Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
tlUJIC TIRADE
VOL. LXXIV. No. 16
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York.
April 22, 1922
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Compiling an Authoritative Prospect List
H
OW many retail music merchants have any approximate idea of the number of homes in their terri-
tories equipped with a musical instrument of one sort or another, or of the number of homes that,
lacking any kind of musical instrument, may be legitimately regarded as being worthy of a place on
the prospect list? Judging from experience, the number of retailers so informed, or who have avail-
able approximate figures upon which to base any sort of a fair calculation, are too few to be worthy of much
consideration.
For a number of years there has been much discussion in the trade regarding the advisability of carry-
ing on a general canvass of the country to ascertain the proportion of homes musically equipped, but it was con-
sidered that the venture was too ambitious and would probably prove too expensive to warrant going into.
What has been advised, and to some degree considered, however, has been the possibility of retailers
making surveys of their own immediate territories to eliminate guesswork as far as possible from their selling
plans. What statistics have been gathered regarding musical instruments in homes have been gathered largely
by interests outside the trade and for reasons other than that of the direct sale of musical instruments. Not
long ago a farm publication made a survey of its subscription list and brought forth some interesting informa-
tion regarding the numbers and types of musical instruments in the homes of the rural population.
The biggest thing in this line, however, has been done by the Milwaukee Journal, which a few months
ago made a thorough canvass of homes in Milwaukee and vicinity to ascertain how they were supplied
with musical instruments, and which compiled a report covering 10,000 homes where the questionnaire offered
by the newspaper was answered in full. The results of the survey, for which the newspaper deserves full
credit, indicated that of the 10,000 homes 7,236, or 72.4 per cent, were homes with children, which fact proved
very significant in its effect upon the musical instrument equipment.
Of the 10,000 homes, also, 7,942, or 79.4 per cent, had some kind of musical instrument. Of homes in
which there were boys only 80.47 P e r c e n t n a d some musical instrument, and where there were girls only 85.77
per cent had some musical instrument, while of the homes without children 69.2 had some musical instrument.
A general survey of the 105,000 families in Milwaukee indicated that 45.91 per cent have pianos, 42.43
per cent have phonographs, 6.96 per cent have violins, 4.23 per cent have player-pianos, and .14 per cent have
pipe organs, while the balance have a miscellaneous assortment of instruments. These percentages are particu-
larly interesting in that they show a condition that existed with the beginning of the present year.
Judging from limited surveys that have been made in other sections of the country and by various
agencies, Milwaukee may be said to be particularly well supplied in the matter of musical instruments and to
be possessed of a citizenry that is in itself distinctly musical. Figuring the proportion of sales to the coun-
try's population it would seem that the percentages in Milwaukee- are high, but the very interesting show-
ing made there should serve to encourage music trade interests in other localities to seek similar information
for their own guidance, in cases where no outside agencies can be relied upon to undertake the task. If a news-
paper with many fields to draw upon for advertising finds it worth while to spend some thousands of dollars
in making a careful survey of a single city in order to find a basis for fresh advertising arguments, how much
more important is it for the manufacturers, and particularly the sellers, of musical instruments to gather such
information for their own use.
It is certain, however, that in most localities such a survey, even though not as extensive as that carried
on by the Milwaukee Journal, will serve to prove to retailers that there is still a tremendous field available for
musical instrument sales. Having once been convinced of that fact, the retailers can concentrate their efforts
on consideration of ways and means for reaching that
field.
.
. .
. . . "