Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MARCH 31,
1923
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
The Player-Piano and Its Purchasers
The Instrument Which Makes Its Appeal to the Widest Circle of Prospective Buyers Is Suffering From
Neglect at the Hands of the Dealers—More Intelligent Exploitation Would Bring to the
Industry an Increased Demand for This Instrument With Consequent Profits
As we have frequently remarked during re-
cent weeks, there is considerable probability of
a shortage in some kinds of player-piano dur-
ing the coming Fall and Winter. Some authori-
ties are predicting a shortage in all kinds. We
are unable to share this extreme view, for there
does not appear to us to be any sound founda-
tion for it. But we are quite sure that it will
be a very good thing for music merchants in
general to do a little analytical thinking about
what it is they have to sell, if only in order that
they may be able to spread the dimensions, as
it were, of their sealing in the direction of width
as well as of length.
If this saying appears at first sight to be
cryptic it will probably seem clear enough upon
a little explanation. We think there is not the
slightest likelihood, of there being a shortage of
all kinds of styles of player-pianos all at once.
It is, however, extremely likely that if there is
undue concentration ujgon any one style or
group of styles there rn^y result a sort of ice-
jam, as where one very stnall obstacle piles up
behind it a whole raft of logs which are unable
to move till it has been dislodged. It is prob-
able that the factories will find ways and means
to produce a sufficient quantity of player-pianos
of all kinds to keep the merchants going, even
though there will doubtless be delays and tem-
porary shortages. But if there is too much
concentration and certain kinds of instrument
are demanded out of all proportion to others,
there will almost certainly be what we have
called a jam, the consequences of which will be
quite as unpleasant as if there were to be an
actual numerical shortage.
Therefore, it will be the part of wisdom this
year for all music merchants to attempt to real-
ize and put into practice the truth that the uses
of the player-piano are manifold, that it is made
in divers forms and that each and every one of
these is needed if the heights and depths of the
public need are to be completely searched. In
other words, the best salesmanship will be that
which does not slavishly follow any fashion or
run after the crowd because everybody is do-
ing the same thing, but which tries to find out
the proper place for every product of the player
industry.
It is intelligence, then, which is called for
from the merchant this year and so it will do
no harm to ask what the word means when ap-
plied to our industry, and how intelligence can
be used for general benefit.
"A Trade Tragedy"
A contemporary the other day, in an ably
written article, said that the manner in which
the player-piano has been exploited constitutes
a "trade tragedy." No truer words were ever
spoken. Even to-day, with all the ingenuity, all
the art, all the expenditure (prodigal enough)
of time, labor, patience and money, can anyone
say that the reproducing piano itself is gener-
ally and intelligently appreciated by those who
sell it? As for the poor unfortunate, maltreated
pedal player, what has been its fate? Down it
has come from its fine beginning to a place in
the very stables of the musical world. No one
cares for it, no one can play it, no one wants
it save the jazzers and the syncopation fiends.
And even they (if what some tell us be true) are
now crying for something which gives them the
noises they crave without any more expenditure
of energy or skill than is evidenced in the act
of turning art electric switch.
Well, to-day holds an opportunity for some-
one to use a little intelligence. Give the present
production plant of the player industry half a
chance and it can find enough instruments to
go around; but, since it is compelled to pro-
duce several different types or kinds of instru-
ment, the only intelligent salesmanship will be
the salesmanship which shall attempt to find
places for all the products of the factories, and
thus avoid a nasty jam at any one point. Hence
the need to consider what sort of player-piano
should be offered to what sort of person and
why.
Of course, someone who scents the argument
at this early stage will now emit the parrot-cry
"Give the people what they want." Well, that
is not new doctrine; but it is pestiferously silly
doctrine, nevertheless, for how do the poor peo-
ple know what they want when no one is at
hand to tell them? If we left it to the people
we should not have much player business left in
a few weeks. No! it is that we have to tell
the people what they want, and why!
Classes and Masses
A great deal of emphasis is being placed at
present upon the methods believed to be most
useful in selling the expensive, refined and in-
genious high-class reproducing pianos. But
these methods are for the classes and not for
the masses. Perhaps it is true that the classes
have not yet been half exploited and that, in
the ranks of the rich, there is business enough
to keep merchants going, business which can
best be reached by means of the high-class
methods which are associated with the repro-
ducing piano. But even if this be true it is only
true for certain communities and to a certain
extent. There remain the masses; and the
masses are many.
Besides the reproducing piano there arc the
expression piano, the pedal player and the auto-
matic. There is not the least reason to expect
that any one of these will drop out of existence,
but there is, on the contrary, much reason to
believe that merchants arc losing opportunities
to do profitable business in these products
through sheer neglect. The expression player
is not, one must confess, the most interesting
product imaginable. It has neither artistic at-
mosphere which surrounds the reproducing pi-
ano nor the adventurous possibilities of the
pedal instrument. In fact, there is reason to
believe that the expression player and the au-
tomatic will, in time, coalesce, for they are now
very close together and the distinction between
them is somewhat artificial. On the other hand,
as we all know, the great majority of players
arc still pedal-driven. Moreover, they are me-
chanically perfected and can be produced to sell
at prices which the masses can afford to pay.
For every instrument selling at $1,000 or more
there are at least two probable sales of $600
each or a little more. For those who can af-
ford the lower price and would hesitate at the
other are not only the workmen and their fam-
ilies. They constitute the great army of highly
educated school teachers, university instructors,
minor government employes, technical men in
industry and the general body of the less prom-
inent professional people. Among them is to
be found more musical intelligence than in all
the others put together. Yet just these, who
could and should be enthusiastic supporters of
the moderately priced player-piano, are actually
almost unaware of its existence, save as an ob-
jectionable noise-maker. If this great class, the
backbone of the nation, were being exploited in-
telligently by the music merchants does anyone
suppose that there would be any lack of re-
sponse? The whole trouble is that the retail
trade has contemptuously brushed away the
idea of intelligent selling based upon intelligent
demonstration, in favor of first one and then an-
other false short-cut to prosperity. Yet to-day
the classes are being worked in the interests of
the most high-priced reproducing instruments
by methods which, in a manner different yet
parallel, require quite as much intelligence as
was ever hoped for vainly in the other case.
One wonders what would happen to the re-
producing piano if the guiding hands of a small
number of able men were suddenly withdrawn.
Fortunately, those hands will not be with-
drawn. But from the exploitation of the player-
piano for the masses all common sense seems
long ago to have been withdrawn. Still it is
never too late to mend. One could write for
a hundred pages on the fascination of intelli-
gently teaching people how to play the player-
piano. And one could write after them another
hundred pages on the business results which
would follow.
Cannot we get a little intelligence into our
business methods? It is certainly going to be
needed this year. It is highly necessary to bal-
ance the demand in the trade and to give our
manufacturers some intelligent idea of what they
may expect to have to produce. At present
there is too much guess-work; and this is
healthy for no one.
PRAISE FOR R.J^HOWARD PIANO
Porto Rican Radio Broadcasting Station Using
Instrument in Concerts
Sanchez Morales & Co., Inc., San Juan, Porto
Rico, representing R. S. Howard pianos and
player-pianos, are using in its advertising in
the Porto Rican daily papers a series of letters
which have been received from persons promi-
nent both in musical circles and on the island.
One of these letters was received from R. Hart-
zell, secretary of the Radio Corp. of Porto Rico,
in which he states:
"In the name of the Radio Corp. of Porto
Rico I wish to show you our appreciation for
all you have done in our behalf regarding the
R. S. Howard player-piano which has been in-
stalled in our broadcasting station.
"We have been using this piano since the
opening of our station and for your information
we want to say that both the noted pianists that
had played it and many receiving stations in the
United States which have listened to our radio
concerts have expressed themselves in terms of
great satisfaction of the R. S. Howard mark."
DU0=ART PIANO AT FLOWER SHOW
Featured in Daily Programs Under Auspices of
the Girl Scouts
The Duo-Art piano was featured to excellent
advantage at the recent Flower Show held in
New York, when concerts were given in the Tea
Garden each afternoon under the auspices of
the National and Manhattan Councils of Girl
Scouts. The Duo-Art piano reproduced the
playing of various noted artists and, in addition,
there appeared Miss Frances Callow, harpist;
Robert Armbruster, pianist, and Joseph Mat-
tieu, tenor. This is the second year that the
Duo-Art piano has been featured at the Flower
Show in connection with the Girl Scout exhibit.
ADDS A PIANO DEPARTMENT
WORCKSTKR, MASS., March 26.—Philip J. Mann,
who has been conducting a very successful busi-
ness in Victrolas at 310 Main street, this city,
recently added a piano department.