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14
The Music Trade Review
JUNE 5, 1926
not only lead members of the industry along the right path and out
of the darkness, but would preach the gospel of self-made piano
music to the public at large in every corner of the land.
The idea is not so visionary as might seem at first glance, al-
though such problems as the selection of the man, the laying-out of
the work he is going to do, and the financing of his venture, re-
main still to be worked .out. Transcontinental pilgrimages of trade
dignitaries have proven their worth within the past decade, the only
drawback being that these pilgrimages have been far apart, have
(Registered in the U. S. Patent Office)
been lacking the preparation and the follow-up to make them
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
permanently effective, and did not go into all the far corners of the
at 383 Madison Avenue, New York
country.
President, C. L. Bill; Vice-Presidents, J. B. SpiHane, Edward Lyman Bill, Randolph
The point of the matter is, however, that any campaign to be
Brown: Secretary, Edward Lyman Bill; Treasurer, Raymond Bill; Assistant Secretary,
L. £. Bowers; Assistant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
successful cannot be a big-town campaign alone. A national repre-
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
sentative who steps off one Pullman on to another in his travels is
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
scratching only the surface and is not going to get close to the bulk
WM. H. McCLEARY, Managing Editor
of the buying public. What is really needed is an individual or a
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
group of individuals who have the time, the ability and the re-
FRANK L. AVERY, Circulation Manager
sources to go into the small towns as well as the big cities, to
Executive and Reportorial Staff
organize and help the dealers in putting over the piano-playing
E. B. MUNCH, V. D. WALSH, EDWARD VAN HAKLINGKN, THOS. W. BRUNAHAX,
E. J. NEALY, FREDERICK B. DISHL, A. J. NICKLXN
gospel, whether with the local school authorities or through their
BOSTON OFFICE
WESTERN DIVISION:
own unaided efforts.
FKANK W. KIRK, Manager
JOHN H. WILSOH, 324 Washington St.
Republic Bldg.. 209 So. State St., Chicago
Telephone, Main 6950
There are many dealers to-day who, thinking of this new-
Telephone, Wabash 5242-5243
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall, St., D. C.
movement, want to join in it but feel handicapped for various
NEWS SERVICE IS SUPPLIED WEEKLY BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
reasons. Experience has taught them that if they launch a series
LOCATED IN THE LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA
of free piano lessons their competitors see in it a menace from a
Published Every Saturday at 383 Madison Avenue, New York
business
angle and take it upon themselves to decry the effort as a
Enttrtd as second-class matter September 10, 1892, at the post office at New York, N. Y.,
under the Act of March 3, 1879
simple sales stunt. If the dealer tries to have the local school au-
SUBSCRIPTION, United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $3.50; all other
thorities include the teaching of the piano in the school curriculum,
countries, $5.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, rates on request.
these same competitors will point out a darky in the woodpile.
REMITTANCES, should be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill, Inc.
Petty jealousy, one may call it, but, nevertheless, such are the tactics
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
that have been pursued. Were there available one man capable of
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 1902
uniting these local dealers in a common bond for carrying on the
Diploma.... Pan- American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal—Lewis Clark Exposition, 1905
fight for better business, teaching them to realize that such results
TELEPHONES—VANDERBILT 2642-264S-2644 2645-2647-2648
that
would accrue would come to all and not alone to one or two,
Cable Address: "Elblll, New York"
then half the battle would be won.
Vol. LXXX1I
NEW YORK. JUNE 5, 1926
No. 23
Only recently a successful dealer in the Middle West told The
Review that he and two or three competitors had approached the
Remember the Small-Town Dealer
school authorities regarding the piano-teaching plan and met with
rebuffs because the school head had felt they were simply trying
NLESS the announced plans for the National Music Industries
to use the school for sales building, to the disadvantage of com-
Convention next week are changed radically at the last mo-
peting concerns. Perhaps he would return the same answer had
ment, the major part of the discussion, in those sessions at least
every retailer in the city backed the project, but he would not have
where the piano men hold sway, will be devoted to ways and means
had his opinion biased by hearing non-participating merchants com-
for developing the potential market for piano sales with a view to
ment upon the evident commercialism of the plan.
increasing the output of factories and the turnover of retail ware-
Perhaps the trade does need an outstanding figure to preach
rooms to an appreciable degree.
Certainly, in view of the situation that exists at present in the the gospel of self-made piano music in and out of the schools. That
is a matter that the trade will decide for itself, but any such leader
trade, the time of the convention could not be devoted to a better
cannot by any chance carry on the work successfully unaided: He
cause and yet no amount of discussion, unless it has to do with plans
must have a corps of assistants, men with ability to organize, to
that are practical for all classes of the trade to follow, can amount
instil enthusiasm, to bring the reluctant into line with the pro-
to very much in the abstract. It is quite certain that the dealers of
gressive ones and keep them there.
the country, as well as the manufacturers, are alive to conditions
It has been proved definitely that a single association of re-
as to the necessity of devising a remedy, but it is equally certain
tailers, unsupported by local units, cannot prove a national factor
that many of the dealers, and it is safe to say the majority, have
of importance in the industry, not because its efforts have been mis-
not sufficient capital, nor businesses large enough, to make possible
directed, but because it cannot keep contact with the distant in-
the carrying out unaided of many of the suggestions put forth.
dividual, the small dealer, whose support in numbers and earnest-
It has been urged, and wisely, that a definite campaign might
well be directed toward the promotion of piano instruction in the ness forms the background of any national trade movement. If
an organization cannot function nationally what chance has a single
elementary schools of the country, either free as a part of the
individual to spread the doctrine into the far reaches of the land
regular curriculum or at so nominal a cost that even those with most
with any degree of effectiveness unless he has able assistants?
limited means can afford to have their children profit by this instruc-
In suggesting that the future market be developed by interest-
tion. It is declared, too, that dealers themselves can further the
project materially by conducting in their stores or elsewhere, or at ing children in the piano, members of the piano trade are not pio-
neering into an unchartered wilderness, for the talking machine
their own expense, free classes in piano-playing instruction. All
trade well over a decade ago saw the school student as a medium for
this advice is sound for the larger dealer or one so located that
he is not faced with strong competition in his territory. But what
developing contact with the home and rare indeed is the school
about the rank and file who have limited facilities for such work?
to-day without its talking machine and its library of records. What
Any plan that is finally endorsed and accepted must take into con-
part of the great volume of business enjoyed by talking machine
sideration the abilities of these smaller dealers in the matter of co- dealers over a term of years is traceable to this campaign in the
operation.
schools is a matter of conjecture, but certainly the business owed
some of its prosperity to that work.
It has been advocated, in various quarters, that what the trade
In any campaign, it is the small town that must be reached, for
needs is a Moses, a hired Moses withal, of the caliber of a Hoover,
the
larger
cities, for the most part, realize the importance of music
Hays or Landis, to lead its members out of the wilderness of
and, as a rule, have to be convinced only of the practicability or
near-stagnation into the broad and fertile plains flourishing with
desirability of some special form of instruction.
increased interest and demand for pianos. This trade Moses would
U