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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JUNE 9,
1923
YOUR BEST INVESTMENT
Sd/f/on Wood
1,000
Volumes
THE PROFITABLE LINK BETWEEN THE RETAIL DEALER
AND THE MUSIC BUYING PUBLIC
The name of EDITION WOOD has signified the Highest Standard of Quality in the publication of Studies,
Recreations and Classical Works for almost 30 years. During that time it has stood preeminent in the world of music,
highly treasured by music lovers and the teaching profession. Created with thoughtful care and unexcelled workman-
ship, it has attained a reputation which could have been possible only through the recognition, by the musical public, of
its superior qualities.
The policies of the publishers of EDITION WOOD toward the dealers handling it have always been directed
toward the building up of mutual confidence between publisher and dealer and toward helpfulness in enabling the
dealer to maintain the high standards merited by the scope and nature of the Sheet Music Business, and so essential to
its existence. Needless to say, it will be the determined purpose of the publishers to perpetuate these policies and
thereby enjoy the continued good-will of every dealer in the country.
TO NEW DEALERS. We invite correspondence with new dealers, having a GUARANTEED proposition to
present to them, whereby they may stock EDITION WOOD on small monthly terms, with exchange privileges which
absolutely prevent "dead" stock. Compare our edition and methods in every detail,—then you'll know why it pays
to handle EDITION WOOD and our catalog of Easy Teaching Music. Write us at once for catalogs and terms.
THE B. F. WOOD MUSIC CO.
88 St. Stephen Street
Boston 17, Mass.
Also at London
The Largest Publishers of Easy Educational Music in the World.
THE PUBLISHERS' ASS'N CREDIT BUREAU—(Continued from page 155)
daily inventory and "push" any individual num-
ber that is not "moving." The dealer should
aim for maximum "turnover," there is where
his profit will be realized. Take a lesson from
the syndicate store—don't let merchandise
gather dust on shelves. If a song isn't moving
get it out on top and see that it does move.
Don't let capital lie idle in a song until it be-
comes out of date and is then almost impossible
to move. Many dealers do this, relying upon
the publisher to take back unsold copies. That
is not the solution, for, in the end, the dealer
has to pay for all the copies he returns to the
publisher just as he has to absorb all other
wastes and costs incident to the publisher's
"overhead." Real salesmanship, real hustling,
energetic sales effort would avoid a consider-
able percentage of financial difficulty in this
business.
3. Overstocking. Many a dealer lets his en-
thusiasm and imagination run away with the
facts. Many a dealer orders a thousand where
seven hundred and fifty would do and especially
is this true when he is subjected to the often
exaggerated statements of sheet music sales-
men. In some cases the publisher is equally to
blame with the dealer in these matters, for in
some instances the publisher is as willing to
"oversell" as the dealer is willing to "overbuy."
It is no part of my job to find fault with pub-
lishers, yet I do not hesitate to do so in this
respect, as, in the long run, they suffer, too,
from this phase. Better sell a thousand copies
that are, in turn, resold to the public than five
thousand of which fifteen hundred are sold to
the public and thirty-five hundred either re-
turned or "junked." The profit lies along the
route of a 100 per cent sale of everything that
is printed or bought by the dealer and still
greater profit lies in this route when the sale
is made quickly. Don't oversell and don't over-
buy—both publisher and dealer are but "kid-
ding" themselves when they do this.
4. Lax accounting systems. Many dealers
get into trouble by keeping insufficient and in-
adequate records, by not knowing "where they
are at" financially, by not checking up invoices
and statements and remitting promptly, by
"putting off 'til' to-morrow" the writing of
checks and making of remittances to publishers.
Then, all of a sudden, the draft comes in; no
one quite knows whether it is right or wrong,
the bank messenger is told that "we will remit
direct," the draft is returned but the remittance
does not come—then we are called on and into
the record here goes an entry about that dealer.
In the long run we get a pretty accurate pic-
ture of him here, though we have never seen
him. I can tell you to-day which are the firms
in the United States which handle their busi-
ness in a businesslike way and which are those
that "don't know what it is all about." There
are too many of the latter and they are a men-
ace to the well-conducted firms, as well as a
hazard to the entire business.
5. Excessive overhead costs. Many a dealer
wrecks himself by taking on expenses that, if
he would but calmly consider the situation, he
would know his business could not stand. Un-
due expansion wrecks a lot of them. We all
had to crawl before we could walk, and it was
some time after we walked before we could
run. Let a business grow naturally, don't ar-
tificially stimulate its growth; conservatism,
rather than radical progressiveness, will win in
the long run. I have seen many a burst of
speed wind up with a complete breakdown.
(Continued on page 157)
BEAUTIFUL ROSE - WONDERFUL CHILD -~ LONESOME TWO
- HOME (My Lovin' Dixie Home) - SHE'S GOT ANOTHER DADDY -
1 ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A LITTLE SUNSHINE - IN BABY'S SMILE
\ - JUST A LITTLE GOLD WATCH AND C H A I N - PIANO DREAMS -
t . . . . , ^ - LOVE IS LOVE FOR EVER - STEP
• • + • + • +
Prices F.O.B. Nearest Office
100 of One Song
-
H l /
100 Assorted Songs - 14Kc
Less than 100
- • - - 15c
Money Back Guarantee
HEARST MUSIC PUBLISHERS LTD.
1658 BROADWAY
NEW YORK
T
199 fONGE ST.
WINNIPEG
Unsold Copies of
Hearst Songs are
Fully Returnable
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