Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MAY
27, 1922
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
THE 1922 TRADE CONVENTIONS—(Continued from page 5)
Piano Trade to be held at the Sea View Golf Club, Absecon, N. J.,
on June 12 and 13.
The Convention Exhibits
As was the case last year, there will be no official music show,
and in the absence of a general exhibition of musical instruments
at some central point arrangements have been made for permitting
individual exhibits in the rooms of the Hotel Commodore, the con-
vention headquarters. It is believed that the details can be worked
out so that the displays of the various instruments will not conflict
seriously with the business sessions of the different associations,
and the setting aside of Thursday as an open day with no fixed
program for the convention delegates will serve to afford the retailers
time to inspect the new products shown without interruption.
Preliminary survey indicates there will be many things oi much
interest to music merchants to be seen in New York during the
convention period. From the angle of the piano man the repro-
ducing instruments will naturally hold the center of the stage, but
there will also be shown talking machines and records, some lines
of musical merchandise and likewise radio equipment of various
forms. In view of the existence of the radio craze at the present
time, and a close linking up of radio with music, the handling of
the radio question in the convention sessions proper and the display
of equipment at the hotel should prove of timely interest.
As is usually the case, the local manufacturers have made plans
at their factory for the reception and entertainment of dealers who
desire to inspect the plants or who want to look over the newest
instruments while away from the crowd. In a number of cases
manufacturers with downtown warerooms in the vicinity of the
Commodore have arranged for their displays in the warerooms
instead of at the factory or hotel.
It is considered most important in all lines of business that
the retailer keep well informed of new developments in the field
and the new products offered, whether he or a competitor happens
to be in a position to handle the new products in a given territory.
The holding of the convention in New York provides an exceptional
opportunity for keeping in touch with the new things in the trade,
and the fact is generally appreciated.
Special Railroad Rates
A fact to be emphasized is the arrangement that has been made
through the trunk line association for special railroad fares to the
convention under the certificate plan, which provides for the pay-
ment of full fare going to the convention and half fare returning,
provided a certificate is obtained at time of purchasing the ticket and
the certificate is properly validated. This certificate plan worked out
exceptionally well at the Chicago meeting last year, and something
like 600 members of the trade took advantage of the lower rates.
The Program of Entertainment
So far, we have treated only of the business side of the conven-
tion, but the entertainment program will be of a sort calculated to
make a lasting impression upon those fortunate enough to participate
in the various events. Taking a leaf from the book of their Chicago
brethren last year when such a notable record for entertainment was
hung up, members of the New York trade have spent many months
in preparing to look after the welfare and entertainment of those
who come to Gotham for the convention this year.
One of the big features, of course, will be the concert at Car-
negie Hall on the opening night of the convention, Monday, June 5,
the concert being tendered by the Victor Talking Machine Co. as a
compliment to the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce and dele-
gates attending this meeting. With such notable artists as Louise
The Commodore Hotel, Where the Convention Will Be Held
Homer, Schumann-Heink, SamarofT and Reinald Werrenrath appear-
ing on one program, together with Joseph Pasternak and the Victor
Symphony Orchestra of ninety pieces, the visitors are offered a treat
that is not likely to be duplicated for a long period. Then there is
the big banquet of the National Association of Music Merchants,
the social event of the convention, followed a night later by the
"Music Box Revue" of the National Piano Travelers' Association,
which it is said will eclipse the wonderful "Midnight Frolic" at the
Drake Hotel last year. During the Revue and the daily luncheon at
the Commodore entertainers of prominence will appear for the edifi-
cation of the music men.
The final convention treat will be the river trip, one of the large
Hudson River liners having been chartered to carry the convention
delegates first down New York Bay and then up the Hudson to West
Point, where arrangements have been made with the War Department
for a dress parade and drill of the famous cadet corps. All in all,
there will be enough entertainment provided to dull the sharp edge of
care of even the most depressed music man. Gotham's welcome is
to be a large and memorable one.
In addition to the formal entertainment program for all con-
vention visitors under the auspices of the Jubilee Convention Com-
mittee, there are also planned numerous entertainment features
during the week when various groups of dealers will be the guests
of different manufacturers. In all, there will be a dozen or more of
these private affairs, including theatre parties, dinners and dances,
and the active dealer will likely have little time for rest during the
week.