Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 18, 1926
Entire Industry Must Sell Music to
the Country, Declares C. D. Greenleaf
President of C. G. Conn, Ltd., in Speech Before Assembled Conn Dealers, Points Out Need
for 100 Per Cent Co-operation Between All Branches of the Trades
P
IND., September 10.—"It seems
to me that the whole music industry has
been asleep at the switch and letting the rest of
the world go by," declared C. D. Greenleaf,
president of C. G. Conn, Ltd., in his address to
the dealers who had gathered for the second
annual dealer convention at the Conn factory
in Elkhart, Ind. "I believe that the ultimate
C. U. Cireenieaf
necessity will be that the whole music industry
will have to get together and sell music to the
people of this country so they will spend
money for music and not for all the other things
for which they do spend four or five billion dol-
lars a year."
Mr. Greenleaf quoted an impressive list of
statistics, showing that the American people
spend, annually, about $2,910,000,000 for auto-
mobiles, $88,000,000 for washing machines, $69,-
000,000 for vacuum cleaners, $70,000,000 for
phonographs, $100,000,000 for pianos, $400,000,-
000 for jewelry, and at least $300,000,000 for
radio. "There are two items in this list which
are entirely old," he went on. "Except for
jewelry and pianos, these things were prac-
tically unheard of in 1900. It seems to me that
there is some significance in that fact. With the
proper kind of advertising we can sell our
product in much larger volume, but we can't do
it by merely a constant reiteration that this is
the best instrument and this is the lowest price.
"Let us consider the types of advertising.
Take for instance oil heaters. The advertise-
ments of an oil heater concern devote about
three-quarters of their effort to show that an
oil heater is better than a coal heater. The
main argument is devoted to selling the idea of
buying oil heaters of some kind. It is the same
with electric refrigerators.
"We have told the public to buy Conn horns
because So.usa and others use them, and so on,
assuming that the public wants to buy horns
of some kind. I think this is a false assump-
tion. We have to develop some other kind of an
argument as to why people should buy horns.
Certain other arguments have been suggested.
Banjo and Drum Heads
Genuine Rogers "Quality brands"
wert given Medal and highest
awards over all others.
Five grades to select from, cheapest
to the very best.
White calf in thin, medium and
heavy.
Joseph Rogers, Jr., & Son
Farmingdale, N. J.
35
The Music Trade Review
One is the mental value of music, that is to
say, as mental training. Ex-president Eliot, of
Harvard, recently deceased, is authority for the
statement that sight reading of music is as
valuable a mental discipline as the study of
mathematics or Greek."
Mr. Greenleaf then went on to review some
of the advertising efforts of C. G. Conn, Ltd.,
as they are now appearing. He pointed out that
the purpose of the current Conn billboard cam-
paign is primarily to sell the idea of music, with
sale of Conn instruments as the secondary aim.
He also explained the system of national ad-
vertising used by his company, and quoted
figures to prove that Conn dealers benefit by
the inquiries resulting from the advertisements.
That the inductive method of study, just now
coming into prominence in music, has been used
in other lines with great success for many years
was pointed out by Mr. Greenleaf, who said
that the new method of study should prove a
great boon to the music industry. "I understand
perfectly well that anybody who wants to be
a professional musician must study every day,
but we do not expect to develop the whole
population into professional musicians. We
know that everybody has a certain amount of
musical ability and can enjoy it. What we want
to do is develop the people of this country so
that they can play while they are in school, and
after they get through school they are better
able to enjoy music and will also be sufficiently
interested so that they will keep on with their
playing. In this way they will provide timber
for lodge bands, factory bands, and so forth.
The great majority of young people will know
how to play some band instrument to a certain
extent. That is what we want, and I believe
we can get it."
Miller Appears in Canton
CANTON, O., September 13.—After an absence
of two years Ray Miller and his Brunswick
recording orchestra played a three nights' en-
gagement at the Moonlight Ballroom, at Meyers
Lake Park, attracting the biggest business of
the Fall season. Mr. Miller played a two nights'
engagement here two years ago to record
patronage. Brunswick dealers here pushed
Miller's recordings during the stay. In the
three nights Mr. Miller featured many of his
most recent record successes.
Chartered in Richmond, Va.
The Automatic Musical Instrument Corp.,
Richmond, Va., has been granted a charter re-
cently to lease and operate musical instruments.
The proprietors of the business are W. Ioor,
president; S. D. Thompson, secretary, both of
Grand Rapids, Mich., and H. A. Van Opstall,
of New York.
McMahon Co. to Move
ALLIANCE, O., September 13.—The McMahon
Piano Co. store at 556 East Main street will
move soon to a new location owing to the ex-
piration of the lease, it has been announced.
The merchandise will be closed out and when
the store opens in larger quarters all stocks
of pianos and talking machines will be new.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
f
oltoris
Electric
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review.
Black Diamond
Strings
THE WORLD'S BEST
Hie Slipperiest
Combination Eve.r
*Made by Hand of\Man
Holton oil has more than a quarter century of outstanding
success in its favor and is more popular with musicians to.
day than ever before.
A staple all-year-round article in constant demand.
Sanitary and clean. N o . 1 for Trombones and Saxophones.
Holton Clarke for valves. N o . i for Clarinet*. Retails at
£.25 a bottle. Write for information on our terms to dealers.
The Holton Agency Franchise becomes more valuable each
year. Write aGout it,
"Over 300.000 Botttts Sold Ytarly"
National Musical String Co.
New Brunswick, N. J.
FRANK HOLTON & CO.
Mmmfatturm of Holton't—Amtrka'i GrtattU Band Itutnamntt
S6j CHURCH ST., ELKHORN, WIS.
(/•MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Manufacturers of musical instrument cases
of quality. Veneer, Duck, Leather, Fibre.
^eFELSBERC CO, 40Cross5tNewark.Ni