Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1924 Vol. 78 N. 25

Page 5 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
JUNE 21, 1924
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Collecting from Uncertain Accounts
Fixing the Payments on the Sales Contract in Such a Way That They Can Be Most Easily Met by the
Customer—A Passbook System Used by S. L. Scott, Piano and Talking Machine Merchant of
Mt. Vernon, N. Y., Which Meets the Requirements of This Demand
ALES of the higher grades of instruments
made to people of recognized responsibility
on the instalment basis should offer few
problems in the matter of collections, for it is
assumed that the credit standing of the cus-
tomer has been duly investigated. Under such
circumstances the making of collections on a
monthly basis proves generally satisfactory,
?.nd the number of overdue payments should
S
other ways protects the dealer against facing a
large unpaid balance which the customer cannot
possibly meet and which is most likely to lead
to a repossession.
A number of dealers who do considerable
business in low-priced instruments are already
following the policy of quoting terms on "a
weekly basis. This policy has two results—
first, it brings the money in at more frequent
THIS IS TOUR ACCOUNT BOOK, ia whkk will fcc raltrcJ yeu »«r- Pleat* notify ut at once • ! aay ekaftfe in your
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residence address.
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PAYMENTS
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WESTCHESTER'S LEADING
MUSIC
HOUSE
VICTROLAS, PIANOS, RECORDS - EVERYTHING IN MUSIC = = = = =
represent only a very small percentage of the intervals, and, secondly, is calculated to impress
gross.
the prospect with the fact that a very small
There is a class of customers, however, pur- amount of money is necessary to put him into
chasers of medium and lower-priced instru- possession of the desired instrument.
ments and sometimes of the more expensive
It is a fact that the great majority of furni-
types if the dealer is not careful, to whom the ture houses making a specialty of selling on
monthly payment plan is likely to prove a bur- instalments and emphasizing the fact that bills
den after the newness and thrill of the purchase for housefurnishings amounting to as little as
has worn off.
$10 may be paid in instalments, invariably quote
Ordinarily speaking, this type of customer terms on the weekly plan, as, for instance, SO
may be honest and from the standpoint of in- cents per week on a $25 purchase, $1 per week
come a good credit risk, but, in many cases, on a $50 purchase, $2 per week on $100 pur-
the weekly income represents the total resources chase and $4 per week on a $200 account. The
of the family, and there is a tendency at times amounts appear to be very small, yet $4 a week
to. place too great a burden on that income. The amounts to over $17 per month, taking the aver-
result is that unless the head of the family puts age for the year, and the individual who would
aside each week a sum sufficient to cover at hesitate to obligate himself to pay $17 a month
least a quarter of the monthly instalments, the out of $150 salary will sign up on a $4 per week-
payment date is likely to find the customer short basis without hesitation.
of funds through force of circumstances rather
In the main, the problem in connection with
than intention.
any instalment sale is to impress the customer
In cases such as this, it has proven a matter with the fact that in signing the contract he is
of policy to divide the monthly payments into putting himself under an obligation to meet the
four parts and make the provision that the payments as provided for therein, and in connec-
smaller amounts be paid weekly. It entails a tion with the weekly payment plan there is a
little more bookkeeping, but at the same time it new angle presented to this problem which is
keeps the account well in control, keeps con- that of persuading the customer to come to the
stantly before the customer that a certain store each week to make the payments and thus
amount is to be paid out of each weekly en- cut down collection overhead.
velope for the piano or talking machine and in
There are various methods that have been
Highest
Quality
tried to bring about this regular calling at the
store, such as giving cash discounts for the
cleaning up of accounts on schedule or before,
or presenting the customer with a music roll
or some other piece of merchandise upon com-
pletion of certain sections of the contract to
bring out payments.
S. L. Scott, a piano and talking machine
dealer in Mt. Vernon, N. Y., has used for some
time past and with considerable success a pass-
book such as that used by savings banks. The
book is so ruled as to permit of the entering
of each payment as made, and there is also
space provided on the pages for entering a rec-
ord of the terms of the contract so that his
obligation is brought to the attention of the
customer each time he opens the book.
The accompanying illustration shows the fac-
ing pages of this passbook, which gives some
idea of the layout and the printed text. The
reverse side of the pages which constitutes the
cover of the passbook bears the name and ad-
dress of the dealer, together with the name and
address of the customer with space provided for
any change in such address. The customer al-
ways knows how his account stands.
In the case of weekly payments the passbook
has been found to save much argument over
payments that have been made and receipts
lost. The customer sees to it that each payment
is entered in the book which gives him a con-
stant checkup and protects him against the loss
of one or two loose receipts, which are fre-
quently given for instalment payments under
other systems.
There are, of course, certain types of cus-
tomers to whom the passbook might not appeal,
but where the buyer is of the type that makes
the adoption of the weekly plan desirable the
passbook idea will meet with little objection.
Two New Buildings Planned
For Plant of Victor Go.
One Structure to House Record Library and
Studio and Another for Service to Employes
to Be Erected at Cost of $2,000,000
1'mi.ADKi.i'HiA, PA., June 17.—Eldredge R. John-
son, president of the Victor Talking Machine
Co., of Camden, announced during the week that
plans have been completed for the erection of
two new buildings representing a cost of $2,000,-
000. One of these buildings will be erected for
the purpose of housing the record laboratory
and studio and will be constructed on the site
north of the present office building on Front
street near Copper street.
The other building will be given over to a
service department for the workers in the Vic-
tory factory. It will be of ten stories and
divided into a series of kitchens sufficient to
supply food for the 10,000 employes of the Vic-
tor plant. The company's emergency hospital
and dispensary will be located in this building,
which is to be erected on the north side of
Copper street, between Point and Ambler
streets. The restaurant department in the build-
ing will be arranged on an entirely unique basis
and will be provided with every modern -cooking
device of first-class dining service providing for
efficiency and good cooking.
Highest
Quality

Page 6 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
The Welte-Mignon Corp. Announces a
New Welte Philharmonic Organ Model
New Type, Playing All Rolls in the Welte Library, Designed for Smaller Homes and Sells at
Price Which Should Give It a Wide Sale—First Demonstration Last Week
TT may be a far call to the time when the
slogan "a pipe organ in every home" will
really be worthy of serious consideration, but
a direct and important move in that direction
came to light during the last days of the recent
convention when there were introduced to the
trade the new smaller sizes of Welte-Philhar-
monic organs, instruments that may be installed
in the average home, and at a surprisingly small
cost and which open to the owners the great
Welte library of organ music that makes pos-
sible the reproduction of the playing of many
of the great organists of the day.
The first of these smaller Welte organs to be
fully completed was demonstrated privately at
the studios of the Welte-Mignon Corp., 665 Fifth
avenue, New York, on Friday and Saturday of
last week, and a number of dealers who had the
opportunity of inspecting the instrument ex-
pressed themselves enthusiastically regarding it?
possibilities from the musical as well as the
cold commercial angle.
The secret of the small Welte organ lies in
the fact that it has been possible so to arrange
the pipes as to provide for any desired volume
of music in the average home and still keep the
size of the organ itself in such reasonable
bounds that it can be installed in a very limited
space, in a New York apartment, in fact, as has
already been done in the case of a special model.
It is stated by the manufacturer that it is pos-
sible to install one of these small Welte organs
at a distinctly low cost, the price naturally
increasing as various refinements in and addi-
tions to the instruments are made. All the in-
struments play the full scale Welte artists' organ
rolls.
The fact emphasized particularly is that the
new small Welte organ has opened to the aver-
age music dealer a profitable avenue of pipe
organ distribution. Heretofore pipe organs have
been sold chiefly by the manufacturers them-
selves under direct contracts with the pur-
chasers. The new Welte, however, can be in-*
stalled in the dealer's store and not only repre-
sents a musical attraction of business-building
value, but makes possible the elaboration of
wareroom recitals. The capital tied up is limited
to the wholesale price of the sample instrument,
sales being made from an elaborate and com-
prehensive catalog and from blue prints.
It is pointed out that where there is no place
in the room of the home for the installation of
the organ the instrument may be placed in the
cellar or in the attic, the music brought up oi
down into any room desired, and the playing
done from the small console, hardly larger than
the average flat-top phonograph which may be
placed in any part of the home desired.
The size and price are in a sense secondary
attraction, for it is realized that there are only
a limited number of competent organists and
that the average pipe organ owner is not in a
position either to play the instrument properly
or have it played by members of his family.
With the Welte organ there is made available
the playing of many prominent organists
through the medium of the Welte library of
rolls to which they have contributed; these
organists include Joseph Bonnet and Eugene
Giguot, of Paris; M. Enrico Bossi, of Milan;
Harry Goss Custard and Edwin H. Lemare, of
London; Clarence Eddy, Chicago; Charles Hein-
roth, Pittsburgh; Dr. T. Tertius Noble, Lyn-
wood Farnum and Samuel A. Baldwin, of New
York, all of them organists of international
reputation. These are only a few of those rep-
resented in the extensive Welte Library.
With a Welte-Philharmonic organ in the
home, the owner is in a position to enjoy the
playing of these organists and get away from
the usual amateur effort the thought of which
has discouraged many of those with sufficient
means from investing in pipe organs heretofore.
The House of Welte, founded in 1832, has
been a factor in pipe organ building since that
time and has introduced numerous improve-
ments in that instrument, particularly in the
matter of reproducing apparatus. In fact, Emil
Welte is credited with the first to use the paper
JUNE 21,
1924
or closet space, with the tone outlets through
grilles in the living rooms, as with the larger
organs. They may be installed without key-
board and played entirely by means of the art-
ists' rolls placed in an artistic console or in a
roll chamber, suitably recessed in a wall or
panel. The console player is in itself a beautiful
piece of furniture that may be accommodated in
a very limited space, thus making it possible to
enjoy this truly marvelous instrument in homes
of very modest proportions. A mansion is not
now necessary for the accommodation of an
instrument that will play the entire library of
Welte artists' rolls by means of the exclusive
Welte reproducing feature.
"To lovers of good music who appreciate and
Welte Philharmonic Organ, Type A, in Organ Salon of Welte-Mignon Studios, New York
roll in connection with a pneumatic action in a delight in the rich, sweet and sustained strains
large orchestral organ built in New York City of the organ, this Welte reproducing organ is a
about thirty-five years ago. Welte-Philharmonic development of tremendous importance."
organs have been installed in many prominent
homes in the United States, including those of
James Deering, Daniel Guggenheim, James B.
Duke, Claud Spreckles, George B. Pratt and
ASHI.ANU, ORK., June 13.--The music trade in
many others.
In connection with the latest development this locality learned with regret of the recent
George W. Gittins, president of the Welte- death of Charles Foster Shepherd, age seventy-
seven, who had been engaged in the retail piano
Mignon Corp., had the following to say:
"Recent developments in Welte organ con- business in the Northwest since about 1873. His
struction have made available very attractive method of personal sale and service conducted
and beautiful residence organs suitable in size, without aid of traveling salesmen made his name
tone variety and tone volume for homes of known over a larger territory. He was a mem-
smaller proportions and at correspondingly re- ber of the Shrine, the B. P. O. E. and the I. O.
duced costs. These organs are compact in con- O. F. Mr. Shepherd is survived by his wife
struction, and planned to employ a very limited and son, Earl, music dealer of Klamath Falls,
space. They may be placed in a basement, attic Ore.
Death of Charles F. Shepherd

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