Music Trade Review

Issue: 1925 Vol. 81 N. 12

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
10
REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 19,
1925
Ohio Music Merchants' Convention—(Continued from page 7)
Another resolution changed by the bylaws
to read that the annual meeting be held on
the second Monday in September and continue
through the three entire days with afternoons
sessions only thus making future convention
three day affairs.
Other resolutions endorsed the code of radio
selling principles of the Talking Machine &
Radio Men Inc., New York; expressed the
thanks of the Association to the retiring offi-
cers and committee members and to the Cin-
cinnati convention committee; endorsed stand-
ard price principles; recommended that mem-
bers place part of their insurance at least
through the Mutual Insurance Bureau; and ap-
proved, ratified and adopted as its own action
the following resolution passed by the Western
Music Trades Association at its June, 1925,
meeting in Los Angeles "That it is the sense
of this convention that due to the increase of
overhead costs and to the greater expenses
incurred by all merchants in conducting their
36 Years of
Quality Production
Behind Them
The added selling value that
STANDARD PIANO ACTIONS
give to the pianos so equipped has
been well known to leading dealers
for thirty-six years.
We began to make STANDARD
PIANO ACTIONS in 1889. Con-
stant experimentation and a steady
determination to create a piano ac-
tion of outstanding quality have en-
abled us to produce a piano mech-
anism which today is a leader in
its field. Our employees are mas-
ter craftsmen—sixty per cent of
them having been with us over
twenty years.
The reputation that STAND-
ARD PIANO ACTIONS enjoy
is well justified. They transmit the
touch of the player perfectly. They
produce the fine, pure tones de-
manded by the artist. They are
made to last a lifetime.
Every month we are telling
the 2,500,000 readers of Atlantic
Monthly, Harper's, World's Work,
Scribner's and Review of Reviews
of the prestige, the unseen quality,
the invisible value that is theirs in
a piano equipped with STAND-
ARD PIANO ACTIONS.
Progressive manufacturers and
dealers will be quick to appreciate
the sales possibilities which this
powerful national advertising cam-
paign is producing.
Send today for our business-build-
ing dealer helps. They mean bigger
profits.
^w—
>iano actions
MADE AT CAMBRIDGE,
MASS.
STANDARD ACTION CO.. CAMBRIDGE. MASS.
business, a discount of not less than SO per cent
is absolutely essential to present and future
success."
Columbus was selected as the place for 1926
convention.
The following officers were elected for the
coming year. President, Otto C. Muehlhauser,
who made them. They were varied and inter-
esting. A full list of those who exhibited is
as follows: Art Novelty Co., Auto Pneumatic
Action Co., Baldwin Piano Co., George P. Bent
Co., Buel Distributing Co., Chase-Hackley
Piano Co., Cleveland Radio Reproducer Co.,
Cleveland Talking Machine Co., Continental
Piano Co., Conway Securities Co., Columbia
Phonograph Co., Grossman Bros. Music Co.,
Hallet & Davis Co., Ivers & Pond Piano Co.,
Ludwig & Co., Milton Piano Co., Milnor Elec-
tric Co., The Ohio Musical Sales Co., M. Schulz
Co., 15. K. Settergren Co., Simplex Player Action
Co., Starr Piano Company Sales Corp., Steger
& Sons Piano Mfg. Co., Sterling Roll & Record
Co., Straube Piano Co., Strauch Bros., Inc., Tri-
State Ignition Co., United States Music Co.,
United Piano Cor])., Vocalstyle Music Co., Win-
ter & Co., and The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.
Additional exhibitors included the Brunswick-
Halke-Collender Co., Davenport & Treacy Piano
Co., ISrambach Piano Co., Bchr Bros, and the
Autopiano Co.
Golf Association Formed
at Ohio Convention
Membership Limited to Fifty, With Henry
Dreher, President, and Chas. H. Yahrling,
Vice-President
Otto C. Muehlhauser
Cleveland, vice-president, O. H. Boyd, Marion;
treasurer; A. M. Alford, Canton, and secretary,
Rexford C. Hyre, Cleveland. R. E. Taylor,
was elected to the executive committee for
five years. The report of the Membership Com-
mittee showed a net gain of ninety-seven mem-
bers for the year making the membership 463.
Those securing five or more new members dur-
ing the year were presented with handsome
fountain pens.
The Banquet
The annual banquet was held on Wednesday
night with over 300 present. The chief speaker
was Alex McDonald whose topic was "Make
Americal Musical." He described the necessity
of creating musical interest and desire and
urged that work of this character be encour-
aged in the schools. He pointed out that good
music and not jazz made for permanency,
praising the work of Otto W. Meissner in that
direction and citing the demand for small goods
as a result of good promotional work.
President Henry E. Weist, of the National
Association of Music Merchants, made a plea
for all dealers to cooperate in the battle for
better business methods by their own examples
and also appealed for closer cooperation be-
tween manufacturers and dealers in meeting
trade problems, stating that the latter should
be consulted on matters of product and price
changes as they carried the burden of distribu-
tion. He made the interesting suggestion that
manufacturers might be induced to support a
merchants' bank to be used for discounting
paper at minimum rates. President E. R.
Jacobson, of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, also spoke briefly. The retiring
president then introduced Otto C. Muehlhauser,
the new president and Chas. H. Yahrling on
behalf of the Association presented a silver
loving cup to Otto Grau.
Thirty-Seven Exhibitors at
the Ohio Convention
CINCINNATI, O., September 16.—The sixteenth
annual gathering of the Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation of Ohio here at the Hotel Sinton was
marked with a large number of exhibits by vari-
ous manufacturers. The exhibits were well at-
tended by the visiting dealers and more than
justified the investment on the part of those
CINCINNATI, O., September 14.—As is usual with
all well regulated conventions these days, the
annual meeting of the Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation of Ohio this week was launched properly
to-day with a golf tournament at the Hyde Park
Country Club, one of the finest courses in this
section. The details were arranged by a com-
mittee consisting of F. Joseph Volz and Wm. R
Graul. The tournament was participated in by
some forty members and associate members of
the association.
The morning was devoted to medal play in
mixed foursomes for low net score and was in
the nature of a qualifying round of nine holes
though five special prizes were provided for the
event.
The first prize for dealers' event to Henry
Dreher, of Cleveland, and second to F. Joe Volz,
Cincinnati. The first prize for associate mem-
bers went to Philip Wyman, Cincinnati, second
to Thos. M. Pletcher, Chicago, and consolation
prize to Otto Grau, Cincinnati, president of the
Association.
The afternoon was devoted to match play
based upon medal play of the morning, with all
members matched and associate members in
separate foursomes, the play being eighteen
holes. The results were, for members, first
flight, William Grau, winner, Charles H. Yahr-
ling runner up; second flight, E. W. Sawhill,
winner, C. D. Anderson, runner up, and third
flight, O. H. Boyd, winner and H. C. Wilder-
muth, runner up. The consolation prize in this
group went to L. H. Ahaus. The results of the
play of the associate members were: first flight,
F\ C. Filbert, winner, J. H. Parnham, runner
up; second, Philip Wyman, winner, Arleigh
Dom, runner up; third, Wm. Ultes, winner, J. C.
Mclntosh, runner up; fourth, John Shipplett,
winner, A. M. Koch, runner up; fifth, Gordon
Laughead, winner, George Ames, runner up, and
sixth, Corley Gibson, winner, C. L. Dennis, run-
ner up. The consolation prize in this group
went to J. D. Tebbins.
An excellent dinner at the club house fol-
lowed the tournament, and it was then decided
to organize as a permanent body the Ohio State
Music Merchants Golf Association with a mem-
bership list limited to fifty active and associate
members. The plan met with quick endorse-
ment and the following temporary officers were
elected: Henry Dreher, president; Chas. H.
Yahrling, vice-president; and Arleigh Dom, Cin-
cinnati, secretary and treasurer. The president
was authorized to appoint committees to draft
a constitution and by-laws and map out the pic-
ture activities of the new association.
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 19, 1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
11
Sees Standardized Prices as Solution
of the Carrying Charge
William R. Graul Gives the Results of the Ohio Music Merchants' Investigation of This Important De-
velopment — Carrying Charge, Successfully Applied, He Finds Depends on Standardiza-
tion of Retail Prices—Some of the Methods Which His Firm Is Using
HE carrying charge seems to be the most
important subject in which the music mer-
chants are interested, especially when you
consider the various other merchants who have
much
stolen our system ot selling,
harder and no special inducement to purchase
on deferred payments as in former years. Every
household article to-day is sold on terms and
other merchants have perfected a system which
makes it easy to finance and to conduct their
business which is similar to the music mer-
chants', but more satisfactory. One of the
principal reasons for their success, generally
speaking, is that the article they sell has a
standard price and until we can get our prod-
uct, especially pianos and player-pianos, on this
basis, in my opinion, we will never be able to
perfect a carrying charge.. The phonograph is
a different proposition, as the prices on the lead-
ing makes are standardized and it is no trouble
to add an extra charge for time accounts.
I have given this subject a good deal of
thought since our last meeting, and as chairman
of a committee to report on this matter I must
confess I have made little or no progress. There
are so many angles to our methods of business
that until we get our "house in order" we can
never hope to get anywhere with a plan.
The principal trouble lies with ourselves. We
cannot agree upon a plan after it is made. For
example, you may make a proposition to a
customer to carry him on an equitable basis
including a carrying charge, when along
comes your competitor with a proposition to
sell him just as good an instrument at $75 less
in price and no carrying charge. That knocks
your plan sky high and in order to save the
sale you consent to the same agreement.
I mention this as an extreme case, for the
reason some years ago an agreement was
reached in our city to allow only $25 on square
pianos. One of the first violators of this agree-
ment was one of our most prominent houses,
and as a result the agreement became a "scrap
of paper" thirty days after it was written.
Until you standardize your product you can
never hope to bring this plan about to a satis-
factory basis. The standard price must come
from the manufacturer, and then you will get
somewhere. The manufacturers who are trying
to create a standard price by national advertis-
ing are taking the right step in the right direc-
tion. I can sec where an instrument advertised
in the leading magazines giving prices of the
different styles will help the plan under discus-
sion more than anything I can think of. When
a customer talks terms it will be an easy matter
to suggest the carrying charge as he has had
some experience with the automobile, washing
machine, automatic heater, etc., and rather ex-
pects to p.,,, f or t n e extra time he takes to pay
the account.
One of the leading dealers nV.the ronntr-^'
selling his reproducing instruments on this plan
and reports he is having no trouble whatsoever.
This, no doubt, is true because when the cus-
tomer walks into his establishment he knows
the price of the instrument he contemplates pur-
T
Attract the
Most Critical
Customers
chasing before the salesman opens his mouth.
He is buying quality and credit is a secondary
consideration. Too many dealers to-day are
selling terms and not pianos. This is another
"evil" that. wjll_have to be abolished before we
can hope to get any^ncit*r*7r > !7^ 1 :: ) ! r ' I iBrs us back
to the original thought that we must get oin
"house in order" before we can accomplish any
reforms.
In the meantime our house has been experi-
menting along lines in somewhat different direc-
tions. For instance, a customer who has fallen
eight or ten months behind on his account is
requested to pay an extra 10 per cent on all
of his past due over his allotted time. In some
cases we have been successful in getting this
added amount. However, in nearly every case
where the demand is made there is an awful
"kick," but you would be surprised to know how
it has speeded up collections and reduced past
due percentage.
Another method we have adopted is in the re-
newal of an account. We add 10 per cent (plus
extra charges for filing, etc.) for the extra time
and we have had no trouble in getting it as the
customer feels grateful for the renewal, espe-
cially if he has paid a goodly amount of his
account.
The greatest danger in our credit system to-
day is not what can you get, but what will you
get on the risk. In my thirty-five years' expe-
rience in this business I have never seen such a
lack of interest in the account after the cus-
tomer becomes delinquent. In former years if
a customer had $75 to $100 paid on his account
his interest seemed too great to lose and his
pride made him move "heaven and earth" to
save the instrument. To-day it seems that the
average delinquent cares so little as to the out-
come, especially if he has lost interest, due to
other pleasures, which he thinks he must have,
that we are now in the position of saving sales
rather than in getting any reforms at the pres-
ent time.
In view of these facts my suggestion would
be to place a carrying charge on all accounts
running over a period of thirty months or less,
according to the respective dealer's agreed time
of payments. If the customer is obliged to
overrun his account our agreement must stip-
ulate an extra charge of 10 per cent for six
moTA ns or more on the amount running over
the thirty-'A\onth period. This agreement could
be incorporated iu Z'lX mortgage contract, mak-
ing it legal in every respect.
This, to my mind, will help reduce t 1 ?^ P a s t
due and if we are obliged to give extraordinaiy.
extended credit we will not be losing money as
we have in the past. An account that runs
twenty-four to thirty months can be figured in
the original contract, but our trouble has been
that 75 per cent of the accounts we never know
when they will pay out. This will put our paper
on a solid basis and make it more attractive to
the investor who has been criticizing it more or
less. I submit this paper for your considera-
tion and will be glad to hear some discussions
and suggestions before arriving at any definite
conclusion.
Remodel Chillicothe Store
CHILLICOTHE, O., September 14.—The interior of
the Chillicothe Music Store has been remodeled
recently to obtain larger display space for the
piano, phonograph and radio stock. One of the
chief changes was the removal of the demon-
stration booths from the front of the store to
the rear. The walls of the store have also been
redecorated.
Incorporation papers have been filed recently
by the Okulski Bros. Piano Co., Passaic, N. J.,
which will operate a retail piano business with
an authorized capital of $50,000. The proprietors
of the concern are Chester J., Alfred J. and
Benjamin J. Okulski, of Passaic, and Fabian P.
Okulski, of Clifton.
A COMPLETE LINE
Grands, Uprights, Player Pianos
Reproducing
Factories—-Nezo York and
RADBUftP)
Leominster
Divisions — Bradbury Pianos
Webster Piano Co
AMCO BENCHES
415 W. Superior Street
Chicago
Give the
Best
Satisfaction

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