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MAY
THE
31, 1924
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Texas Music Dealers Hold Convention
J. R. Reed, of Austin, Elected President for the Coming Year, T. J. York, of Corsicana; Lester Burchfield,
of Dallas, and E. E. Hall, of Abilene, Vice-Presidents, and W. B. Callaway, of Houston,
Secretary and Treasurer—Big Attendance on Hand
ALVESTON, TEX.,-May 24.—The fifth
annual convention of the Texas Music
Merchants' Association is now a thing of
the past, but while it was in session.it proved
distinctly interesting to the music merchant from
many angles. Over 100 music retailers from all
sections of the State attended the meetings at
the Hotel Galvez.
The convention was opened on Thursday
morning with an address of welcome by D. B.
Maclnerney, Assistant City Attorney, with the
response in behalf of the association by William
H. Beasley, of Dallas, its president, in the ab-
sence of the scheduled speaker, Robert N. Wat-
kin, of Dallas, who was unable to be present.
A number of interesting addresses were fea-
tures of the first day's session. Dr. J. Willis
Slaughter, of the Rice Institution, was the first
speaker and had for his subject "Business as a
Profession," in which he emphasized the in-
creasing demands that are being made upon the
brain rather than the brawn of the modern mer-
chant.
Increasing Opportunities for Salesmen
A particularly interesting address was that of
Fred W. Catterall, of the First National Bank
of Galveston, who, during an address on "The
Instalment Business From a Banker's View-
point," declared that figures compiled by Pro-
fessor David Friday, of the University of Mich-
igan, show the savings of the people of the
United States in 1923 were over $12,000,000,000,
or about $33,000,000 a day.
Of this amount 42 per cent went for auto-
mobiles, roads, accessories, music, musical in-
struments, etc.; 21 per cent went into railroads,
power plants and public utilities, and 37 per
ct lit went into buildings and miscellaneous ac-
tivities, he said.
Actual cash sivings in the form of interest
savings bank deposits alone in 1923 are estimated
by the American Bankers' Association to have
been over. $1,000,000,000, Mr. Catterall an-
nounced. In this country the ownership of cap-
ital is ever widening, and with this constant ex-
pansion there is an ever-increasing opportunity
to the active and well-informed salesman.
Mr. Catterall quoted figures, he said, merely
to show that the country "is not going to the
bow-wows."
Music Clubs and Dealers Should Co-operate
During the first session Mrs. Clara Wittig
Moore, of this city, director of music in public
schools, extended greetings from Galveston and
the Texas Federation of Music Clubs, and said
the music dealers and the music clubs can work
in harmony.
"We sell the idea," said Mrs. Moore, "and you
sell the music. We cannot federate with you,
but you can federate with us. There is no force
in America that docs more in the way of up-
building community life than does music. No
city is better than its music."
At the conclusion of the session the visiting
delegates, were taken on an automobile tour of
the city and its environs, and later enjoyed a
boat trip followed by a beach party.
The Friday Session
Radio came to the fore at the Friday session
when addresses were made by Will J. Schnelle,
of Dallas, representing the Texas Radio Sales
Co., and by McCall L. Gary, of Chicago, repre-
senting the Radio Corp. of America. Mr.
Schnelle talked on "Radio and the Phonograph
G
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Dealer" and, after outlining what had been ac-
complished in the radio field during the past few
years, declared the music merchants themselves
allowed the hardware and electrical men to cap-
ture the bulk of the business so far. He pointed
out, however, that the growing interest in the
handling of radio in music circles was proven
by the talking machine and radio combinations
now being marketed or which it is planned to
market.
Radio and the Music Field
Mr. Gary in his address expressed the belief
that music dealers will eventually control 70
per cent of the radio business. "When radio
leaped into popularity there were men who
rushed into the business with no knowledge of
merchandising," Mr. Gary said. "All expected
to get rich quick and many were disappointed.
It was the same way in manufacturing. There
are five or six factories which are putting out
standard articles now and 400 or 500 which are
experimenting.
"The radio is as much a part of the music
business as the phonograph—which was not ac-
cepted by the music trade for many years. The
radio dealer should not be too enthusiastic. He
should not tell his customers they can get
Canada every night—they can't—but inform
them of the good programs they can pick up
from nearer stations."
Talking Machine Development
F. L. Hough, representing the Victor Talking
Machine Co., Camden, N. J., who early in the
day told a number of the Southwestern Victor
dealers gathered at a special breakfast of the
plans of the Victor Co. for putting out cabinets
especially designed for combination talking ma-
chine and radio installation, made an excellent
talk at the afternoon session on "The Trend of
the Talking Machine Business." He said that
when he entered the field twenty years ago
there were fears that it would not last. It was
only when the talking machine became rec-
ognized as a musical instrument that real prog-
ress began, he said.
Musical appreciation and talking machine busi-
ness go hand in hand, he pointed out, saying
that Texas, which had had courses in musical
appreciation in the schools for six years, was
one of the leading States nationally, and that
Louisiana, which had no such courses, had
fallen away behind. He urged the talking ma-
chine dealers to do all in their power to advance
the cause of music.
N. K. Stillwell, of Houston, representing the
National Cash Register Co., gave an illuminating
talk on "Budgeting a Business." He illustrated
his remarks by a series of charts, showing deal-
ers how to figure expenses and profits so that
they really were making money.
The Music Manager and the Merchant
One of the most interesting addresses yester-
day morning was by Mrs. Edna W. Saunders,
of Houston, on "Concert Manager and Music
Merchant." Mrs. Saunders said some of the
greatest artists had been presented in Texas by
music merchants, but that they gradually had
let such things pass to music clubs and local
managers. There still is and should be, she
said, close co-operation between managers and
merchants, each of whom depended largely on
the other.
Necessity of Proper Tuning
R. P. Patterson, of Fort Worth, spoke on "Re-
K {£ B
lation of Tuner to Dealer." He maintained that
the merchant who did not see that customers'
pianos are kept in tune is injuring his own busi-
ness. An inferior piano well tuned will sell
more quickly that a superior instrument not
tuned, he said, but will not give satisfaction
afterward. He told of ways to combat moisture
in the air, mice and moths, which he termed
as deadly enemies of the piano.
Schools Offer Virgin Field
Great interest in music has been aroused
through the Interscholastic League's Music
Memory Contests, said Roy Bedichek, of the
University of Texas. Mr. Bedichek described
the organization and said there are 8,363 rural
schools in the State which are practically virgin
field for the music merchant.
If the children are interested in music, the
family will become so, he said. There were
4,000 schools in the contest this year, scattered
over 224 counties. Steps are under way to make
the next music memory contest include still
more schools.
Rev. Raimundo De Ovies, of Trinity Episco-
pal Church, closed the morning session with an
eloquent talk on "A Message Musical."
J. R. Reed Elected President
At the election of officers before the close of
the afternoon's session J. R. Reed, of Austin,
was elected president, and that city was selected
as the meeting place for the 1925 convention.
T. J. York, of Corsicana, was elected first vice-
president of the association; Lester Burchfield,
of Dallas, second vice-president; E. E. Hall, of
Abilene, third vice-president; W. B. Callaway,
of Houston, secretary-treasurer.
Directors
chosen were W. H. Humphries, Dallas; J. O.
Elliott, San Antonio; A. T. Beyers, San An-
tonio; Oscar'Springer, Galveston; O. V. Ray,
Amarillo, and George H. Beasley, Texarkana.
All elections were by unanimous vote.
Banquet Ends Convention
The convention ended with an elaborate ban-
quet at the Hotel Galvez last evening at which
J. T. Fitzgerald, of the Fitzgerald Music Co.,
Los Angeles, Cal., was the guest of honor. In
addition to Mr. Fitzgerald the speakers included
Owen D. Barker, a well-known local attorney,
and Mrs. Clara Wittig Moore. An excellent
musical program was also provided.
E
U. S. Music Rolls at Fair
United States music rolls were featured in the
music booth at the Annual Park Avenue Fair
all during the week of May 19. The members
of the Park Avenue Fair Association assigned
to the music booth were all vocalists and while
the roll was being played on the player-piano
the ladies in charge of the booth would mingle
with the crowd carrying a roll of the song being
played in one hand and the sheet music in the
other. Several hundred dollars were realized
from this booth, which was in charge of Harry
Rollins, of Fred Kraft, Inc., the music store
located in the Grand Central Terminal.
D. S. Andrus Buys Out Store
D. S. Andrus, who is proprietor of the music
business conducted under his name in Williams-
port and Sunbury, Pa., has acquired the interests
of the Sunbury Sporting Goods Co.
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