Music Trade Review

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MAY
THE
28, 1921
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
USE
One of the outstanding events of the month
has, of course, been the meeting of the National
Music Roll Manufacturers' Association during
the convention of the Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce. Coupled with this meeting must,
of course, be mentioned the stirring address
made by Thomas Pletcher, president of the
Q R S Music Co., on music roll prices and
music roll merchandising. In the middle, as we
are, of a cloud of rumors and "inspired" stories
concerning threatened price wars, and all that
sort of thing, Mr. Pletcher's observations were
quite thoroughly refreshing. We have heard far
too much sickly nonsense lately about the un-
fortunate conditions of the music roll business.
The whole truth of the matter is that the retail
merchants play with the roll business instead of
$1
REPUBLIC
$1
DOLLAR WORD
ROLLS BRING
IN BUSINESS
Why Pay More When
You Cannot Buy More?
LATEST HITS
Large Words for Singing
Perfect Time for Dancing
$1 Quickest Service $1
Best Materials Used
Republic Hand-Played Word
Rolls for a dollar are the only
rolls that sell fast today. Send
for latest lists that will double
your Roll Sales!
$1
BUSINESS IS $1
ALWAYS
GOOD WHERE
REPUBLIC
ROLLS ARE SOLD!*
working it. As John Martin said during the con-
ventions, what sort of ideas has the merchant
who puts in the music roll department an electric-
driven player-piano for demonstrating? What
sort of respect has he for the music roll? And
why does he complain when he gets from the
people just precisely the same level of response
as he finds in his own mind? He has no re-
spect for the music roll and consequently cannot
ask his customers to have what he has not.
Again, as Mr. Pletcher said, how many mer-
chants take the trouble to keep in tune the
demonstration player-pianos in their music roll
departments? We all know that very few in-
deed of them ever think twice about a matter
like that. Why should anyone expect a cus-
tomer to like the music roll in preference to,
say, the phonograph record, when everything
depends upon how the music roll is demon-
strated, and when a bad demonstration kills a
sale? That is what is wrong with the music roll
business. It is not the manufacturers and it is
not the people. It is the retailers who are to
blame. The retailers are playing at the music
roll business; and until they quit playing and
settle down to hard, systematic work they will
never get anywhere.
We don't want price wars, we don't want out-
put cut down, we don't want a virtual confession
on the part of the music roll manufacturers that
the game is not worth the candle. At all costs,
any nonsense of that sort must be avoided. The
music roll is absolutely necessary to the success
The foundation of the music roll business is —yes, to the life—of the player business. Kill
not found in price, though there are some who the roll and you kill the player-piano. It should
seem to think that if music rolls were much not need much wisdom to perceive that simple
cheaper they would sell more readily. Mr. fact. On the other hand, it needs no wisdom at
Pletcher tore to pieces that flimsy fallacy when all to perceive that the sales of music rolls are
he showed, in the course of his address to the not holding up and that merchants do not seem
Music Merchants' Association, that successful to know what to do about it. Well, the remedy
selling campaigns have invariably been engi- is fairly plain to a good many of us. Mr.
neered on the basis of desire first and price Pletcher told the secret. The remedy for slow
second. There will not be the slightest diffi- sales in the music roll department is not to be
culty about getting the owner of a player-piano found in getting the manufacturer to put prices
to pay whatever price, within reason, the retailer down below the profit-making level. It is to be
chooses to ask for a music roll, provided that found, like most remedies for trouble, much
the need and the desire for it are clearly felt. nearer home. Let every merchant investigate
To create such a feeling is the business of ad- his own music roll department and ask himself
vertising. The talking machine record repre- if he is running that department in an even
sents a much larger percentage of the cost of partially sane manner. Are his customers being
(Continued on page 12)
the average talking machine than does the av-
erage music roll of the average player-piano.
Yet we do not hear that talking machine mer-
chants complain of the difficulty of selling rec-
ords. Why is this? Because the makers and
sellers of talking machines and records have
worked together along lines and in directions
TAFFNOT
SYNCHRONIZED
MUSIC ROLLS
Superior Arrangements
Perfect Perforating
The word rolls are all the word "syn-
chronized "• implies and are most
singable.
. '
•• ' —
COLUMBIA MUSIC CO.
16 South Peoria Street
Chicago, 111.
PLAYER--ORGAN--PIANO
Republic Player Roll Corp.
PAUL B. KLUGH, Pres.
75th Street at Broadway
N. Y. CITY
approved by the best advertising practice.
There is not a national advertiser of the least
significance—and that statement means there
is not one national advertiser—who thinks of
putting forth an appeal to the public to buy on
the ground that the thing offered is very cheap.
That idea is as dead as a door-nail. To-day the
national advertiser appeals to the desires and to
the reason. He shows that his goods, whatever
they may be, are needed to complete the desir-
ability of one's home or of one's business. He
demonstrates the specific advantage attainable
by the use of his particular article. If he men-
tions price, it is only to show that he is giving
a hundred cents in value for every dollar he
asks. Whether the price be one cent or five
thousand dollars does not matter. What does
matter is that the appeal is never primarily to
the price. It is always primarily to the value.
That is the secret which the retailers in our
business do not seem to have grasped.
The Only Roll With Words
AND NOTES
Mr. Dealer:
The New STAFFNOTE PLAYER
ROLLS with their many exclusive features
will increase your player sales. The Melody
Notes never fail to interest players of wind
or stringed instruments. Our patented print-
ing and improved recording processes made
these wonderful rolls possible.
They are the Ideal Library Rolls and
many progressive dealers recommend them as
the best.
Our representation is increasing daily.
May we have the pleasure of sending you our
monthly bulletins?
YOURS FOR SERVICE
A Specialty of Pneumatic Leathers
Billings Player Roll Company
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U. S. A.