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(Regi.tered in the U. S. Patent Office)
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
Presiden t a nd Treasurer , C. L. Bill, 383 M a dison A ve. , New Yo rk : V ice· Presiden t,
J. B. Spill an e, 383 Madison A,'c. , Ne w Yor k: Second V ice· President , R aymon d B ill , 383
M adison A ve., N ew Y or k : S ecre tar)" E dward Lyman Bill, 38 3 Madison A ve ., New Yo rk ;
Assistan t T r easurer, \Vrn. A . Low.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
RAY BILL, B . B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
WM . H. McCLEARY, Managing Editor
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
L. E . BOWERS, Circulation Manager
Executive and Reportorial Staft
E. B.
Tuos. W.
MU N CH .
B R ~SNAHAN ,
A.
V. D.
VVALSH, EDWARD VAN I-IAHLlNGEN , LEE: ROBINSON,
N EALY, C. R. TIGHE, FREDERICK B, DI E HL, A .
N ICKLIN
FREDERICK CA RT ER, FREDERICK G. S A ND BLO M
E.
J.
J.
W E STERN 11IVISION :
ARTHUR N EALY, R e presentativ~
JOHN
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Published Every Saturday at 383 Madison A venue, New York
Enlered as second·class matter September 10, 1892, at the post offict al N ew Yor k , N , y "
""der the Acl of March 3. 1879.
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A.DVERTISEUENTS, rate. on «quest.
REMITTANCES, should be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill , Inc.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix . ••••• . . . Paris Expositio n , 1900
Silver Medal .. . Charleston Ex position, 1902
Diploma . ..• Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal. .. ,. 51. Louis Exposition , 1904
Gold Medal·-Lewis·Clark Exposition, 1905
TELEPIIO N E S- VAN DE RBILT 2642-2643-2644-2 645-2 64 7-2648
Cabl e A ddre8~ : 'IElbill. New York"
Vol. LXXVII
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER I , 1923
No.9
FACTS THAT MAKE THE FUTURE ROSY
HI': jJresident o[ tile ("ilal1llwr of ("OI1l111t'l"Ce ()f tile L'llitul
States, ill it recent C()llv('lltion ;1(ldre~s, called ;llll'lllioll (J tell
production record~ that have been established ill industry dmillg the
j'Jast few mC1n 1hs, Ihe) bc:ing the production of pig iron, cott01l, sleel
il'gOi' , crude oil, automobile" locomotives, mail order sales, retail
s,des, railroad nr loading,s and home building.
He also called altrntiol1 to the fact that the population or tile
countr) hac increased bv fourteen million people, the national in
come has increase,l hom thirtvfour billion to fifty bdlion dollars,
and the aggTeg8te savings deposits from six billion to fourken bil
lion.
Those v.. ho arc inclined to be pessimistic regarding future busi
ne"s gener~ lly ill the country and who a 1'( inclined to mark time, in
the belief that present prosperity is only temporary, will find little
upon which to base their argumen t s in the foregol11g figures.
\\ ith ten Industries, most of them basic, setting n(:\, recorcl~
in production i hen i.s being created a potential demand for manu
factured good, of all .'orts, including musical instrument~, that is
like!) to require peak production t o fil l. The end of businc.:,,, pro,~·
IT'S is not yet hu-c.:
T
UPWARD PRICES AND STOCK SHORTAGES
HE prophecies m;lde ('arly in the year that there would Ile an
increase in piano prices hefore the holiday sea"on, due primarily
to thl' Ilecc:ssitl or manufacturers meeting th e wag(: demands of
their I\'orkers, are already iJein g realized, Olle prominent C()l1Cnll
having made formal anll()Uncrment of conservative increases in its
wholesale prices o[ various instruments in the line. O ther announce
ments are expected lllomentarily and several manuLlcturing con
cerns !lave ;l
noullcement or rile :'act.
T!l().se acquaintl'd \\ith lile piano lllanu [acluring-;itnalion :11](1
its problems have: all :lllJllg ITali/l'd thal lhe ql1l'stitlll or 1ll;lint;lining
\'.lllJiesak pi;ll]() Ill·iccs at the .I;llluary level would Ill' out ()f thc
(JulslioJ1 tlllless thne W;]~ a distinct d()\·ln\\·ard trlild in lahor costs
;]11<1 lll;)h-:ri;]1 prices. The trend, howevcr, ha~ Ilecn tljl\I';lrd llurill,~
T
1'('11 Ill()llth, Ilith thl' illl'viLliJit- IT'lIlt tilat dC;llns Ilill-;I.
ill 11Hht cases, ~Jll'Il(1 m(lrc for their goods,
1,'wll1 till' rl'1ailt-,s' ;Illgle it is Ulll'ortun;lle lhat 1llore deal e r s du
not see the wisdom of (1rdering ahcad as suh~tantiall)' as possible to
meet th e ir Fall and \ V inter requirements. The primary argument
l'sed by the Jl1;]nufacturers, and it is still a mighty sound one, W;h
that production cuulll nut keep pace with any but a normal demand
;(nd til;]t meeting' eVl'n such a demand would tax the resources of
lhe fact()ries. ::-JOII' the dealer who has kept his slocks to a minimum
;(llCl ha-; ordered onl)' if necessity required rather than in anticipa
ti()11 of ruture needs faces not only a piano shortage, but a price
llicrease.
Therc may be occasions when piall
I,uild up results lor their trips, an: inclilled to force the dealer into
ovcrordering h) stories of shortages anll price increa.ses thal arc
Ill) thica!'
nut ullder conciitiolls as th'ey have existed during the
past couple 01 )c':lrs the rclailn hilllself has had a chance to sec
which way lhe I\·illtl wa.o hl()\ving i [ he took occasion to investigate
lile ~ituati()n as it cAistell outside his wareroum doors, Those 'who
hatl the keenness of vision to prepare are to be congratulated.
GROWING POPULAR INTEREST IN MUSIC
111': illClTaSe(1 ;ltkntion heing given to the ciiscu.,sioJ1 01' IllUSIC
ill the hOllle frol\l various angles hy the leading national ll1;lga
zilll's is a lllaltn or general inll'rest to the trade, [i)]' the article . ; lhat
have heen ;ljJLlc;u'ing in Collier's, l'ictmial ]{eview and other puhli
catioll" of qandillg represent the he.st sorl of propaganda to arouse
the illklTst o[ the ordinary individual in CCluipping hi.s home with
lllu~ic:ll instruments rur both educatioJ1;J! and c,llertainllll'nt Jill/'
fil hes.
This halldling or mu~ical suhjects from the popular standpoint
can he creclited (lirec1ly t(l the inAucnce of (ile advancement or mllsic
call1pai~n. (!I'iginatin~ in the nltl-;ic (rade itsc! t and cnlisting in the
work, Iargc'l)' tilr(lu~h the dtorts of C. )\1, Trclll;line, din'l·t(lr of
till' N;t!ioll;ll Bureall 1'(11' the ,\dvancc'nll'nt (If I\Ju~ic, nllnll'l'(llh Ill·
Ilucntial :lgl'llcil'-; (lut,icie the industry.
\Vh c ll a Iln~;\i.ille
(ite Jir
illusic;11 illSt rUlllcnls, and (he pos.,illilities or those lllu~ic-p]'(Jdu('illg
IIll'lliulll", tllt'll it is in(kc'd ;111 e:\celknt inclica:i()n that the editors
1('(,1 ]J(lLJl1lar intliT'l in the sulljcct has heell developed to a ]loin(
I.,hl·re such articks ;lre \\'ol'th Ilhik. Even jazz music and its place
ill the hOllle has Ilccn tre;tled, :IIlCI In practically every case the clired
appeal has I)ecn 1ll;l<1e to the reader to buy musical instrulllents and
to use them
There was never a time in the hislory of the music industry
when the u[Jp()rtu1litics [or developmellt WUT so great or the illtere~1
ill music in the home so widely developed. The fiele! for the sale oj
Jl11hical in~lrul11enh i~ heing widenee! daily and, if the results in the
matter of dollar~ ancl cents prove e!i~appointing to ~ome trade mem
bers, it might be well for them to consider the situation carefully
and see whether (l'r not lhey are Illaking the proper effort to take the
fullest ad vantage of the opportunities before them. The clay when
the retail piano qleSlllan, [or instance, wa" classed with the IJOok
agent has passed, for the puhlic is fast being educated to the point
where the man who has music and musical instrumenh to sell ap
pears ~uJl1e\\'hat in the rbJr of a henefactor.
T
CO-OPERATIVE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
HI,: filst of the co-operative campaigns of advertising to he
cdITled Oil Chl ing the Fall by music merchants has been an
1Hlullced in I.os .\ngeks, where preliminary plans for the movemc'llt
wcre di~cus.,etl al it rc'cellt meeting of the Southern California :tV1 usic
Trades' '\ssocialion. ]n vievv o[ the fact that local co-operative
ad verti sing campaigns by 111 u ,ic lllerchan l:-; have progressed far li e
voncl the experimental "t;lgC and have proven their value in actual
practice on a number o[ occasions, it would seem as though m.usic
trade interests in many centers 'Noule! adopt that means of impress
in,~' lhe public in a hig Ivay with Lhe value of music and the de.sira
Lillt)' or buying' and P(lssl'ssillg Illusical instruments.
I\l'g;lrdkss of hml c':\pt'n,ively inclividual COllcems may ;lClvlT
tise, (lr h011 dlec(ive their Jlulliicity lll:ll Ill: frOIl1 the standpoint of
;\ctllal':llt,-;, lhere is ,till ],()Olll for co operative ;ldverti~illg as :1
llwans llf creating a geneTal llesire Ivhich can ))(' c1cvl'loped to the
1!1lyin,~ point hI' variou.-; conClTns thJ'()ugh their O\IJl puhlicity.
T