Music Trade Review

Issue: 1922 Vol. 74 N. 12

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
MARCH 25, 1922
REVIEW
Iff^ff^^
Being the Monthly Concoction of the Editor of the Player Section, Combining
Some Information, Some Wit and Some Thought on Things of Moment to the
Industry, Specially Prepared and Served for the Wise Men of the Trade
were not enough. They are being pushed for-
ward as if they represented that combination
of roll, mechanism, piano and artist of which we
The present writer remembers well the first
have recently spoken in special articles and which
very small player-piano he ever saw. It was a
must always be relatively expensive, exclusive and
very good one, too, as may he imagined when
in a class apart. It is not, please note, a ques-
one is told that the piano part of it w r as one of
tion of how far any given mechanism does or
the little baby uprights which Charles Jacob and
does not perform what the ignorant public is led
Truth Plainly Told
his brother have for so many years made in their
to believe by equally ignorant dealers that it ought
Speaking of merchandising policies, we are be- to perform. That question of comparison is a
great New York factory. The impression will
be deepened when it is added that the player ginning to notice another field in which the lack question for experts only. It is simply a ques-
action was one of those superb Gulbransen in- of such a policy is already becoming evident. tion of adopting a sound merchandising policy
stallations, which at this time was the only player During the last two years one house after an- in the industry, in face of the invasion of auto-
action which could have been got into so small other has put on the market player-pianos with matic-expression player-pianos, to the end that
a piano. The present writer remembers very automatic expression. Some of these ought to each name adopted shall mean something and
well tuning and regulating one of these gems be classified as "reproducing pianos"—that is to that those who are working to the best of their
down in St. Louis in the year 1912, and a beauty say, as pianos especially designed to reproduce ability in one class shall not constantly find their
the playing of artists who make themselves per- efforts rendered nugatory by an induced state of
it was. The piano itself was always an aston-
sonally responsible for the accuracy of the trans- public confusion.
isher. Personal recollection of one under all con-
notation. Others, not inferior, ought to be class:
ditions of use for some three years, combined
fied as "automatic-expression pianos." The fact
with many tunings of that one and others, con-
Not Self-sellers
that there should be any question about such
firms the opinion that the small upright which
classifications merely shows that the trade is not
Which leads us to point out that many dealers
Jacob Bros, originated was one of the best up- handling the player-piano intelligently. If it
rights for apartment or small room ever designed. were doing so there would be no effort on the have taken up the automatic-expression player
Now, of course, the day of the small upright, part of merchants to confuse this issue of classi- apparently because they have thought that here
and still more of the small player-piano, is defi- fication, nor would merchants or manufacturers at last is an instrument which will sell itself. No
nitely here. We have half a dozen where the be self-deceived, as certainly many of them are. greater mistake could be made, however, than
other day we had only one. Smith & Barnes, Now, what is needed is a sound, intelligent, this. It has been argued against the pedal-ex-
Jackson, Miessner, Story & Clark have come into truthful presentation of the facts to the people. pression player-piano that the ordinary person
the race and the small player-piano, as well as If the trade wants to call by the name "repro- never learns to play it well. So far as the facts
the small straight upright, looms up as a genu- ducing piano" every player which plays expres- may be found to justify the statement there is
ine competitor for trade favor. Personally, we sively without human interference then there is no quarrel, but the point involved is quite aside
are all for the little ones. They are as good as no complaint. It is simply a matter of words. from this. For if a person who buys a player-
piano neither cares to try nor is able to accom-
uprights can well be, they hold the player action
Hut what is not simply a matter of words is plish the very simple trick of playing it toler-
pertectly well, they are convenient in a way that that the whole question is being confused and
ably well, after a few days of trial, then that
beclouded, just as has happened in evcy other same person obviously neither cares to hear nor
ZEPHIR IS
movement our industry has ever initiated. Pianos is able to appreciate better music when the same
are sold out of their class. Players which give is offered through the medium of an automatic-
excellent renditions of music—renditions quite expression player-piano. So plain is this fact
good enough for ninety-nine in every hundred of that any dealer who has ever thought seriously
Unsurpassed for Pouches and Pneumatics
the population of this or any other country—are about the matter for five minutes must see that a
w
s
being pushed forward as if these their virtues self-seller is the last thing one can call a player-
New York
piano fitted with automatic expression. The
merchant who undertakes to sell these instru-
ments must, first, get a higher price for them
than for a pedal-expression player-piano. Then
he must sell this higher-priced instrument to the
prospect on the ground of its fitness for that.
prospect's needs, not on the ground that no one
can play the foot-expression player well. If he
iriu i JrifrrriiiiiiiitiiiKiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiMiiittitenTiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiTiiiTiiiTiuiiiiiiiiriiMiiiiiiiri 111 ri i iiiMT>rti i adopts the absurd latter course he cuts the ground
from beneath his own feet and speeds the day
"The valve unit that made the player famous"
when the entire player business shall have pain-
lessly and peacefully passed away. The effort
should be, in fact, to sell the pedal-expression in-
strument by good, intelligent demonstration and
good music service, while reserving the higher-
priced instruments for those who both have the
money to pay and can actually appreciate listen-
ing to records more or less faithfully reproducing
individual work. Just as soon as the prospect
is steered away from the pedal-expression instru-
ment by the plea that a different sort of instru-
ment, higher-priced, will do better work and "all
(Continued on page 8)
must be experienced to be appreciated. May their
tribe increase. And may the trade have sense
enough to develop a merchandising policy that
shall have about it something individual. For
this is an individual voice, this small player-
piano!
"Those Little Fellers"
AIRTIGHT LEATHER
JULIUS SCHMID, Inc., "• "«- '
The highest class player
actions in the world
The new "Amphion Accessible Action" is the last word in scientific player
achievement. It has the complete valve action assembled in a "Demountable
Unit" giving instant accessibility.
AMPHIONff\CTIONS
SYRACUSE
f
—Your Guarantee
*} NEW YORK
PLAYER--ORGAN--PIANO
LEATHERS
A Specialty of Pneumatic
T. L LUTKINS, Inc.
Leathers
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
8
DEALERS ENTHUSE OVER PLAYER DEMONSTRATION WEEK
Nearly Three Thousand Dealers Already Supplied With Necessary Literature—Standard Pneumatic
Action Co. Issues Complete Prospectus Outlining Details of the Campaign
National Player-piano Demonstration Week, rence, advertising manager of the Standard
which will take place April 15-22, promises to be Pneumatic Action Co., New York, who has been
one of the most successful promotion campaigns actively engaged in promoting this campaign. A
YOU CAN NOW PLAY MUSIC
£ven though yo\ir fingers
have not been trained to
strike the notes from the
printed score
'
a .*
£^jl|Mi« w i 1 miiirr ™**
You Don't Need
Much Money to
A Miracle Has Been Accomplished!
The Eighth Wonder of the World!
A New Playerpiano! Is Here!
Own a Playerpiano
NOW
ders of the age It enables you to play music so
perfectly that a critic, blindfolded, would think a
skilled musician were playing
You Become an Accomplished Mu
ew Playerpiano. you bet
$484
The
Wonderful Ne -Pl.y crpi« no
Happinen n Mun j W . y*
Cre
.„.
1
VVnli it the tired busines s man mav
t 0«f
the bu sy uay H e
the cares «ryi *
may re-create hi s old. f vorite SOCES- -and
thes
and rests the wea ried mi d .
I
Music is the de Igllt Of child en's pa ties.
uth rn cts to c njoy
where carefree, h
all the mirth of i nnocent childh ood. Y sung
children can pla with e ase. a 1 the d
dance music, or he song s they love SO well
to sing
With the new P ayerp.a. o. one may ac o m -
The
pany at first sig
anged a will o folio* t h e
singer's inlcrpre ation.
X
* •
With it. anyone is able
ompany the
pbyins of a « cond in sir urn
tnems Popular " s o n i " "
as the nost
diftkull.opeiai.
mble
and with all the techniq, c ol h and pla
s. The Playerpiano aids the music •cache a n d
supplements his work by g ving a an
example, for the
ing of an accomplished pianist —mean vhile
Biding his entire
(o the pupil T h e
Playerpiano offe " ' l i m ' i i ess possibilili
all music teachin
Formerly $595
You Save $111
MARCH 25, 1922
to the present writing, 2,750 dealers have been
supplied with sales literature and the orders
which are to be filled will swell this number to
approximately 3,500 dealers. Of the total num-
ber of 1,000,000 mailing folders, 875,000 have al-
ready been distributed, as well as 25,000 window
streamers. Of the sixteen newspaper ads which are
in the prospectus of the campaign, 1,000 copies
have been distributed, and it is estimated that
2,500 dealers will use special Player-piano Dem-
onstration Week newspaper space. Some are
contemplating using full pages similar to the one
reproduced in the accompanying illustration. Al-
ready seventy-five of these have been furnished
to dealers.
Among some of lite well-known dealers who
are to take part in this campaign are: (irinncll
Bros., Detroit, and branch stores; J. I,. Hudson
Co., Detroit; I.yon & llealy, Chicago; I'hilip
Wcrlein, New Orleans; (iimbel Bros., Milwaukee;
Rudolph Wurlitzer, Chicago; McDowell & Casta-
tor, Ponca City, Okla.; Schroeder Piano Co., of
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa.; Knight-Camp-
bell Co., Denver, Col.; John Church Co., Chi-
cago; Bush it Lane, Seattle; \V. l"\ Krcdcrick. of
Baltimore; Hamman-Levin, Baltimore; Kraus-
gill, of Louisville, Ky.; Thos. (ioggan & Bros.,
San Antonio, Tex.; (ioosman Piano Co., Toledo,
O.; Hopper-Kelly Co, Seattle, and others.
The prospectus sent to the dealers by the
Standard Pneumatic Action Co. is very complete
and includes not only a series of splendid news-
paper advertisements of various sizes in which
human interest copy and illustrations forcefully
advertise the player-piano, but also circular let-
ters which may be used by the dealer, attractive
window streamers, a newspaper story for use in
local dailies, handsome three-color folders for
distribution and a program for recitals, as well
as the offer of prizes for the best Player-piano
Demonstration Week window display. In all the
copy no mention is made of the Standard player
action, so that any of it may be used for any make
of player-piano.
Term* as Low as $1-Weekly
piano
What Muiic Meai
Think what a great deal of
gift will bring to your wile—and to your chil
No longer wilt you have to deprive your childi
weary day's work because you have not the refre:
M.il Tki, Coupon Tuday!
At least, -tome to our store for a demonstration. Your visit
will in no way place you under an obligation to buy
Special
Playerpiano Recital
Free to the Public
Every Afternoon
at 3 o'clock
DAMBOIS IN BENEFIT CONCERT
Will Present Elaborate Program With the Duo-
Art Piano at Aeolian Hall on April 8 for the
Benefit of Underprivileged Boys
ju lo attend a special
Playerpiano. A recital
Maurice Dambois, the noted 'cellist, pianist and
composer, will present an elaborate program in
connection with the Duo-Art piano at Aeolian
Hall on April 8 under the auspices of the Brook-
lyn Rotary Club and for the benefit of the Under-
Sample Advertisement for Use in Player Week Campaign

privileged Boys of Brooklyn. The program will
which has ever heen conducted in the interests of larger number of dealers than ever before have feature Mr. Dambois both as a pianist and 'cellist
musical instruments, according to H. E. Law- become actively interested in the project. Up and in several numbers he will play the piano or
'cello to the accompaniment of his own record-
can be used by any one who sells any kind of a ings as reproduced by the Duo-Art piano.
THE POINT OF VIEW
player-piano to the utmost advantage. And if
(Continued from page 7)
National Player-piano Demonstration Week has
Paul E. Burling, city sales manager of the BusJi
you have to do is to put in a roll and listen" the only one advantage it will surely have this one, it Gcrts Piano Co., of Dallas, Tex., has been
salesman has been guilty of destructive, not of namely, that it will once more bring back to our promoted to vice-president and general manager.
constructive, work. There is a player-piano type industry the great, the essential, the wholly vital
for every human need. How easy it should be to need for a revival of the art of demonstration.
use intelligent classifications of those needs in Reams have already been written on this sub-
going after and selling the various prospects ject, nor is it our intention to compose a fur-
whose names come to the sales manager's atten- ther treatise in this place. What we now say
is simply that the player business was founded
tion!
in demonstration, was built up in demonstration
and in demonstration came to prosperity. During
Player Demonstration Week
the last few years it has suffered a decline, an
These ideas naturally link themselves up with actual decline, not very marked, not very seri-
the idea of National Player-piano Demonstration ous, but a decline nevertheless. It is now hoped
Week, which the Standard Pneumatic Action Co. by many that the decline can be checked through
is promoting, and to which we hereby give our the mere substitution of a modified all-auto-
hearty support. Before the next issue of this matic type. This is not true. The new type
Player Section is off the press the event will have will need demonstration as much as the old did,
come and gone, and perhaps it will then be pos- demonstration just as powerful and intelligent,
sible to draw some moral from its success, what- differing in kind but not in degree. The neglect
ever measure of that commodity it attains to. Upon of intelligent demonstration is responsible for
examining the advertising copy which the Stand- any decline which the pedal-expression player-
San Francisco
New York
ard Pneumatic people have prepared and observ- piano may be suffering. The same error will have
the
same
effect
in
the
parallel
case.
Long
live
Chicago
ing the variety of the directions in which it works
one is impelled to the observation that this copy National Player-piano Demonstration Week!
DEALER'S NAME HERE
lock. Come to see and
FOTOPLAYER
for the finest
Motion Picture
Theatres
The AMERICAN PHOTO
PLAYER CO.

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