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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 11, 1920
A General Survey of Trade Conditions
Authoritative Opinions Gathered From Members of the Trade in Every Section of the Country Regarding the Outlook
for Business During the Coming Season Indicate That Success Awaits the Music Merchant Who Goes
After Trade Energetically and Systematically, and Along Sound Credit Lines
i
With the general change in the business sit-
uation throughout the country which made it-
self strongly evident during the Spring and
Summer months and naturally had its effect on
every division of trade, there has been consider-
able uncertainty as to just what the Fall season
would bring forth for the piano merchants in
the various sections.
With the arrival of September, which usually
marks the opening of the Fall business period,
it appears that much of this uncertainty is being
dissipated. The average piano man and music
merchant is now more or less familiar with the
conditions as they exist in his own territory,
and with the industrial and agricultural pros-
pects that may be expected to affect his business
volume. With this information at hand he is in
a position to plan a campaign that will meet the
situation to the best advantage.
The Review has, for the benefit of the trade
at large, made a thorough canvass of general
conditions and prospects in every State in the
Union as they may be expected to affect the
retail musical instrument business during the
coming months, and the results of this canvass
are distinctly interesting. The important fact
is that a uniform situation exists apparently in
every section of the United States. There is no
one section suffering from extreme depression
as compared with another section enjoying un-
usual prosperity. The conditions that may be
expected to affect the retail music business are
national in their scope and are not to be consid-
ered of great seriousness.
There has been for some months a certain
uneasiness in business circles regarding the in-
dustrial situation, especially in centers where
factory workers make up a good proportion of
the buying public. Late reports, however, from
music merchants of standing are to the effect
that although certain lines of industry are quiet,
as in the woolen manufacturing districts of New
England, for instance, which are working only
part time, in other sections sufficient plants are
working full time, or better, to keep the aver-
age of employment well up to normal. In no
section, apparently is there expected to be an
industrial lull sufficient to affect retail buying
seriously.
Agricultural conditions and prospects are
likewise normal, or better, for where excessive
rains have damaged certain crops, cotton and
tobacco, for instance, this loss will be more
than counter-balanced by bumper harvests of
other produce. As a matter of fact, a great
many piano merchants, even in the larger cities,
are frank to say that they are depending chiefly
upon the country trade, and the business of the
farmer, to keep up their sales average during
the Fall and Winter.
The majority of piano merchants admit that
the public has lost much of its tendency towards
liberal buying. This is largely the result of
cut-price campaigns in certain lines during the
Spring, which brought about a general inclina-
tion to hold off buying in anticipation of gen-
eral price reduction. The effect of this Spring
campaign, however, is now wearing off, and al-
though the public has not in any sense returned
to extravagance, there is apparently a desire
to b'uy instruments of standing at good prices.
In short, buyers demand something substantial
and of value for their money.
The result of all this is that the majority of
retailers realize their position and know that en-
ergetic advertising sales campaigns must be car-
FOR TONE, BEAUTY
AND LASTING
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ACCOMPLISHMENT S
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ried on between now and the first of the year to
build up sales totals of desired size. There will
be more selling effort required than for several
years past, but the fact that there are liberal
stocks of pianos and other instruments on the
wareroom floors makes a strong campaign
worth while.
Except in remote instances, there is appar-
ently no tendency toward sensational advertis-
ing or "bargain" terms to attract attention and
patronage. The majority of the merchants
know that under present market and financial
conditions they must realize cash to meet obli-
gations and carry on their businesses. It is
dangerous right now to borrow money at high
interest for the purpose of carrying long term
paper of retail customers.
The information and opinions offered by the
several hundred music merchants in every sec-
tion of the United States have been summarized
for the guidance of readers of The Review and
are presented herewith. These summaries from
the different sections of the country represent
one of the most complete surveys ever made of
music trade conditions. They may not meet
with the approval of either the extreme optim-
ist or the confirmed pessimist, but there is
cheerful news to be found therein for the music
merchant who is willing to get down to brass
tacks and work hard.
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| Optimism Prevailing Through New England I
The immediate future of the piano trade is
fortunately being viewed with optimism through-
out New England generally, and it is expected
that at the forthcoming convention of the New
England trade an open, frank and impartial ex-
change of views will do much to clarify the at-
mosphere for those who may be a bit skeptical
of the future.
One reads a good deal of the general agricul-
tural and industrial conditions throughout the
country, and what obtains in the more remote
sections is more or less true of New England.
Agriculturally, what is grown here promises well
for the Fall. Frequent rains have done much
for New England this Summer and there is
scarcely a crop grown in New England that is
not going to make a good showing.
Industrially one cannot say so much of an
optimistic nature. The cotton and woolen
mills are curtailing and that is equally true of
some other industries, and enforced vacations,
other than those invited by strikes, are becoming
conspicuous in some sections of New England.
Thus with the curtailment of income, families
are obliged to retrench and it comes hard after
the era of high wages which for so long had
obtained. Naturally the attitude of the public,
that is, that element which is closely related to
industry, toward liberal buying, for a time at
least, will not be what it was, but there is a
widespread feeling once this temporary set-
back has passed there will again be the old-
time liberality in the purchase of commodities
which are no longer viewed in the light of lux-
uries.
With the approach of Fall one finds the travel-
ing men returning to their respective fields and
they are naturally bent on seeing that their cus-
tomers, the dealers, are prepared for the demand
that almost invariably is a feature of September,
October and November buying, not to mention
the early December, though it is only the be-
lated ones who postpone the purchase of pianos
and other musical instruments that late if viewed
in the light of Christmas surprises. Stocks every-
where are very low. The trade has held off from
committing itself to purchases for several rea-
sons. Yet it realizes as well as the traveling
men that this is the time to replenish stocks.
In fact, the keen dealer never has to be reminded
of this. One interesting phase of the present-
day sales, and it will be equally true of those
to come, is the insistence on getting as large a
first cash payment as possible with subsequent
payments proportionally as large. This course
has been dictated by caution. Dealers con-
sider it an element of reasonable safety, believ-
ing that the time is ripe to safeguard their own
interests to the greatest extent possible in the
light of a possible stiffening of money rates and
a scarcity of work.
Local houses have been doing rather more
extensive advertising than usual at this time of
year. Where there has been a positive appeal
through catchy, well-worded matter the re-
sponse has been good. A feature of some of
the advertising has been the generous latitude
that has been allowed prospective purchasers,
but this course is not encouraged by the more
conservative dealers. One questions if it is the
attractive terms or the high quality of the goods
always set forth that appeals most to the. pub-
lic. There are some local houses that are meet-
ing with marked success through this type of
publicity. The conservative dealers, however,
have sounded the note of the superiority of their
lines, but they do not get the quick results that
the other type of advertiser does. This should
not be interpreted that this advertising is for .
naught; far from it, for their public puts in an
appearance later and it represents for the most
part a substantial class of people, those to whom
so-called generous terms do not make so quick
an appeal. So take it all in all the late Summer
advertising campaign will have proved to be
very successful.
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Much Industrial Activity
in Pennsylvania
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Although conditions vary in different sections
of the country, acccrding to the status of the
industries peculiar to any one section, the gen-
eral situation through Pennsylvania is in the
main satisfactory. In the West there have been
some labor troubles in the steel mills, but they
have not affected other industries to any de-
gree, and will have little cr no bearing on the
music business or any other retail business.
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In the central section of the State and in the
Eastern district the industrial situation is re-
garded as most satisfactory, and although all
factories are not rushed with orders, there ap-
pears to be plenty of employment for everybody
at high wages.
The crop average will also be high, for al-
though an over abundance of rain caused con-
(Co)itinued
on page 1 1 )
P I A N O S
AND
The WERNER INDUSTRIES CO.