Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JANUARY 1, 1921
GOOD TRADE IN ST. LOUIS
Dealers Find Holiday Demand Was Well Up to
the Average—Medium-priced Instruments in
Especial Demand—News of the Week
ST. LOUIS, MO., December 27.—£hristmas did one
thing for St. Louis piano men. It enabled
them to sell some of the medium-priced and
low-priced instruments which have been hang-
ing on their hands. At the approach of Christ-
mas there set in a gradually increasing demand
for medium-priced players. As the day drew
nearer the demand increased for cheaper
grades. The sales for Christmas delivery have
been almost entirely small grands and players,
with a scattering of reproducing instruments.
The expectation that a strong Christmas de-
mand for straight uprights might spring up was
not realized. There is some sale for used
uprights. Business brisked up the last week
before Christmas, but most of the sales were
talking machines. There was an exceptionally
strong Christmas demand for these, with the
highest-priced models preferred. Most of the
piano and player sales have been on time, but
on very good terms. Not much advertising
was done in the closing period of the Christ-
mas campaign, and there were scant returns
from what was done.
Excessive allowances will probably be the
principal subject of discussion at the next meet-
ing of the Music Merchants' Association of
St. Louis. With the "breaking of sales" ques-
tion disposed of by resolution at the last meet-
ing, allowances are the chief bone of conten-
tion. The blue sky seems to be the only limit
on allowances, according to salesmen who have
been up against it. They say that it is not
unusual for some dealers to allow as much as
twice the original cost of a traded-in instru-
ment. It is probable that a schedule of trade-
in prices will be agreed upon for the guidance
of members of the association.
W. Carlstrom, of the Cable-Nelson Piano Co.,
Chicago, was the last of the traveling piano
men to pass through St. Louis before the holi-
days.
When an item appeared in the newspapers
the other day announcing a probable addi-
tional excise tax of 5 per cent on musical in-
struments the coming year the Kieselhorst
Piano Co. played it up the next day as a reason
why pianos, player-pianos, reproducing pianos
3 Great Pianos
With 3 sounding boards
in each (Patented) nave the
greatest talking points in
the trade.
We fix " o n e p r i c e " —
wholesale and retail.
The Heppe Piano Co.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
9
and Victrolas should be bought without delay.
The public was conspicuously advised to "Buy
now before the contemplated additional tax is
placed on musical instruments."
Men as piano purchasers received distinct
recognition in the final appeal of Manager Rus-
sell Elam, of the Scruggs, Vandervoort & Bar-
ney piano department before Christmas. "Of
course," he told the men in his newspaper ad-
vertising, "you expect to give the family a
piano or player-piano for Christmas. Every
home must have music on Christmas Day. It
is almost as indispensable as the Christmas tree
is to the kiddies." Then he proceeded to give
a number of reasons why the men should make
their selections at the Vandervoort store.
R. Powers, of the Kieselhorst Piano Co., is
spending the holidays visiting in the East.
Dan Pagenta, of the Steger & Sons Piano
Co., passed through St. Louis on his return
from a short business trip before the holidays.
TRADE NEWS FROM INDIANAPOLIS
Present Condition of Business Is Quiet, but
Dealers Expect Increasing Business After the
Turn of the Year—Other Items
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., December 28.—Indianapolis
music dealers agreed during Christmas week
to keep their stores open in the evenings,
although recently they joined with other mer-
chants in observing a 6 o'clock closing rule.
Later hours during the holidays would help to-
ward increasing the business due the music trade,
the dealers decided, and so they set 9 o'clock as
the closing hour for the week.
"Monday night we kept open from 6 to 8.30,"
said one dealer, in reciting his experience, "and
in that time not one customer came into the
store. We kept open two or three other nights
and at last one -night 1 had one of the sales-
men visit the other music stores about 8 o'clock.
He found just two customers—a man and his
wife—in one of the stores. After that we closed
our store at the regular 6 o'clock time. Peo-
ple are not spending their money this season as
they have in the past and I believe it will be
some little time before business has taken on
its natural gait."
The experience of the dealers in regard to
closing hours and their experience with special
advertising have proved, according to the admis-
sion of practically everyone, that the music
trade is in the clutch of a situation that is the
result of general business reorganization, which
will not be abated for some weeks at least.
Some of the dealers object to giving out what
they term "bunk" in regard to prospects, but
all admit the holiday business this year has been
"tough," even though it is not discouraging.
No one is discouraged because everyone foresaw
just such a situation ultimately and all are grati-
fied that nothing more serious than the present
annoying let-up in buying has become evident.
Small goods and musical merchandise have not
felt the slump so much as have the piano and
talking machine businesses, according to William
Carlin, of the Carlin Piano Co., and J. B. Ryde,
of Fuller & Ryde. Mr. Carlin says the Christ-
mas trade in small goods has been very good,
while the musical merchandise has been about
the same as ever. He featured the small goods
by an ingenious window display of a Christmas
tree which revolved. The tree was connected
with an electric motor. An elaborately painted
background gave the proper setting of snow
and moonlight, while every sort of small musical
instrument was tastefully arranged around the
tree.
Mr. Ryde said his small goods trade was as
good as, if not better than, a year ago. He was
handicapped in the sale of talking machine rec-
ords, he said, by inability to obtain needed stock.
During the week he employed H. W. Weiland,
formerly of the Pettis Dry Goods Co., of this
city, as salesman in his Victrola department.
E. L. Lennox, of the E. L. Lennox Piano Co.,
is planning to spend three months in Italy and
southern France.
Victrola XVII, $350
Victrola XVII, electric, $415
Mahogany or oak
Other styles $25 to $1500
Victor
Supremacy
Victor supremacy
is the natural reward
of merit.
And it is responsi-
ble for the success of
every Victor retailer.
"Victrola" is 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 misleading and
illegal.
Important Notice.
Victor Records
and Victor Machines are scientifically
coordinated and synchronized in the
processes of manufacture, and should be
used together to secure a perfect re-
production.
Victor Talking
Machine Co.
Camden, N. J., u. s. A.