Music Trade Review

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THE
REVIEW
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VOL. LXXIX. No. 7 Published Every Satwday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. A«g. 16, 1924
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Don't Just Tie Up—Help Music
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N less than two months we will be in the midst of a new musical season, with a number of scheduled
concerts and recitals in all sections of the country calculated to impress even those who might remain
somewhat skeptical as to the increased musical interest of the nation as expressed in the support given
these musical activities.
From a purely professional angle and from the standpoint of the lay music lover, this coming of a new
musical season is to be hailed with genuine delight. Likewise should the music merchant with his commercial
sense foremost find gratification in the resumption of musical activities after a summer of rest, for it means the
coming of his harvest time, provided he takes the proper steps to capitalize on the interest and make it realize
sales.
It is significant that the music profession and the music trade are not nearly so far apart as they were
some years since. The campaign that has been carried on for several years for the advancement of music and
the development of a broader appreciation for the art among the public as a whole has not only served to enlist
the support of the music merchant, but has given him a new angle on what he owes to the profession of music
as the medium for the building of future business.
The average retailer with any merchandising intelligence naturally seeks to get the most out of these
various musical affairs. If he sells reproducing pianos he naturally ties up with the local appearance of an
artist recording fqr the instrument he sells. The same rule prevails in the case of talking machine artists or
where in concert or recital an instrument is used for which the dealer is the local representative.
So far as it goes this sort of tieup results in some good from a sales standpoint, the results depending
largely upon the ingenuity and energy shown by the dealer in developing contact with those of the local citizenry
who are interested. However, the list of dealers who have gone beyond the simple tieup stage is being con-
tinually enlarged and has in many cases developed to a point where they are recognized as genuine impresarios
capable of staging concerts and recitals by noted artists on a basis that pays dividends.
In entering the booking field the dealer does not depart from his original purpose of selling musical in-
struments but is working rather to enlarge his selling field. To work alone is likely to mean heavy expense
and great effort, but there are so many dealers who have found the way for interesting local musical clubs and
even the Chamber of Commerce in bringing artists of international reputation to their respective cities, that
the method pursued may be said to be an open book to those who have any desire to follow suit and profit
thereby.
Several dealers have been so successful in promoting concerts and recitals by noted musicians that they
have assumed, more or less permanently, the role of musical managers in their communities upon the insistence
of those who have been interested in the work but who seek someone in a position to put forth the effort and
look after the details.
For the dealer who seeks to take a real part in the musical activities of his locality, either in a modest or
ambitious manner, there is little time left for preparation. So far as booking great artists goes, he must now
content himself with the dates that have been left open up to the first of the year at least, but he can arrange
for those less ambitious recitals that place in the limelight the artists of his own district, with local pride to
support them, and in other ways tie up with musical affairs of his locality.
The time is rapidly approaching when the dealer who drifts with the tide in matters musical is going to
find himself on the beach. He need not underwrite the appearance of a grand opera company, but he must
take more than a passing interest in the musical activities of his community. His work is that of selling music
first and the means to produce it second. In selling: music it is logical to cultivate those who want and ap-
preciate music.
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