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FEBRUARY 7, 1920
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
GREAT PUBLICITY USHERS IN NEW YORK'S MUSIC WEEK
majority should discover that playing the piano
or the violin was no more the business of the
high priests of harmony than of anybody else
who wants to enjoy his life while he has it to
live."
The New York Tribune on Sunday, February
1, devoted four pages of its gravure section to
some particularly attractive advertising inserted
by various piano and music houses and provided
for the section a very handsomely designed title
page.
A liberal section of the main paper was also
given over to text matter regarding Music Week
plans. The New York American, the Times
and practically every other paper gave consid-
erable space to Music Week publicity, backed
of course by liberal advertising, and there could
not have been a single New Yorker, reading
the papers, who could have failed to know that
something unusual in the matter of music ex-
ploitation was under way.
LANDAY BROS. ANNOUNCE THE STIEFF
JOHNSON SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
Use Liberal Space in Daily Papers to Call At-
tention to Newest Addition to Their Line
Former President of Wm. A. Johnson Piano
Co. Now With H. G. Johnson Piano Co.
The New York newspapers, last Sunday, car-
ried the first public announcement of the fact
that Landay Bros, were now the official repre-
sentatives in the metropolitan district of the
noted Stieff piano, manufactured by Chas. M.
Stieff. Inc.. of Baltimore. Md The announce-
ment was given large space and attention was
called to the fact that the Stieff is the official
piano 'of the Russian Symphony Orchestra.
Landay Bros, have arranged to exploit the Stieff
as their leader and the initial advertisement em-
phasized particularly that the Stieff is a quality
instrument and priced as such. Quoted prices
ranged from $685 for uprights to $3,000 for
grands and players.
Announcement has been made that William
A. Johnson, formerly president of the William
A. Johnson Piano Co.. of Champaign. 111., and
more recently a traveler of the Holland Piano
Mfg Co., Minneapolis. Minn, has accepted a
pos't'on as special representative of the Henry
G Johnson Piano Co . of Beilevue. Towa Be-
sides being well acquainted with the irad- 1 . Mr.
Johnson is an expert on pano construction.
having worked in the mechanical department
for twelve years before going into business.
Metropolitan Dailies Carry Special Music Sections Heralding Advent of Week
Devoted to
Music, and Local Piano Interests Were Well Represented in the Advertising Columns
Never has music in every form been brought
so prominently and insistently to public atten-
tion as during the past fortnight and par-
ticularly during the' past week. For several
months past the trade and the public have been
hearing of the plans being made for the Music
Week celebration and of the co-operation prom-
ised by the various musical agencies, public and
private, the city officials and especially the met-
ropolitan press, but not even the most enthu-
siastic had expected the plans, elaborate as they
were, to come to such a satisfying fruition.
In The Review this week is told the story
of the manner in which the great department
stores, the theatres, the musical organizations
and the public institutions co-operated in an
effort to make Music Week a success and to
emphasize the art to the public so strongly that
the impression would last long into the future.
But the fine thing was the manner in which the
big daily newspapers lent their assistance to
the cause. Those who have bewailed the fact
that automobiles were mentioned liberally in
the news columns, to the almost total exclusion
of music and musical instruments, had the pleas-
ure of seeing musical topics dominating for this
once at least.
The New York Globe set the high mark by
coming out on Saturday afternoon. January 31,
with a full sixteen-page supplement devoted ex-
clusively to music! the Music Show, the con-
vention and music trade and professional mat-
ters generally. There was an abundance of
editorial matter, varied and interesting, many
articles by prominent musicians and leading
members of the industry, schedules of the con-
ventions, portraits of the association officials
and full details regarding the Music Show ex-
hibits, all due, largely, to the efforts of Chas.
D. Tsaacson, editor of the Family Music Page
of the Globe. Tn commenting editorially upon
Music Week, the Globe said:
"Music has always been the most democratic
of the arts, largely because it is available for
everyone who has an ear and a voice. But it
has never seeped through all the layers of so-
ciety in America as it has in Europe, has never
taken on with us the intimately personal char-
acter, of the ballads of Scotland or the folk-
songs of Norway and Russia. We have been
content in the main to have our music and our
musical tastes dictated from above. The words
of the critics have been law to us, and in. the
presence of grand operas and symphony orches-
tras and all the reproductions of classical and
popular compositions we have been silent. We
enjoy melody and harmony, but we don't try
to make them. We are ashamed to touch the
keyboard because we play without finish, and
afraid to sing because our voices are untrained.
"It is hoped that the observance of Music
Week will help break the ice of expression and
encourage people in every corner of the city
and state, old and young, to dig out the songs
they used to sing and the instruments they used
to play—or buy new ones if they never had
any. It is the music 3 r ou make yourself, or that
you take part in making, that gives most de-
light, and there is nothing more absurd than
repressing the natural impulse to sing or lay
a bow across the strings for fear of the censure
of others who know more technical terms than
you.
"There are two main activities of the race;
earning a living is one, and enjoying the living
after you get it is the other. It is a dull citizen
who never relaxes from the struggle to take
pleasure in one art or another—and the easiest
and most pleasant of the arts is music. This
land of ours "would be less cvnical and hard
would be briehter and more contented <
' " •'
TONL", UEAUTY
LASTING
NEW INCORPORATION
The Eastern Amusement Co., Boston. Mass.,
has recently been incorporated with a capital
of $50,000 to deal in musical instruments. The
incorporators are C. A. Warren of Winchester.
Wiliard M. Ferguson of Everett and Richard
W. Burnes of West Somerville, Mass.. accord-
ing to the papers filed.
W. J. EDEN NOW IN IOWA
W. T. Eden, formerly the Southwestern rep-
resentative for the Holland Piano Mfg Co.. is
now covering the territory of Towa for the H.
G. Johnson Piano Mfg. Co. He was formerly
manager of the Hayden Bros p'ano department
of Omaha. Neb., and for five years was with
the Holland P : ano Mftr. Co. at Minneapolis.
Minn. He is now taking up the same duties
as Southwestern representative, covering the
entire Southwest, making Kansas City. Mo., his
headquarters.
CONGRESS PASSES BILL FOR TRADE-MARK PROTECTION
New Measure Passed by House of Representatives Which Simplifies and Expedites Process of
Registering Trade-marks and Other Commercial Slogans in South American Countries
WASHTNGTON, D. C. January 31.—The House
of Representatives has passed a biJl to give
effect to certain provisions of the convention
for the protection of trade-marks and commer-
cial names, made and signed in Buenos Aires,
Argentine Republic, on August 20. 1910. Tn
supporting the bill. Representative Merritt
pointed out an illustration of trade-mark piracy.
"A manufacturer in Connecticut of a certain ar-
ticle was in Japan." said Representative Merritt.
"and found there exact imitations of the article
made by him. When he ascertained how this came
about he found that orieinaily the articles had
been imitated in the Black Forest of Germany,
that they had been exported to Japan, and then,
when Japan began to develop as a manufactur-
ing country, with its very cheap labor, they
were reproduced'exactly in Japan, including the
trade-mark.
"It is to protect the manufacturers and mer-
chants of this country in their trade names, so
important to them, that this legislation is pro-
posed. The protection of the trade name is
more important to the manufacturer in other
countries than it is at home, because in the
East particularly it is the practice to buy on
the name. That is true of pianos, talking ma-
chines and all kinds of manufactures. There
are no two sides to this question. It is the
duty of the House to pass this legislation and
to protect in Central and South America the
trade of this country and its manufacturers and
merchants, as this bill will do."
The details of the bill "were explained by
Representative Nolan, who stated that all of
the South Amer'can Renub1 ; cs had ratified the
^AUTO-PLAYER ~
IheWERNEK INDUSTRIES CO
convention, as has Cuba. "At the present time
there is established in Havana a bureau for the
registration of trade-marks and commercial
names." said Representative Nolan. ''This gives
an opportunity to American manufacturers and
those interested in the protection of trade-
marks and commercial names to go to the
Patent Office or file with the Commissioner of
Patents a registration, and for the sum of $50
American trade-marks, trade names and com-
mercial names are given protection in all of the
Central and South American Republics and the
Republic of Cuba. At the present time, owing
to the fact that we have not ratified and put
into effect the provisions of this convention,
our manufacturers must go to each of these
separate republics and get separate protection,
taking a lot of time and a great deal of money.
All this bill does is to give the Commissioner
of Patents authority to keep a register of all
trade-marks and commercial names communi-
cated to him by the international bureau pro-
vided for by the convention for the protection
of trade-marks, and the fee of $50 is trans-
mitted to the international bureau."
It was pointed out that this legislation will
not give foreign manufacturers any rights in
the United States which they do not already
acquire when they obtain trade-mark protec-
tion under our general laws, and does not give
any higher rights to any of the respective mem-
bers of the convention than could be obtained
by registering under the laws of the various
countries which have become members of the
convention. It merely simplifies, expedites and
lessens the cost of registration.
P I A N O
AND