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DECEMBER 20,
THE
1924
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Vincent of Philadelphia Finds Social
Concerts a Successful Sales Builder
Demonstration of Instruments Combined With Reception of and Held Daily Attract Large At-
tendance—Brunswick Branch Moves to New Quarters at 40 N. Sixth Street
PHILADELPHIA, PA., December 15.—Local
music houses have been most emphatically
impressed with the fact that there is but one
way to get business in these days, and that
way is to go get it. And so they have resorted
to all the means of reaching the public through
the printed page, in the daily press, sales
drives, direct by mail ad campaigns, concen-
tration of the sales organizations in personal
solicitation in the home and all the other ave-
nues of direct contact with prospective cus-
tomers. One store in particular has been able
to maintain its customary holiday business by
the novel means of attracting to its establish-
ment holiday shoppers by an afternoon enter-
tainment and the serving of refreshments.
Others have been devoting full page ads to
their advertising campaigns and still supple-
menting these by generous patronage of the
postal service.
Daily Concerts Boom Business
Quite in keeping with the unusual exploita-
tion which has been found expedient during
the holiday time the piano house of Howard
Vincent, 838 N. Sixth street, has set a prec-
edent for novelty in the promotion of sales.
There has been introduced during the Decem-
ber days a series of combination afternoon so-
cial gatherings and concert demonstrations
such as ordinarily are held in private homes.
The concert hall of the Vincent establishment
has been converted into a holiday assembly
room with the colors of Christmas profusely
used in the decorative scheme. Each afternoon
several hundred patrons who have been invited
either by mail or through personal solicita-
tion of the salesmen, or who have learned of
the affairs by perusal of the daily newspapers'
ads, gather to listen to the musical program
consisting of vocal solos accompanied by piano
selections either on the straight instruments or
in player demonstrations. While they listen to
the renditions they are served with hot choco-
late and peanut butter sandwiches and then
there is passed through the audience souvenirs
in the form of useful novelties and for the
children trumpets, or stockings filled with candy
and bearing the ad of the Vincent Co. This
is the first year that Sales Manager C. A.
Gretzinger has introduced the holiday recep-
tions and he states that they have been re-
sponsible for the Vincent Co.'s successful sales
in a year that seems to have been an off one
for the trade generally to date. The expense
for the entertainment of customers has been
returned a hundred fold in the many sales for
high grade pianos among the grands and re-
producers of the Vincent line which this year
have been the main instruments moving dur-
ing the Xmas season.
Brunswick Branch in New Home
The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co., Phila-
delphia branch, has notified the music trade of
its removal to new quarters in the building
40 N. Sixth street, where its enlarged floor
space enables the stocking of larger quantities
of the Brunswick machines, records and sup-
plies. The removal has been completed and
headquarters in the Quaker City have been en-
joying a brisk holiday business under the new
manager, E. B. Shiddell, who joined the com-
pany last month, taking over the duties of O.
F. Jester, resigned to accept a similar position
with the Columbia Co. in the Detroit offices.
The most popular of the holiday sellers in the
local branch is that of the Radiola combination.
Having disposed of its phonograph depart-
ment the Theodore Presser Co. is concentrating
its business upon its publishing and distribu-
tion of sheet music and musical educational
publications. The talking machine department
has been taken over by J. R. Wilson, who
continues the business in the Presser store at
1710 Chestnut street, under his own name and
who will develop this central city location into
his main establishment. The Wilson chain in-
cludes five other establishments scattered
throughout the city. The Presser talking ma-
chine employment forces also have been as-
signed to the new owners and will continue in
the various duties with Miss Marian Mills in
charge of the record department and John
Haines as head of the machine department.
The stock transferred to the Wilson interests
consists of the Victor and Brunswick machines
and records.
How Griffith Uses
the Quality Factor
(Continued from page 3)
every sale, and, second, through the presenta-
tion of the merits of the lines handled.
It might be thought that this policy so con-
sistently followed would result in a concentra-
tion on the higher-grade instruments in the line,
and that the buyer who was in the market for
an instrument of medium or low price would
instinctively avoid this firm and go elsewhere,
considering that its merchandise was beyond
his means. The Griffith policy has taken this
fact into consideration, with the result that at
periodic intervals price copy is used, usually in
regard to foot-power players and straight up-
rights. Even here the copy is conservative in
its statements, offering instruments that are
good values, carefully avoiding the sensational
statements that are sometimes made by many
piano houses, and having the instruments that
are advertised upon the wareroom floors for the
prospects that are attracted.
A Wide Influence
Advertising of this type coming from a house
which has the accumulated prestige such as
the Griffith house has built up, possesses a wide
influence and invariably it brings remarkable
results. The lesson is taught the public that
the Griffith firm caters to all classes, and that
its methods are the same, whether the sale
represents a $4,500 reproducing grand piano or
a $395 player-piano. It also effectually spikes
the competitive argument that to go to Grif-
fith's means to pay high prices, an argument
that is used by many retail salesmen who are
employed by firms whose methods differ. The
influence of prestige and conservatism in ad-
vertising statements is not better marked than
in the results of these sales, for the buying
public to which this house appeals has come to
know that when Griffith offers merchandise at
a price, the name itself is a guarantee of quality
and value, no matter the grade of the instru-
ment offered. And price advertising without
this name guarantee behind it is of no value in
the long run.
Respect for Merchandise
A final word in regard to the Griffith adver-
tising policy. All copy used is carefully written.
The idea that so much white space must be
filled with black ink does not exist. A logical
sales appeal is carefully worked out. Then that
appeal is presented in the proper surroundings.
Money is spent on art work, for it is realized
that it is impossible to present such an instru-
ment as a piano through the medium of the
written word, without creating an atmosphere
that adequately represents the instrument.
There are too many retail piano merchants who
fail in respect foi the instruments which they
sell, and then wonder why their prospective cus-
tomers consider they are purchasing a combina-
tion of wood and metal rather than an instru-
ment which is going to place music in their
homes. This attitude in nine cases out of ten
is the direct reflection of the merchant's own
attitude, and nowhere better is the attitude of
the latter reflected than in his advertising copy.
In the Griffith case this is entirely summed up
in the slogan printed at the head of this article,
and that policy, concisely put there, permeates
every method of this house. In short, it has
demonstrated that quality and prestige has been
most effective in dominating a unique and com-
plex competitive problem, one that in most
cases would have been beyond the ingenuity of
the average piano merchant to meet on equal
terms.
Series of Duo-Art Concerts
Are Given in Austin, Tex.
J. R. Reed Music Co. Sponsored a Three-Day
Series of Duo-Art Recitals in the Majestic
Theatre During Past Week
AUSTIN, TEX., December 15.—The J. R. Reed
Music Co., representative for the Aeolian Co.,
and the Duo-Art piano in this section, last week
sponsored a series of Duo-Art programs at the
Majestic Theatre, concerts being given each eve-
ning on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Decem-
ber 11-13, with a special matinee on Saturday
afternoon.
John S. Caldwell was in direct charge of the
concerts and prepared interesting programs made
up of Duo-Art recordings by noted artists in-
cluding Ganz, Dambois, Paderewski, Carreno,
Gabrilowitsch and others. A Steck Duo-Art was
used for the concerts, the assisting artists being
Mrs. John R. McCall, soprano, and H. J. Krons-
berg, violinist.
Angelus Reproducing Piano
in Concert in England
Under Auspices of Sir Herbert Marshall &
Sons, London, Successful Comparison Con-
certs Have Been Given in a Number of Cities
BOSTON, MASS., December 15.—The Hallet &
Davis Piano Co., through their London repre-
sentatives, Sir Herbert Marshall & Sons, at
Angelus Hall, London, have been giving some
very successful comparison concerts with the
Angelus reproducing pianos in Great Britain.
Miss Olivia Cate, one of Boston's most prom-
ising artists, was selected by the Hajlet & Davis
Piano Co. for this exacting work, and she has
given very successful concerts in London,
Leicester, Manchester and other important mu-
sic centers of Great Britain. Miss Cate's work
is characterized by a precision and finesse
which has delighted her audience wherever she
has appeared.
Features Ampico in Akron
AKRON, O., December 16.—A series of afternoon
recitals by Ruth Lloyd Kinney, "Singer of
Songs That People Love," in connection with
a Knabe Ampico demonstration at the Kratz
Piano Co. here proved most pleasing. The
demonstrations were held three days and at-
tracted large crowds. The Kratz Co.,- one of
the oldest piano concerns in eastern Ohio has
been representative of the Knabe for years.
HifhMt
Quality
Quality