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100
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
JUNE 13,
1925
Convention of the National Association of Sheet Music Dealers
of advertising, of course, must be done very
judiciously and systematically, otherwise, the
waste is too great. I am convinced that it will
pay every retail dealer in the country to devote
more time and attention to this form of ad-
vertising.
The many mail orders sent direct by teachers
in the larger cities, are largely due to the fail-
ure of some dealers to realize the importance of
advertising by demonstration. To be on the
alert to fill his customers' needs, building up a
live classified list of his prospective buyers,
bringing to their attention by telephone or mail
the new issues which he feels will interest them,
calling their particular notice to certain num-
bers, and perhaps offering to send them out for
examination, these are the little personal touches
which help to build up the dealer's trade and
convince his teacher-customers that they can
obtain satisfactory service in their local store.
On account of the extremely satisfactory con-
ditions existing in our industry, it is imperative
for the producer so to regulate his advertising
as to create good will and confidence between
dealer and publisher and between retail dealer
and teacher. The big problem confronting the
music publisher is to create a demand through-
out the country for his music, using such meth-
ods as will protect the dealers in certain terri-
tories against any encroachment on their rights,
and will result in increased trade for the deal-
ers through whom the final sales are made. All
advertising, of no matter what form, will prove
unsatisfactory unless it is based on this aim, to
build up permanent trade, sincere good will, and
co-operation between dealer and publisher.
Edwin F. Kalmus
I ? ROM time to time the question arises in the
publishers' and dealers' minds: "Is it not
possible to advertise sheet music on a national
scale, just as automobiles, clothes, shoes, or for
that matter, the State of California, is adver-
tised?" The answer to that question is yes and
no.
Yes, if intangible results should be
achieved, such as a gradual increase in the musi-
cal education of everybody, and with it a grad-
ual and perpetual increase in the sales of sheet
music.
No, if specific results should be
achieved. For instance, should a publisher un-
dertake to advertise in the national magazines
his edition, mentioning his new releases, etc., it
will be found that the cost is not commensu-
rate with the results.
Let us first examine the negative side. Con-
ceivably the publishers could do as the Victor
and Brunswick companies are doing, namely,
advertise their releases in the Saturday Evening
Post, etc. The question is, however, will that
benefit them and the dealers financially? Of
course, one could say, as long as it profited the
gramophone people, why should not the sheet
music industry profit by national advertising?
However, there are at least ten, if not twenty
potential customers for records, to one for
sheet music, consequently a mass appeal must
be spread, where masses can be reached, and
not in the sheet music trade, which by its very
nature, requiring from its customers a certain
ability, restricts the number of buyers. Further-
more, sheet music can only be shown, and not
played. Finally, national advertising costs enor-
mous sums, and if the publishers would under-
take it, the dealers are sure to pay for it. The
customers cannot be made to pay more for sheet
music than they are paying now, and the pub-
lishers certainly will not lose their outlays,
when, by creating a public demand, they have
the dealers at their mercy. It appears, conse-
quently, that to help the sale of a specific edi-
tion, or a specific piece of music, the only adver-
tising suitable would be through performances
by artists, through direct mail advertising and
by advertising in the trade papers. All that is
done anyway, and from that source it is hard
to see how the sales of the dealers will be in-
creased in the future.
There is, however, something which the deal-
ers as an association, together with the Music
Publishers' Association and the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce could do, and that is
propaganda from the bottom up. Educate more
people to appreciate music, and the trade will
have more customers. A very promising begin-
ning in that direction has been made by the in-
stitution called "Music Week." Though the
cash results of those weeks presumably were not
very great, they certainly gave a lot of publicity
to music. In the main, however, it seems that
these well-meaning efforts were wasted on pub-
lic harmonica contests, and harmless speeches.
There is no concrete purpose behind Music
Week, and another plan should be followed, if
SOB
SISTER
Sheet Music
Orchestra
Records
Rolls
On Sale
Everywhere
Write for Com-
plete Catalog
Special Rates
to Dealers
EDWARD B. MARKS MUSIC CO., 225 W. 46th St., N.Y. C.
real results are to be obtained for the trade.
There are several definite objects which
should be reached, the realization of which
would benefit the trade enormously, namely:
introduction of courses in music appreciation
(wherever not existing as yet), and actual music
instruction in all public schools. A great many
now have courses in theory, singing, etc., but
schools should enable children to take music les-
sons in the school, at a very reduced price, say
from 25 to 50 cents a lesson. The courses
should not be obligatory, but elective, the best
teachers in town should be employed, and the
deficit arising from their charges, and the re-
duced charges to childen should be borne by the
community. A credit should be given for the.
courses taken, which should increase the per-
centage points of the pupils in their general
course. It is not necessary to point out what
an enormous increase in the sale of music im-
mediately and in the future, would result from
carrying out such a suggestion, what enormous
increase in the sales of instruments, etc. Finally,
a community cannot consider the money so
spent as lost, because, after all, it benefits local
people by increasing their income which is
again spent in the locality. As a matter of fact,
it probably would result in families moving to a
town where such low-priced instruction could be
had because they want their children well edu-
cated.
Introduction of music courses in all universi-
ties, teachers training schools, high schools, etc.,
and, what is most important, the proper credits
to be given for enrolling in music courses. Why
should, for instance, the study of Spanish be
more important than the study of piano? Will
not the future family benefit much more by the
mother appreciating music, playing the piano,
teaching her children love of music, etc., than
if she were able to converse in a foreign tongue?
The reason why students heretofore have not
taken music courses to any great degree, is be-
cause only small credits are given for them. Let
music be once a main subject, and one would
see an immediate increase in students enrolling.
In this connection a little national advertising,
especially in college papers, would not be out of
place, in order to free the study of music from
any connection with "sissiness," with which it is
so often considered in our universities.
The creation of symphony orchestras in the
larger towns. In this respect we are very far
back from European countries, where in Ger-
many, for instance, alone, there exist something
like sixty-five first-class orchestras to our thir-
teen here. In that respect we are just equal to
Australia with her 6,000,000 inhabitants, com-
pared to our 110,000,000. It is quite evident that
a symphony orchestra giving, let us say, twelve
or fifteen concerts during the Winter season,
and some pop concerts in the Summer, not only
is the cause of a lot of piano arrangements,
scores, etc., being sold, but the musicians them-
selves use a lot of music, strings, instruments,
etc., and anyway, a town with an orchestra is
always more musical than one without it.
Surely, in towns like Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Toledo,
I-ouisville, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and
many more of their size, there should be a few
people found who would subscribe to the deficits
of an orchestra in return for the social privi-
leges entailed. An approach by a committee of
the whole music industries, selected with care,
and known for their connections, should bring
results.
The introduction of Summer-popular concerts,
as the Mall concerts in Central Park, the Sta-
dium concerts in New York City, the concerts
in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, etc. Those
v concerts, beside giving employment to musicians
who therefore can spend more, offer thousands
pleasure on hot Summer nights, and educate,
through their popular prices, other thousands,
who cannot afford the prices of the Winter con-
certs. They usually also have only a very small
deficit. (The Stadium concerts are supposed to
have had only $15,000 deficit last year, in spite