Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
SEPTEMBER 23, 1922
REVIEW
11
Music Trade Survey Is Most Encouraging
Figures Regarding Stocks in Retail Stores and Orders on Hand With Piano Manufacturers and Supply Houses
That the Music Industry Is in Excellent Shape for Fall and Winter
3. Do orders indicate a normal Fall piano
The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
recently made an extended survey of the music production?
Yes, 43.3%
No, 50.7%
industry with a view to getting accurate in-
4. Have you sufficient material on hand to
formation that might be calculated to indicate
the return of Fall and Winter business. In meet a suddenly increased demand for musical
the making of the survey specified questions instruments?
Yes, 80%
No, 20%
were asked of piano manufacturers, music mer-
Piano
Manufacturers
chants and supply houses as follows:
(Analysis of 37 replies to questionnaires.)
Questionnaire for Piano Manufacturers
1.
Comparison of this year's orders with last
1. How do orders on hand for delivery prior
year.
to holidays compare with this time last year?
Over 100% increase
8.1%
(Express as percentage of last year.).
100%
"
21.2%
2. Do your present manufacturing plans call
50%
"
8.1%
for greater or less production during the re-
25%
"
21.2%
10%
"
'
. 8.1%
maining months of 1922 than the same period
About the same
16.3%
last year? (Answer in percentage of last year's
10% decrease
.
2.9%
production.)
^5%
"
2.9%
Questionnaire for Music Merchants
5U%
"
n.2%
1. How does your inventory of new pianos
2. Manufacturing plans compared with last
compare with this time last year? (It is not year.
100% increase
13.3%
necessary to give figures of number of pianos
50%
"
21.2%
in stock; merely give the amount as percentage
25%
30.9%
of last year's stock.)
10%
10.2%
2. Same as above for phonographs.
About the same
16.3%
1 0 % decrease
3. How does your stock of repossessed pianos
25%
compare with this time last year?
50%
8.1%
4. Same for phonographs.
Music Merchants
5. What percentage of your additional re-
(Analysis of 154 replies to questionnaires.)
quirements for pianos prior to January 1 have
1. Inventory of new pianos compared with
you already placed with manufacturers?
last
year.
6. Same for phonographs.
Over 50% ncrease
i
2%
7. How have your sales since June 1 com-
25-50%
6%
pared with same period last year?
"
Up to 25%
15%
About the '. same
8. In your opinion, do present conditions in
33%
Up to 25% decrease
24%
your territory forecast a Fall and holiday busi-
"
25-50%
15%
ness larger than last year or about the same
Over 50%
5%
or less?
2. Inventory of new phonographs compared
Questionnaire for Supply Firms
with last year.
1. How do your orders on hand compare with
Over 50% increase
1%
normal for this time of year? (Please express
25-50%
"
1%
Up to 25%
"
13%
as of percentage. By normal we mean the gen-
About the same
33%
eral average for a period of years.)
Up to 25% decrease
21%
2. How do your shipments for June and July
25-50%
"
21%
compare with normal for these months?
Over 50%
"
1%
3. From reports wJiich you.receive from your
3. Stock of repossessed pianos compared with
traveling men and otherwise, is it your opinion last year.
that piano manufacturers are now placing orders
Over 50% increase
6%
25-50%
"
8%
for supplies in sufficient amount to assure a
Up to 25%
".
. U%
normal Fall piano production?
About the same
38%
4. Have you on hand sufficient materials or
Up to 25% decrease
W%
have you placed sufficient orders for early de-
25-50%
"
8%
Over 50%
"
6%
livery to take care of any sudden increase in
4. Stock of repossessed phonographs com-
orders from piano manufacturers, if such a de-
mand should suddenly arrive?
pared with last year.
Over 50% increase
'
1%
Two Hundred and Twenty-one Replies Received
25-50%
"
8%
Replies were received from 154 music mer-
Up to 25%
"
18%
chants, 37 piano manufacturers and 30 piano
About the same
45%
supply concerns.
Up to 25% decrease
21%
25-50%
"
7%
The following is an analysis of the replies:
Over 50%
"
4%
Musical Supply Firms
5. Percentage of additional requirements up
(Analysis of thirty replies to questionnaires.)
to January 1, 1923, for which orders have been
1. Orders on hand compared with normal.
placed—(a) Pianos.
100% increase
6.7%
50%
"
25%
10%
About the same
10% decrease
25%
"
50%
"
3.3%
10.0%>
3.3%
43.4%
33.3%
2. Shipments in June and July, compared with
normal.
100% increase
50%
"
25%
"
10%
"
About the same
10% decrease
25%
"
50%
"
3.3%
10.0%
6.7%
10.0%
6.7%
26.6%
36.7%
75-100%
50-75%
25-50%
Up to 25%
'
13%
. 16%
• 26%
45%
6. (b) Same for phonographs.
75-100%
50-75%
25-50%
Up to 25%
,
'
24%
' 12%
30%
34%
7. Sales since June 1 compared with last year.
Over 50% increase
25-50%
"
Up to 25%
"
About the same
Up to 25% decrease
25-50%
"
Over 50%
"
t ' 1 : •
' ' ' ;'
"
'
'
•
;•
**%
10%
26%
22%
18%
14%
4%
FOP TONE, BEAUTY
' A N D LASTING
A
•aft
Indicate
8. The forecast of Fall and holiday business.
Larger
About the same
Less
56%
28%
16%
In presenting the report the chamber calls
attention to the fact that the analysis of the
replies from the merchants indicates that in a
very substantial portion of the music stores,
stocks on hand are about the same as last year.
Not only have twice as many merchants de-
creased stocks as have increased them, but very
few of those who have larger inventories have
increased them more than 25 per cent, while
many appear to have decreased their inventories
more than 25 per cent. If the condition of the
154 merchants is typical of that of all mer-
chants of the country, and if the generally ex-
pected good Fall and holiday retail business
materializes, then it may be expected that the
demand for pianos from manufacturers will be
very much heavier during the last three months
of this year than during the same period a
year ago.
The demand of the merchants for goods is
vitally affected by stocks of repossessed pianos.
For this reason it is reassuring to note that
the situation with respect to repossessed pianos
is slightly better than last year, as while the
great bulk of merchants seem to have about
the same number of repossessed pianos, more
merchants have decreased their repossessions
than have increased them.
The statistics for phonographs indicate that
the situation is about the same as with pianos.
The investigation indicates that the great bulk
of orders from merchants is yet to be received
by the piano manufacturers, as very few mer-
chants report having placed orders for a sub-
stantial portion of their requirements for Fall
and holiday business. In fact, nearly half the
merchants report having placed orders for less
than 25 per cent of their expected requirements.
In proportion, much heavier orders appear to
have been placed for phonographs than pianos.
In spite of the fact that merchants have yet
to place the great bulk of orders for Fall busi-
ness with manufacturers, the reports of orders
now in hands of manufacturers show a very
substantial improvement over a year ago. It is
clearly evident that piano manufacturers are
generally making their plans for much heavier
production for the rest of this year than for
the same period last year. Whether or not
these production plans will have to be further
increased to meet the expected additional orders
yet to be placed by merchants cannot be ascer-
tained from these statistics.
The manufacturers a year ago were able to
take care of Fall business without buying many
new supplies on account of the generally large
inventories of materials. Shipments from sup-
ply houses have, therefore, been much larger
this year than last and should continue to be
larger during the next months than during the
same period last year. In spite of this, however,
the replies from the supply men nevertheless
indicate not only that shipments during the
Summer have been much less than during a
normal year, but that orders now on hand are
less than normal. It will require a heavy in-
crease in business to bring about anything like
normal conditions in the supply trade, as the
figures indicate that, generally speaking, orders
on hand are at least 25 per cent under normal.
It is interesting to note that most supply
firms report that they are in a position to meet
a sudden increased demand for supplies.