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THE
JflLHC TIRADE
VOL. LXXII. No. 18.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman BUI, Inc., at 373 Fourth Ave., New York. April 30, 1921
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e Ghicado Conventions
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Yiial Importance ofihe Trade Gaiherinds
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Problems qfihellour ihai Require Solutions
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W
ITHIN two weeks there will open at the Drake Hotel, Chicago,
the 1921 conventions of the music industries—conventions that
are regarded as among the most important in the history of the
trade, coming as they do at a time when the general business situa-
tion demands calm and thoughtful consideration. There is no ques-
tion but that the great majority of members of the industry will
welcome the opportunity of meeting with one another in and out of
convention sessions for the purpose of discussing prevailing trade
problems and getting new views on conditions.
It has been fifteen months since the members of the industry
/have been called together in general convention, and during that
period much has occurred to complicate the business problems. In
February, 1920, the question was one of meeting demands and
securing goods, while to-day the situation is reversed and the ques-
tion of selling becomes paramount. The selling problem to-day is a
real problem, with many angles, and is worthy of all the attention
that can be bestowed upon it. It is a question that affects the pro-
ducer as well as the retailer.
vention sessions. Certainly there will be no lack of material upqfi
which the Associations may work.
]•'
It is not likely that this great gathering of trade members will
be able to evolve a panacea for all the ills of the trade, but from ttife
interchange of views there unquestionably will be developed solu-
tions that will tend towards stabilizing the industry, enabling it tt>
continue to enjoy some of the benefits that should follow frohi
several years of genuine prosperity—of a condition where the ques-
tion was one of supplying rather than of selling goods. There Is
every indication that the discussions at the general convention of
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, and the separate cofij-
ventions of the various trade bodies affiliated therewith, will be d>fc
a distinctly constructive nature, for those in charge of the various
programs have been working diligently to that end and their efforjrs
have met with gratifying support from individual members of tftp
trade.
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Practical Programs Arranged
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Many Suggestions Are Offered
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There have been many suggestions offered regarding matters
•that should and should not be considered at the convention. Some
' of these suggestions have been purely theoretical, but there are a
•number of distinct practical value, and it is expected that they will
[receive the attention they deserve.
•
The reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce in accordance
with the proposed new by-laws calculated to enable that body to
function more efficiently and economically is a matter of prime im-
portance. The present and future status of the Chamber bureaus,
particularly the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music,
the Better Business Bureau and the Legal Bureau, are all to be
considered. The piano manufacturers have their own distinct prob-
lems ranging fiom that of maintaining the open shop to problems of
national scope and importance. The merchants have questions of
merchandising and financing to consider, and several other organiza-
; tions affiliated with the Chamber likewise have before them questions
for which it is hoped suitable answers will be found in the con-
First of all, it is planned to have practical meetings—meeting^
where the ideas advanced and discussed will be based upon fact anil
experience rather than upon theory. To this end some of the bright-
est minds of the industry have been requested to appear in Chicago
and to give of their knowledge and wisdom for the benefit of t
trade as a whole. It has been realized that the problems of tfi
musical instrument manufacturer and retailer of to-day are ncjt
problems confined alone to his own particular section of the in-
dustry, but rather are interwoven with those of the other divisions
of the trade, and by an understanding of the situation in these other
divisions the individual is better prepared to understand his own
problem and work to arrive at a solution thereof.
!
The various convention programs, published in another section
of The Review this week, serve to give some idea of the broad scopie
of the meetings, of the many subjects to be discussed, and of thje
importance that has been attached to the various sessions. It is
understood that reservations already made at the Drake Hotel indi-
cate a record-breaking attendance, and the delegates will iinquestior-
ably find that the time devoted to their labors has been well spent.
(Continued
on page-5).
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