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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
JANUARY 23, 1926
Six Premier Baby Grands Played in
Denver Auditorium by Piano Sextet
Salesman's Side of the
Shortage of Salesmen
Appearance of Number Under the Auspices of the Knight-Campbell Music Co., Denver Premier
Representative, Called by Papers Most Distinctive Number on Program
system which will effectually eliminate such a
condition in his own sales organization?
The One-price System
A third thing which this letter shows is that
the house which has the one-price system and
which adheres to it under all circumstances, not
advertising it publicly and then breaking it
down secretly through meeting competition on
trade-in allowances and other such practices
eliminates much of the trouble that it is likely
to have with its salesmen. If a manager is
called in on a sale to close it he should not
give the customer any more inducement than
the salesman himself was able to offer. Fur-
thermore, the manager himself is only there to
assist his men; his own worth is measured only
by how he assists them, not by the number of
sales he closes personally.
A Big Factor
Unquestionably poor management is a big
factor in creating the conditions which the mer-
chants complain about regarding the salesmen.
How big a factor it is there is no way of
judging. It is not entirely to blame, of course,
but it plays a big part. Poor management not
only includes the improper handling of the men,
but it means the hunt for sales instead of the
hunt for profits. To make a sale in such a
fashion as to run the risk of showing no net
profit at all is foolish under any and all cir-
cumstances. To lose a sale under such condi-
tions is good business. Salesmen can not be
trusted to make such deals; and they resent
it, and rightly so, when the manager goes over
their heads and does the very thing which he
prohibits the salesmen from doing.
The efficiency of any retail salesman, that is,
one who has any capability at all, depends
largely upon the conditions under which he
works. Make those conditions right and, in a
majority of cases, the salesman shows results.
If he fails to show them then he is in the wrong
place and had best seek a new field of endeavor.
The salesman must be met half way, and he in
turn will meet the merchant then in the same
fashion.
Can Pick Their Forces
There are many efficient retail sales organiza-
tions in the retail piano trade. They are based
on just this condition, and where they exist
there are no complaints of a dearth of good
piano salesmen. They are houses which sales-
men like to work for, who can pick the best
men in the field, and who in turn profit from
being able to do it. And what their salesmen
say about them is not typical of what the letter
reprinted above contains. The solution of the
problem of the retail salesman lies, first, with
the management of the retail piano house, and,
then, with himself. That is fundamental in the
entire question.
A CONCERT feature that has become increas-
•**• ingly popular with the music-loving public
is the piano sextet. The harmonious blending
of the instruments gives great volume of tone
and an organ-like sustaining power to the music.
The result is very novel and of inspiring beauty.
Brambach .pianos provided by the Knight-Camp-
bell Music Co. were used for these numbers and
the pianists were Viola Bradford, Victoria Tep-
ley, Phillippina Pavone, Emmy Lou Schwalb,
Rinaldo Subry and Thomas Gardner. Their
number was Grainger's "Country Gardens."
The Sextet Who Performed on Brambach Baby Grands in Denver. The Pianists Are: Viola
Bradford, Victoria Tepley, Phillippina Pavone, Emmy Lou Schwalb, Rinaldo Subry and Thomas
Gardner
An unusually brilliant sextet was recently
rendered on Brambach baby grands in the Mo-
rey Auditorium, Denver, Col. The feature was
under the auspices of the Knight-Campbell Mu-
sic Co., of Denver. The performing of the sex-
tet was keenly enjoyed and the artists re-
ceived an appreciative ovation.
The event was featured in the columns of the
"Rocky Mountain News" along with the photo-
graph of the ensemble. The paper said: "The
most distinctive feature of the program came
when six performers played a six-piano ensem-
ble number, the first time this six-instrument
type of ensemble has been played in Denver.
"The volume effect of the chorus of pianos
filled the auditorium with wave on wave of mu-
sical sound, with tones and echoes reverberating
in veritable seas of harmony."
Another aspect of this performance—its sales
value—should be of especial interest to Bram-
bach dealers. The Knight-Campbell Music Co.
is very much gratified with the favorable reac-
tion and numerous inquiries resulting from the
sextet's rendition. The six pianists demon-
strated very impressively with their playing the
fine tone and great volume of the Brambach
baby grands. Several sales already have re-
sulted with many new live Brambach prospects.
Michigan Music Merchants to Meet at
Book-Cadillac, Detroit, in August
Committees to Have Charge of Various Activities of the Convention Appointed by the Detroit
Music Trades Association at Its Last Regular Meeting
•p\ETROIT, MICH., January 16.—At the regu-
•^"^ lar meeting of the Detroit Music Trades
Association, which was held Monday evening,
January 11, at the Union League Club, adjoin-
ing the Book-Cadillac Hotel, with twenty-three
members present in spite of very inclement
weather, plans were outlined for the Michigan
State Convention, to be held here in August.
The hotel committee, consisting of Dave
Redaway, of Peoples Outfitting Co.; Paul Cagel,
of Story & Clark Piano Co., and A. V. Minni-
fie, of Pontiac, submitted a unanimous recom-
mendation for the Book-Cadillac as the official
hotel for the convention, after a painstaking in-
vestigation. The Book-Cadillac was chosen as
it is adapted for convention purposes and has
as one of its features a beautiful Italian Garden,
the key to which will be given to The Most
Noble Head Cheese, Walter Lane, of The
Cheese Hounds, to do with as he may direct
for the usual initiation and conclave of this
order.
The entertainment committee reported,
through its chairman, W. A. Elfstrom, of the
Cable Company, that an interesting program,
which takes advantage of unusual Detroit fea-
tures, is being arranged and will be announced
later.
E. P. Andrew, of the J. L. Hudson Co., who
was a great success as chairman of the enter-
tainment committee for the national conven-
tion held in Detroit many years ago, was ap-
pointed chairman of the program committee and
S. E. Clark was selected as the chairman of
the speakers committee for the luncheons and
banquet.
Hereafter the Detroit Association will hold its
meetings the first Monday evening in each
month in Parlor B of the Book-Cadillac. Mon-
day, February 1, Sowler Smith, assistant musi-
cal director of the Detroit Public Schools, will
give an address, setting forth the great work
being done in his department. His address
will be broadcast by WCX at 9:30 p. m.
(Continued from page 3)
New Music Roll Patent
WASHINGTON, D. C, January 19.—Patent No.
1,568,453 was last week granted to Rudolph
Siman Haase, Houston, Tex., for an end fast-
ener for music roll sheets. The object of the
invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive
device which may be easily and quickly applied
to the ends of perforated sheet music used on
rolls in connection with player-pianos or like
musical instruments, when the ordinary eyelet
generally used thereon has become torn off
through accident or wear.
Another object is to provide a substitute end
fastener for this purpose which is adapted to
be applied to the end of the sheet and is
equipped with means for easily and quickly cen-
tering the eyelet thereof with relation to the
longitudinal center line of said sheet, so that
when the sheet is unwound from one roll and
wound upon the other the pull will be equally
distributed.