Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JANUARY 13,
1923
THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Creating Prospects Through Recitals
How the Dealer Can Extend This Work in His Own Territory Through the Medium of Such Organizations as the Rotary
Clubs, Etc.—Proper Methods in Handling the Large Formal Auditorium Recital and of Insuring a
Capacity Audience—A Practical Article on This Phase of Selling by J. K. Novins
Demonstration and comparison concerts have become
recognized as one of the most successful means for ac-
quainting the public at large with the possibilities of the
reproducing piano, and for several seasons such concerts
have been given throughout the country in more or less
elaborate form.
A number of retailers handling certain lines of pianos
have conducted concerts under the auspices or with the
direct assistance of manufacturers and there are also
many cases where retailers are desirous of giving com-
parison concerts without having the advantage of such
assistance and co-operation. It is believed that there are
enough of the latter to make the following article on the
proper handling of demonstrations and concerts of direct
interest and value.—EDITOR.
Manufacturers and dealers of musical instru-
ments have found that a special recital held
under the auspices of the dealer in a local audi-
torium in which the musical instrument is fea-
tured has proven an efficient sales getter.
It is always best, however, for the dealer to
give the impression that the special recital is
a musical event and not merely an advertisement
tor a certain musical instrument. This idea
should be carried out in the advertising, in the
printing of invitations and tickets, and even in
arranging the seating capacity in the auditorium.
The information the writer will pass on to
the readers is based on the experiences of manu-
facturers and dealers who have promote*.! this
form of publicity for their products.
Supposing you want to bring the attention
of a group of local business men to a new re-
producing piano handled in your store. You
want to arrange for a musical recital at the
luncheon of the local Rotary Club, during which
a number of artists will play and sing, assisted
by the reproducing piano you want to advertise.
Working Through the Rotary Club
If you should come to the president of the
Rotary Club, or some other officials, and an-
nounce point blank that you want them to hear
the new instrument so they will be interested
in buying such an instrument for their homes
you will be met with a cold reception and
perhaps your offer will be turned down.
In this, as well as in all other cases, you must
exercise diplomacy. Recently a local dealer
handling a well-known reproducing piano
wanted to arrange for a special concert at the
regular weekly luncheon of the local Rotary
Club. The local music dealer knew well the
president of the club. Here is how he broached
the proposition:
The dealer met the president on the street
and they got talking about business conditions
and things in general, when the dealer said,
casually, "By the way, Charley, what do you
think of our coming '-^
Week'?" The
dealer named the name of the instrument which
was to be featured during the week by a series
of concerts throughout the city.
"Just what is this '
Week'?" asked the
president of the Rotary Club.
"Well, you see," replied the dealer, "we're
giving a week of the most unusual musical
events and bringing Mr. So and So, the cele-
brated pianist, and Miss So and So, the dis-
tinguished American vocalist, here for the en-
tire week. They're giving a feature joint recital
on Friday night, for which I want to send you
some complimentary tickets, and are appearing
at many other special events. How would you
like the opportunity of hearing them at the
club?"
The Rotary Club president became interested.
"Do you mean that there is an opportunity for
us to hear them at our club luncheon?" he
asked, keenly.
"I believe I can arrange it," replied the dealer,
with a tone of finality.
"All right," answered the president, hardly
able to hide his delight at the proposal. "That
will be great 1"
Needless to say, the concert at the luncheon
of the Rotary Club was a success. They heard
the performing artists and they marveled at the
ability of the self-playing piano to produce tonal
shading. Some of the members of the club
made inquiries about the piano, price and other
details. And throughout they were hardly aware
that the concert was merely a means of adver-
tising a certain product.
The company that helped the dealer put over
this concert gave definite instructions to the
dealer not to mislead and to announce that the
piano in question would accompany the artists.
The dealer was instructed to ask for thirty
minutes' time for the concert, or at least fifteen
minutes.
The Auditorium Concert
If you arrange a big feature concert in a large
auditorium where the best musical attractions
of the season are held and where music lovers
are accustomed to attend, the dealer must ex-
ercise some more subtle salesmanship.
The usual practice is to mail a dignified, en-
graved invitation to at least half as many again
as the capacity of the hall. The invitation when
presented at the store entitles the holder to
reserved seats, the tickets being like regular
tickets of admission to a theatre.
The invitations are sent to at least half as
many again as the capacity of the hall, so as
to assure a capacity audience for the occasion.
In specific cases, where tickets are sent with
invitations, as in the case of the Rotary Club
president referred to above, it is best to enclose
a slip, reading as follows:
"We shall consider it a geat favor if you
will return the enclosed tickets, if for any reason
you are unable to use them. Should you re-
quire additional tickets we will be glad to
supply them."
A typical invitation actually used by a dealer
is as follows:
THE JOHN JONES COMPANY
Requests the honor of your presence at
ORCHESTRA HALL
ON SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 27
at eight-fifteen o'clock
JOINT RECITAL
given by the distinguished artists
Mr.
, pianist
and
Miss
This invitation when presented at 1250 Library
avenue entitles you to reserved seats.
Manufacturers' agents who have had consid-
erable experience co-operating with dealers in
staging local feature recitals advise the use of
reserved tickets for such concerts. They sug-
gest that the hall be divided into four imaginary
parts and labeled A, B, C and D. The dealer
then prints 25 per cent more tickets for each
section than there are seats in that particular
section. So if you have 200 seats in Section A,
print 250 seats and number them 1 to 250, al-
lowing 50 excess.
"Tickets in each section differ only in that
they are labeled either section A, B, C or D
and with a certain number," are the instructions
sent out recently by a manufacturer to a dealer.
"This gives the appearance of a reserved ticket,
but, of course, their number means nothing, as
ticket holders can be put in any seats in that
particular section. In this way you can issue
25 per cent more reserved tickets. This is
necessary to insure a capacity house. You can
also issue twice as many unreserved tickets as
you have seats upstairs."
When you conduct a special week, consisting
of concerts before various local organizations,
it is best to stage your big feature concert on a
Thursday or Friday evening, preferably Friday.
There are two reasons for this: By that time
the special week has gained momentum and
more people will want to attend the feature
concert. Friday night will draw a good audi-
ence who usually attend the theatre on Satur-
day night and have their Friday evenings open.
During the special week conduct afternoon
concerts in your warerooms—from 3:30 to 5 p. m.
The dealer usually assigns one man in the
store to take charge of the store recitals. If
possible, have the room cleared of all pianos
except the one to be used. A lamp and a few
flowers or greens add to the room's attractive-
ness. From twenty to fifty chairs should be
ample in most cases, for the beginning of the
week, at least.
Announcing Store Concerts
In announcing the store concerts the dealer
places the following card in his window:
WEEK
(date) to (date)
You are cordially invited to attend
Daily Informal Recitals
In our studio inside from 3:30 to 5 p. m.
The actual playing of some of the world's
greatest pianists will be heard.
One manufacturer that makes a practice of
encouraging special weeks through its dealers
furnishes each dealer with a special set of mats
for insertions in the local newspapers, 100 or
more window cards of visiting artists, three-
sheet posters, 1,000 or more announcement cards
and special window display material.
OPEN USED PIANO DEPARTMENT
Griffith Piano Co. Launches New Venture in
Newark, N. J.—G. R. Harris Manager
NEWARK, N. J., January 9.—The Griffith Piano
Co., of 605 Broad street, has opened its new
used piano department in the store and base-
ment in the Paramount Building, at 933 Board
street, opposite City Hall here. The new store
is very attractive and its location is extremely
advantageous, being on one of the busiest cor-
ners of Broad street. Gerald R. Harris is now
the manager of this department.
The new year has started off very satisfac-
torily, according to T. M. Griffith. He reports
that there is an especially good call for the
grand instruments and he believes that this is
now just a flurry, but he looks for it to con-
tinue for some time. Reports that he is re-
ceiving from the Scranton branch prompt him
to say that they are not only doing a good
business there but they are doing a wonderful
business.
NEW YEAR TRADE STARTS WELL
Results for First Week of New Year Double
Those of Last With the Lauter Co.
NEWARK, N. J., January 9.—As evidence that the
new year has started out very satisfactorily is
the fact that more than double the amount of
business was accomplished during the first
week of it than for the similar period in 1922,
according to Earl C. Pullen, manager of the
Lauter Piano Co., at 591 Broad street here.
Here players are found to be moving better
than the grands, although the latter are not lost
sight of by any means.