twice as large.
tinued to cut prices on music rolls. The practice He also has added new booths for demonstrat-
of sending coupons with music rolls was de- ing inusic rolls. This part of the business is
nounced as being unfair to the dealer.
growing by leaps and bounds, and Mr. Trebil-
cock is now pushing the department as never be-
fore.
CHARACTER
The Story & Clark Piano Co. moved this
week from 308 Woodward avenue to State
"Admirable Quality; Acknowledged Reputation"
street, between Woodward and Griswold. Man-
—(Standard Dictionary)
ager Paul Schilling is well pleased with the
new location, which he says ought to mean
at least 200 per cent, increase in sales. As
for size, the store is about the same as that
on Woodward avenue. However, Mr. Schilling
says that location is more important than size,
so far as sales go.
The Wurlitzer store, at 70 State street, is con-
ducting another vigorous sale of used players
Manufactured by
and pianos.
It is estimated that nearly 2000 musicians
are given employment here by the motion pic-
ture theatres. Detroit has 135 photoplay houses
and
and very few are without organs.
The Detroit Music Trades Association will
reconvene within the next thirty days to com-
plete plans for the big week of festivities which
have for 33 years
are sure to take place about the middle of
October.
justified their right
PIANOS
Smith, Barnes
Strohber Co.
to be called
Pianos of Character
FACTORIES
North Milwaukee, Wii.
Chicago, 111.
OFFICE
1872 Clybourn Avenue
Chicago, III.
NEW JERSEY INCORPORATION
The Philadelphia Piano Co., Gloucester, N. J.,
has been incorporated with a capital stock of
$125,000 by J. M. Zerbey, of Camden; L. M.
Clair, of Gloucester, and J. E. Zerbey, of Sum-
mit Hills, Pa.
Charles E. Jones and Golden A. Smith, Peters-
burg, Ind., have formed a partnership to handle
musical instruments and will sell a general line. BMiiii
9
Victrola XVII, $300
Mahogany or oak
Walnut $365
Victrola XVII, electric, $365
Mahogany or oak
Walnut $430
Other styles $25 to $950
Victor
Supremacy
Victor Supremacy
is the natural reward
of merit.
And it is responsi-
ble for the success of
every Victor retailer.
Victor Talking Machine Co.
Camden, N. J., U.S. A.
" V i c t r o l a " i, the Registered Trade-mark of
the Victor Talking Machine Company designating
the products of this Company only.
W a r n i n g : The use of the word Victrola
upon or in the promotion or sale of any other
Talking Machine or Phonograph products is mis-
leading and illegal.
rtant Notice. Victor Records and