THE
4
MUSIC
TRADE
(Registered in the U. S. Patent Office)
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
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E.
B. MUNCH, V. D . WALSH, EDWARD VAN HARI.INGEN, LEE RODINSON,
rHOS. W. BRESNAHAN, E.
NEALY, C. R. TI GUE, FREDERICK B. DIEHL, A.
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Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix ......... Paria Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal .. . Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma ... . Pan·American Exposition, 1901
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Vol. LXXVII
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 29, 1923
No. 26
I MASON & HAMLIN AND THE AMERICAN PIANO CO.,
HE announcement las t week of the affiliation of the MasO'n &
Hamlin Co. with the American Piano Co. ha s, natural1y, caused
little shor t of a sensation in the trade, due not alon e to the promi
nence of the contracting parties, but to the possibilities uf future
development that lie in the move.
The standing of the Mason & Hamlin piano in both the trade
and among the musical public of the world is very high, for it has
won and held a recognized and unassailable position on the concert
stage.
In its building tht: highest ideals in American piano cons tru c
tion have been studied and followed and the result has been a n
instrument and a name to conjure with.
A particularly pleasan t fea ture of the affiliation announcement
is the statement to the effect that, as is the case with the other
prominent piano manufacturing companies affiliated under the
American Piano Co., the individuality of th e Mason & Hamlin will
be maintained rigidly. In other wurds, it will remai n distinctly an
affiliated rather than a subsidiary concern.
With the organization and facilities of the ;\merican PianO' Co.
back6f it the Mason & Hamlin piano should enjoy a futurt: of
unusual success, for there wi ll be offered opportunities for exploita
tion that will, without question, get impressive results.
From the angle of the American Piano Co., likewise, the new
move is full of import, for it provides a new field for the development
of the activities of th at company along lines recognized as hi gh
class and in no small measure ideali stic.
Much interest is naturally manifested in what the future holds
for the new affiliation, but the move is accepted as one upon which
both the American Piano Co. and the Mason & Hamlin Co. are to
be congratulated. It is pregnant with possibilities.
T
HANDLING THE POST-HOLIDAY COLLECTIONS
I
T would perhaps be unfai r to refe r to the morning of December
26 as the "cold, gray dawn of the morning after" for the music
merchant, but it is fair to comment upon the responsibilities that
exist after the rush of holiday buying ha s passed its peak. It is to
REVIEW
DECEMBER
29, 1923
be hoped that every music merchant in th e country will be able to
total up hi s holiday business with a full measure of sa tisfaction,
but he must not lose sight of the fact that some of that satisfaction
is not going to be fully realized until the payments have been com
pleted on th e instalment paper th at has accumul att:d in his safe.
During the next si x months, and for that matter the next year,
the probl em that has grown out of a big volume of Chri stmas trade
is th e problem of collecting. Collections under all conditions should
be watched carefully, if only as a matter of self-protection, but col
lections for the holiday business shou ld be' given particular attention
for the rea son th at many individuals are inclined to overreach
th emselv es slightly in an excess of Christmas spiri t and then regret
the move when they la ter return to normal.
The main idea is to beg in the training of the new customer prop
erly and that training must be done when the first few payments
are due . If some customers find the se cond or third payment may
be allowed to slide by with impugnity it will not be long before they
get the habit and make forgetting I?ayments a regular practice. If,
how ever, the customer is impressed immediately with the fact that
he is under con tra ct to meet definite obligations to the music mer
chant, he is not so liabl e to default and the merchant will ac tually
realize profits instead of unpaid accounts for hi s holiday time sales.
The official of a prominent finance company said someth ing
recently when h e declared that, if certain types of dealers would cut
down materially on the time devoted to se lling and spent that time
in collecting, they would actually be better off financially. In other
words, there is such a thing as ove r- selling, particularly when busi
n ess is done largely on an instalment basis.
THE MODERN TYPE OF MUSIC MERCHANT
N his report on hi s visits to 1,SOO music merchants during the
past few months the Fidd Editor of The Review comments
particu larl y on the fact that he found a distinct improvement in the
type of music merchant generally. The introd uction of new bl ood
into th e business and the competition of other lines of trade have
resulted in increased efficiency in piano selling methods on the part
of those who are wise enough to see the li ght and who are not con
tent to go down with the olel flag of "precedent " nailed to the mast.
This comment is significant and affords the answer to the ques
tion as to why the piano trade ha s been ab le to maintain such a
solid foundation and keep going in the face of strong cOll)pe tition
both within and without its own ranks. The development of th e
automobile, for instance, reflects that competition. The trade,
it may be said, has not been deve loped an d maintained through
the sale of cheap pianos exclu~ively. .'\s a matter of fact, it has
been the tendency of dealers and salesmen to go a fter hi gh-cl ass
prospects-those who can and do buy reproducing and grand pianos
- that has resulted in an increased vo lum e of bu siness from a
dollars and cents angle, even though the turnovt:r in units may
have been smaller than during some previous years.
Tht: modern store, together with modern adve rti si ng and sa les
methods, has found a ve ry necessary place in the piano business.
It may mean heavier overhead expense, but it will also mean in
creased rev en ue. The main thought, however, is that antiquated
methods mean anti qu ated and decaying business. This necess ity
of keeping in touch with the newest developments in trade practice
offers the best reason for the exi sten ce and growth 0 f trad e assoc ia
tions. P erhaps some of the discussions and resolutions may mean
little to the individual merchant, but he will find in many of the
papers read, and particularly in hi s contact with dealers from other
sec tions of th e country, a wealth of good merchandising id eas that
may be put to profitable use in his own locality and hi s own stOre.
It is significant, too, that the most progressive of th e mllsic
merchants are regular readers of the trade papers and keep in
touch with what the industry is doing by that means.
I
CONTINUED PRESSURE IS NECESSARY
S
CORES of organizations, manufacturers, of retail and whole
sa le merchants, managers, credit men, etc., have joiI)ed with
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce in endo rsing ·the plan
of Secretary of the Treasury 1\-1el1 on for a reduc tion in war taxes
during the present session of Congress, and the effect of this pres
sure is evident in the tendency of the national legislators again to
give consideration to the tax redu ction bill which for a time was
being sidetracked in favor of the burdensome bonus legislation.
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