Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JANUARY 12, 1924
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
Cleveland Music Trade Closes the Year
With Increased Business Over Last Year
A ."tcr holiday Trade Ircves to Be Very Good, Due to Large Proportion of Money Presents in
Holidays—Cleveland Music Trade Association to Hold Annual Meeting and Election
/ C L E V E L A N D , O., January 7.—With 1923
^ closing much more successfully than earlier
expectations seemed to warrant, Cleveland piano
merchants are turning their attention immedi-
ately to what the new year holds in store. Plans
for making 1924 a still bigger year are being
developed by individual dealers and soon will be
put into effect.
Meanwhile a review of the year just past, and
particularly of the work done during the holiday
period, shows that business went well ahead of
1922, which, to most merchants, was a banner
year. In spite of the inroads upon buying power
made by the Community Chest Drive early in
December, there was sufficient recovery in this
connection to bring in late buyers who helped
to swell the total for the twelve months.
Perhaps the showing made by the Randolph
House of Good Music may be taken as a typical
example of what the individual merchant has
accomplished. According to C. H. Randolph,
head of the firm, business for the whole year
went 35 per cent ahead of 1922, and 1922 was
the best year in the history of this establish-
ment, as well as others here.
Impetus to new business has been given more
strongly this year than ever before through
the after-holiday buying of pianos, particularly
grands and higher grade instruments, by those
who have received money instead of the usual
cut and dried holiday gifts. Piano merchants
always anticipate a good response from this
quarter, but this year, according to Fred Muehl-
hauser, member of the Muehlhauser Bros. Piano
Co., the last two weeks have been unusually
productive in this respect. Other merchants
report a similar gain in this connection.
While merchants individually are planning
what they intend to do to increase their busi-
ness and improve their services, collectively they
now are turning their attention to what can
be done as a body. The annual meeting of the
Cleveland Music Trade Association, to be held
in January, is expected to bring forth numerous
suggestions along this line. Primarily, these
suggestions are expected to embody two factors
—more business and better business. An out-
line of what might be done along this line has
been offered by H. B. Bruck, of the H. R.
Bruck & Sons Co., and this outline has been
developed by Secretary Rexford C. Hyre, of the
local association. In presenting this program
to the membership at the annual meeting it is
expected that some definite action will be de-
veloped.
Another important action at the annual meet-
ing will be the naming of new officers for the
Cleveland Music Trade Association. At this
gathering Harry R. Valentine, the Dreher Piano
Co., who has successfully conducted the institu-
tion through a year fraught with several un-
timely developments, will retire. While no defi-
nite suggestion has been offered as to his suc-
cessor, M. O. Mattlin, head of the Knabe Ware-
rooms and Ampico Studios, is favorably men-
tioned as the 1924 president. Mr. Mattlin is
one of the youngest and at the same time one
of the most progressive of local piano mer-
chants. Five years ago, as head of the Home
Piano Co., and later as organizer of the Globe
Piano Co., he was comparatively unknown.
When the American Piano Co. was looking
for a representative for some of its leading lines
here it was Mr. Mattlin's associates in business
who endorsed him for that post. In taking on
the Knabe and allied lines, Mr. Mattlin estab-
lished in the Bulkley Building a piano ware-
room that for lavishness in appointment and
atmosphere has few equals in the country. In
the little more than a year he has been con-
ducting this establishment he has made phenom-
enal gains in a business way and risen to the
higher level envied by dealers everywhere.
The new year ushers in two additional im-
provements in connection with the rebuilding
of the downtown location of the Wolfe Music
Co. These include a grand display room which
comprises a broad aisle on the second floor
flanking five separate show parlors. In this
aisle about a score of grand pianos of different
types are shown, each lighted by a daylight
window. A feature is that the prospect has
ample room in which to try out any of these
instruments. The other change is the estab-
lishment of probably the largest separate player
roll department in town, this in the basement,
which, with appointments and furnishings, fol-
lows out the elaborate atmosphere of the rest
o f this establishment. Several player instru-
ments sometimes are used in order to care for
all customers at one time.
One factor that may have inspired the marked
increase in end-of-the-year business has been
the unusual amount of advertising used by piano
merchants. More publicity of this kind was done
%han ever before and most of it was of the
dignified sort that would appeal to the dis-
criminating and obtain the result desired—an
appreciation of better music through the pos-
session of better instruments.
Some institutions went a little further. For
example, at Christmas time the Knabe Ware-
rooms and Ampico Studios distributed about
500 special Christmas music rolls to owners of
Ampico instruments, which not only had the
effect of increasing demand immediately for
additional rolls among present customers, but
also attracted agreeable attention to a store
that thinks of its clientele in a practical way
at holiday time.
The use of the Ampico and a demonstration
of its adaptability in unusual environment also
was demonstrated when the May Co. depart-
ment supplied this instrument for use in con-
nection with the display of far western pictures
by Branson DeCou. The lecture and pictures
were delivered at the Cleveland Advertising
Club, the Women's City Club and the Cleveland
Museum of Art. Mr. DeCou, in selecting the
rolls he required for this lecture, indicated that
the Ampico came more closely to filling his
requirements as far as a single instrument may
be concerned.
In connection with the development of in-
terest in either the player or reproducing piano
and particularly in the better music, the appear-
ance of the Chicago Civic Opera Company in
Cleveland during February is expected to have
a salubrious effect, leading piano dealers here
believe. The company will appear at Public
Auditorium and probably play not only on the
largest theatrical stage in the country, but also
to the largest audience, since plans call for
accommodating at least 20,000 persons. The
event for Cleveland has been guaranteed by the
specially organized Cleveland Concert Co., with
John A. Penton, head of the Penton Publishing
Co., as president. Some seats will be sold as
low as $1 and the highest figure will be $6, the
management says. The lower floor of the hall
will be altered temporarily to provide boxes,
a dress circle and parquet.
Victrola
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A popular program featuring Rudie Wiedoeft,
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and Duo-Art recording artist, was offered at
Aeolian Hall last Saturday noon in the series
of weekly recitals to which admission is free
and which have been attracting audiences that
have served to fill the Hall to capacity on a
number of occasions.
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$225
Electric, $265
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The great accomplish-
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.musical instrument trade.
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$300
Electric, $340
Mahogany
Other styles $25 to $1500
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