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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVFW
(Registered in the U. S. Patent Office)
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Vol. LXXVI
NEW YORK, APRIL 21, 1923
No. 16
BOSTON CHICKERING CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
O
N Saturday of this week there will be celebrated in Boston with
considerable formality the centennial of the establishment of
the business of the House of Checkering by Jonas Chickering, and
the event has an importance that must be recognized by the Ameri-
can piano industry as a whole, for it marks the real beginning of
piano building on a commercial scale in this country.
That the Vice-president of the United States has seen tit to
acknowledge the importance of the occasion by acting as Honorary
Chairman of the Centennial Committee, and prominent men in
every walk of life have agreed to act as members of that committee,
is in itself significant.
What was accomplished by Jonas Chickering and those asso-
ciated with him in the development of the modern American piano-
forte is too well known to the intelligent members of the trade to
require comment here, but the celebration of the one hundredth
anniversary of his launching into the business of manufacturing
pianos should serve to cause those who are interested in the progress
of the industry to pause and ponder what the next century holds in
store, basing conjectures, of course, upon what has been accom-
plished during the century that has passed.
The Chickering Centennial celebrations that have been held in
Chicago and New York have naturally attracted widespread atten-
tion, but the main observance in Boston this week holds the deepest
significance for the reason that it was in that city that the Chickering
pianos were first made and it is in that city that the Chickering &
Sons piano of to-day is still manufactured.
PLACING ADVANCE ORDERS FOR REQUIREMENTS
R
KPORTS have come to us of several prominent and successful
piano merchants who have taken the precaution of placing
orders at the present time to cover their normal requirements for
the balance of the year, with the idea of avoiding any difficulties
that may be expected to arise through a shortage of stock later in
the year.
Placing advance orders now is certainly a matter of wisdom,
for the current demands on the factories making instruments of
reputation and standing are sufficiently heavy to tax their facilities
for production, and as this demand increases later in the year, the
REVIEW
APRIL 21, 1923
problem of meeting it will become much more serious at that lime.
There are those, of course, who hesitate about having ship-
ments of pianos made during the late Spring and Summer months,
because of the fact that they may have to store them for a period
before requiring them on the wareroom floors. In other words,
they expect the manufacturer to build up a reserve stock and bear
the storage burden instead of doing their share. These same re-
tailers, however, appear to forget that the profit on one sale lost
through inability to secure and deliver the instrument will more than
offset the total storage charges on a score of instruments on hand
and ready for delivery.
The fact that the demand in most cases has thus far this year
kept well ahead of production should serve as a warning to those
who expect to do a normal business or better in the Fall, but are
hesitating about preparing for it from the standpoint of stock.
GIVE CONSIDERATION TO ASSOCIATION SESSIONS
T
HOSE of the trade who plan exhibits at the Hotel Drake during
the period of the conventions in June had well give heed to the
open letter of C. C. Chickering, President of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association, published on another page of The
Review this week, wherein he urges that exhibits be conducted in
such a way as to interfere as little as possible with the business
sessions of the convention.
For a number of years exhibits were barred from convention
headquarters for the reason that they were kept open during the
period of the business meetings and served to keep scores of dealers
away from the association sessions to the detriment of the asso-
ciation interests. Later the bars were lifted and although the major-
ity of exhibitors observed the proper courtesies and played fair,
there w r ere still a few whose anxiety for orders caused them to
disregard the rights of the associations who had made the conven-
tion possible.
At the executive meetings in January the question of exhibits
received earnest consideration and for a time it seemed as though
they would be barred from the Drake this year. The concession,
however, having been granted, it might be well for the exhibitors
as a body to give proper consideration to the association meetings
and to the rights of the various bodies to conduct their affairs
without outside interference.
WINNING RECOGNITION FOR THE HARMONICA
W
HKN interest in the harmonica and the instrument itself can
be developed to a point where it finds a place in a symphony
orchestra of recognized ability and musical standing, then those who
have been responsible for placing it on this high pinnacle where it
is accepted as a real musical instrument are open to congratulation.
No more energetic or successful campaign in music trade annals
can be cited than that of the house of M. Hohner in securing
recognition for the harmonica, not only from the general public,
but from musicians of discernment. Artists of ability have been
made acquainted with the possibilities of the instrument to a point
where it has found a place on the vaudeville and concert stage.
Educators have been interested to a degree that has resulted in the
organization of harmonica bands among the school children of New
York and other cities, and contests have been held that serve to cen-
ter popular interest in that instrument. Nor has the field of radio
broadcasting been overlooked.
Perhaps the harmonica holds a humble place among recognized
musical instruments, but on the theory that any kind of music helps
the public and the trade as a whole the harmonica is certainly filling
a most useful purpose. Incidentally, it is rapidly being brought out
of the toy and into the musical instrument class. This in itself is
an accomplishment of no small import.
THE PART OF THE CANVASSING SALESMAN
T
HE retail piano business is essentially one wherein the suc-
cessful merchant is he who devises and carries into effect the
best and most efficient plan for bringing his products to the favorable
attention of possible customers outside of the warerooms. Although
strong advertising will bring a substantial number of sales to the
warerooms and there are still people who, when they want a piano,
will go and buy it instead of having it sold to them, the bulk of the
business is done with those whom canvassers and salesmen, and
particularly a combination of the two types, must reach.