Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MARCH 24,
1923
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CONDUCTED BY V. D. WALSH
VALUE OF PROPER DISPLAY IN SELLING SHEET MUSIC
Music Racks Showing Title Pages One of the Most Direct Ways to Attract the Customers'
Attention and Build Sales—Direct Aid to Salesmen in Interesting Purchasers
Successful merchandisers tell us that the
secret of the success of their establishments is
the display of goods. All the large department
stores adhere to this method and a trip through
any of the floors or departments of such estab-
lishments is a demonstration of how this idea
is carried out. Goods that will attract attention
are displayed everywhere, arranged in a manner
that makes the prospective purchaser a "self-
seller."
The syndicate stores, from the 5-and-10-cent
stores up to those that have merchandise that
retails as high as a dollar, place all of their
goods upon display and within easy reach of
the customer. In fact, most merchandise in
such establishments is selected by the customer
and handed to the salesgirl, who merely rings
up the sale and wraps the article. Thus again
it shows that it is display that sells goods.
Unfortunately for the sheet music retailer,
his voluminous stocks to a great extent do not
allow, and indeed, in some cases, the caliber of
the stock will not lend itself to the department
store idea of showing merchandise. However,
any goods, such as libraries, special selected
teaching pieces, music books, folios and publi-
cations of that type, which can be placed within
ready reach of prospective customers, create
many sales that would not be otherwise made.
The placing upon the counters of albums con-
taining selected works for particular uses has
not only been found feasible, but most profit-
able. Several publishers have had manufactured
counter silent salesmen of various designs and
where these are used they have been found
most successful.
Tn the popular field the music racks which
show off the title page or a part of it have been
found an effective means of adding consider-
ably to sales. In fact, the dealer who docs not
display his popular issues loses hundreds of
sales which would otherwise be made. The
mere display of popular songs which arc fre-
quently heard in vaudeville or on the dance
floor is a reminder to the customer of the pop-
ularity of the work and his need to add it to his
group of songs.
Wherever it is possible to place goods within
handy reach of possible customers or where
goods will lend themselves to display, it will not
only be found that many sales will be the result,
but that the salesmen will be relieved of the
necessity of inducing the customer to make the
purchase. Thus there is not only the added
profit which often would not otherwise be se-
cured, but there is a saving of time.
DEALT WITH OBSOLETE PRACTICES
Trade Commission's Order Against Publishers'
Association Based on Methods Never Wide-
spread and Now Eliminated
The order of the Federal Trade Commission
against the Music Publishers' Association of the
United States and the National Association of
Sheet Music Dealers, which recently appeared
in these columns in a report from Washington,
D. C, in which they were ordered to desist in
"unfair methods of fixing and maintaining retail
prices for musical publications," was the after-
math of a condition never flagrant and which
has not been in force for several years.
George W. Pound, counsel for the Music
Publishers' and Dealers' Associations, filed an
answer to the effect that the practices com-
plained of were discontinued long ago and, in
fact, were never in general usage.
Regarding any increase in prices for music
and music books during the post-war period,
these were necessary as the result of increased
cost of materials and "carrying on the business."
Sheet music and books on the whole probably
advanced less in price than any other merchan-
dise, although the overhead probably increased
as much as in anv.
Here's a Money-Maker
STOCK THIS FAST SELLER
SONGS THAT SELL
You Know You Belong
to Somebody Else
(So Why Don't You Leave Me Alone ?)
Dearest
(You're the Nearest to My Heart)
Tell Her—I Stutter
— You
Homesick
— Ivy (Cling to Me)
— Choo Choo Blues
Open Your Arms, My Alabamy
Some Day You'll Cry Over Someone
Some Little Someone
Every Wednesday Night
Come on Home
Down Among the Sleepy
Hills of Tennessee (new)
Don't Bring Me Posies
—
(It's Shoesles I Need)
Some Sunny Day
Truly
Just a Little Love Song
Yankee Doodle Blues
Early In the Morning (Bhes)
Night
New Hampshire
Venetian Blues
Constantly
Kissing Time (Waltz)
—
Universal Dance Folio (or 1923
IRVING BERLIN'S NEW
Music Box Revue
Crinoline Days
Lady of the Evening
Porcelain Maid
Pack Up Your Sins
—
and Go To The Devil
"Panama Twilight"
Successor to "Rio Nights"
—
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
A Beautiful Hawaiian Melody Waltz
NOTE: DEALERS IN ALL PARTS of the country find immediate
sales on this song with demonstrations, window and counter
displays.
FREE! Title pages and
o t h e r display material
A. J. Stasny Music Co., Inc.
56 West 45th Street
Will She Come From the East?
The Little Red Lacquer Cage
Bring On the Pepper
New York City
The chief counsel of the Federal Trade Com-
mission has advised Mr. Pound that the answer
is acceptable and that the matter is now closed.
TANGO REGAINING ITS POPULARITY
Several months ago Paul Spccht, head of the
popular orchestra bearing his name, gave an
interview to a local New York paper in which
he predicted the return of the tango as a popu-
lar dance. Since that time there have been in-
dications verifying his early statements and a
series of songs adapted to tango are now
issued.
The tango was one of those dances which
heralded the modern craze and its return is
interesting.