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REVIEW
THE
VOL. LXXIX. No. 26 Published Every Sat ir day. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, NY. Dec. 27, 1924
Single Copies 10 Cents
$2.00 Per Year
Stop Making Player-Pianos the Goat
The Instrument Which Caters to the Big Market of People with Musical Desires and Moderate Means Must
Stop Being Exploited as a Bargain Bait—Review's Investigation Shows Proper Demonstration
Considered by Best Merchants as the Greatest and Most Valuable Selling Factor
O more thoroughly interesting sym- lished durability. It suffers under one, and only
player-pianos and some want other sorts of
posium has ever been conducted by The one, disadvantage. That disadvantage lies in dance-music producers.
Certainly the foot-
Review than the distinguished specimen the simple fact that it has to be played by the played player-piano is not the thing for them,
of the art of gathering opinion which appeared personal intervention of some human being;
save only as its price makes it irresistibly attrac-
in The Music Trade Review of December 13 which fact, in turn, implies that the musical
tive.
under the general heading "Merchandising the result obtained depends more or less upon
To-day the big problem in merchandising the
Foot-Power Player." The interest of the whole whatever musical feeling and technical famil-
foot-played player-piano is to reach those who
affair to the writer is, of course, not in the least iarity with the manipulation of the instrument
like music, and take an interest in it. Such per-
diminished by the fact that he was able to see the buyer has or can acquire.
sons approach the foot-played player-piano in a
in the trend of the opinions substantial con-
Dealers tell us, and rightly, that most people different frame of mind. To them no wise sales-
firmation of views which have often
man will ever say a word about the
been developed in these columns.
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source of playing power. He will
On the other hand, the facts them-
never say: "This is a foot-played
selves are far more important than
player-piano,
and that is an electric-
T E A DING piano merchants in the cities of Boston, Cin- played player."
any relation they may bear to any
To say this is to
cinnati^ Philadelphia, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Cleveland confuse the issues. Whoever has
person or institution.
For the distinguished music houses and Toledo, in The Music Trade Review of December 13, high-class player-pianos to sell talks
quality, if he be wise, and if he be
whose officials spoke of the mer-
discussed the sales problem of the foot-power player-piano, still wiser, effectively demonstrates
chandising problem of the foot-
the beauties and virtues of each. He
played player-piano were united in and agreed that the greatest hindrance to its advancement
saying that there is a market for today is the sensational bargain advertising of which it has shows off the foot-player as the in-
this instrument, that it is indeed still,
strument on which one can express
and likely to remain, the player- been so long the butt. Herewith is a summing up of their one's own musical ideas, whether
piano of the masses throughout the opinions, and a detailed discussion of the vital factors in these be crude or finished, raw or
land, and that to talk of its super-
refined. He stresses the personal
the true selling policy which should be put behind this feature,
session is absurd.
which is the same feature
that attracts in the game of golf or
Nor was this all. There is to be instrument.
that makes a man like to drive his
read very clearly a plain recogni-
^^^^^™
own car rather than sit in the back
tion of the fact that the recent
^SS^^Si
seat and let some one else drive it
growth of bargain advertising ap-
plied to player-pianos of the foot : played type know nothing about the foot-played player- for him. The wise salesman works along these
is nothing but an evil, that no good can possibly piano and never learn to play it rightly. Allow- lines, and if lie finds that the trend of the cus-
come out of such practices and that this use of ing for any undue emphasis we may agree that tomer's thought is towards something else, to
the foot-played player as a stalking horse during the statement is pretty nearly true. But when that something else he goes. But he never con-
times of slack trade constitutes a business mis- a dealer or salesman goes on from this admitted fuses the two, never compares, never argues.
state of affairs to draw the wholly illogical in- He deals with each type on its own level.
take of the first magnitude.
ference that men and women do not like to play
For the intelligent buyer, musically inclined
The Final Opinion
And what was the final opinion which one "by foot," it is time to enter an objection. and with some musical ambition of a positive
extracts from this valuable .mass of expert testi- When, furthermore, it is insisted that those who sort, the foot-player is the instrument par excel-
mony? Simply this: That the right method for might buy player-pianos of the foot-played type lence. Let there be no mistake about that.
The Problem of Price
merchandising the foot-power player is precisely do not want to "learn" anything, and shy off
On the other hand, again, of course, there is
the same in principle as the method which has as soon as they find out there is anything to
been found effective in selling the reproducing be "learned," then again an objection is in order. the great question of price. Foot-players cost
less than do their fellows which have electric
A Great Space
piano. That is to say, it is the method of high-
For between ignorance and indifference there motors and expression devices installed within
class expert demonstration, backed up by expert
service to the customer in the home, service is a great space. Every experienced salesman them. If the great market of moderate-price
both technical and musical. The underlying knows that his prospective customers may be buyers is to be reached, there must be merchan-
principle of such merchandising is simple divided between those who want music as ac- dising methods which will attract and not repel,
enough, so simple in fact that it is difficult to companiment for the dance, and those who want which will tap resources of this market and not
see how any one can overlook or ignore it. music because they like music as music. The dam them up by creating in advance unfavorable
Yet, if such ignoring and overlooking were not first class is numerous and vocal. Its members mental pictures. A merchant or salesman who
unhappily common, it would not be necessary prefer, on the whole, a player-piano auto- has the ambition and wisdom to dig into the
either to conduct a symposium on the subject matically played because that means that no untouched riches of opportunity which his com-
one in the party has to "pump." It is useless munity holds, will not neglect the solid, honest
or to analyze that symposium afterwards.
to argue with persons of that sort. They know and clean middle class, which supplies the back-
Facing Facts
Let us face the facts. The foot-played player- what they want and certainly should be entitled bone of every city and village, which is mod-
(Continued on page 5)
piano has in its favor price, simplicity, estab- to get it. Some of them want electric-driven
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