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OCTOBER 16, 1926
The Music Trade Review
Detroit Music Dealers Guests of the
Cleveland Music Trades Association
Pittsburgh Dealers Also Present at Conference Held in That City on the Piano-playing Contest—
Cleveland Urged to Hold Contest Similar to Detroit
/CLEVELAND, O-, October 11.—A gathering
of music merchants in Cleveland yesterday
drew as large a crowd as the average conven-
tion did a few years ago and October 10 was
Sunday. It would have been still larger had
there been time to notify some of the out-of-
town visitors further in advance than was done.
Circumstances, however, made this impossible
and, as it was, the affair was twice postponed
The Cleveland Music Trades Association was
host and the principal object of the meeting was
to hear Frank J. Bayley and Roy A. Maypole,
of Detroit, who so successfully engineered the
Detroit piano-playing contest, tell how it was
done at first hand.
The Detroit Delegation
The Detroit delegation comprising Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Bayley, Mr. and Mrs. Roy A. May-
pole, Mr. and Mrs. Walter A. Elstrom, Mr. and
Mrs. Roy A. Langs, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mc-
Cullough, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Niewidowski and
George Burke and Miss Peterson were met at
the dock by a reception committee of the Cleve-
land Music Trades Association headed by Presi-
dent Anthony Maresh and Otto C. Muehlhauser,
chairman of the committee of arrangements.
They were taken to the Hotel Statler, where
the other members of the local association wel-
comed them.
Representatives From Pittsburgh
The ladies of the party retired to a suite re-
served for them and the men attended the busi-
ness session that opened at 10 o'clock. A Pitts-
burgh delegation consisting of Charles L.
Hamilton, of S. Hamilton Co.; Mrs. Mullen,
proprietor of Hendericks Piano Co.; C. C.
Latus, secretary of the Pittsburgh Piano Deal-
ers' Association, and Burt Hengevelt, sales man-
ager of S. Hamilton Co., arrived by train around
11 o'clock and were warmly welcomed.
State Association Officials Present
The officers of the Music Merchants Associa-
tion of Ohio were also present. O. H. Boyd,
president; C. M. Alford, vice-president; William
V. Crowe, treasurer, and Rexford C. Hyre,
secretary. Other out-of-town guests included
Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Smith, of Akron, and Ben
F. Clark, of Columbus, representative of the
Hallet & Davis Piano Co. and the Premier
Grand Piano Corp.
Bayley Tells of Contest Results
The meeting was opened by Otto C. Muehl-
hauser, who expressed himself as happy to see
such a representative attendance and so much
interest taken in the subject of a piano-playing
contest. He then introduced Frank J. Bayley,
of Detroit, who told of the necessity for en-
couraging self-expression in music. Mr. Bayley
also urged the Cleveland association to put on
a piano-playing contest and told what a great
thing it had been for the trade in Detroit. He
pointed out the psychology of the thing; how
the children were appealed to by their natural
desire to "show off." How other people, seeing
neighbors' children popular, determined their
own should be also. He went on to say that
the piano business needs publicity and that the
trouble with piano advertising is that it lacks
pull. He said that the piano-playing contest
appeals to the newspapers because it creates
news which boosts circulation. The piano busi-
ness in Detroit received more publicity through
the piano-playing contest than it had had in ten
years previous. This publicity showed that the
piano was popular, for if a thing is not popular
the public are not interested in it. Mr. Bayley
also reviewed what had been accomplished and
how it had been done through the piano-playing
contest.
Maypole Outlines Contest Details
The next speaker was Roy A. Maypole, of
Detroit, who was general chairman of the con-
test committee, and who in his opening remarks
told how the campaign carried on some few
years in the interests of the player-piano and
its ability to make music without requiring
study served to discourage many people from
having their children taught piano playing. He
also declared that in schools where piano in-
struction was compulsory the child regarded it
as a task and often took little real interest in
the work. He pointed out that the contest idea
served to arouse wide interest among children
and gave them a new conception of the de-
sirability of being able to play the piano by
hand.
Mr. Maypole then went on to describe the
manner in which the Detroit contest had been
conducted, and the steps that were necessary in
planning a similar contest in other cities. He
emphasized particularly the necessity of co-
operation on the part of city officials, newspa-
pers, school authorities, etc., and gave a general
talk along the general lines of that delivered by
him at the Ohio State convention in Columbus
recently.
Hyre Urges Contest in Cleveland
Rexford C. Hyre, secretary of the Music Mer-
New Publicity Department
Created by Brunswick Go.
H. Emerson Yorke Heads New Division Which
Will Disseminate News of Interest Regard-
ing Brunswick Products and Artists
CHICAGO, III., October 11.—An important addi-
tion to its trade facilities has just been created
by the phonograph division of the Brunswick-
H. Emerson Yorke
Balke-Collender Co. This consists of a pub-
licity department with its headquarters at gen-
eral offices in Chicago and its duties cover a
varied range of activities. This department will
handle national publicity and exploitation of
Brunswick artists, the Brunswick Panatrope,
Brunswick records and other matters in con-
nection with the phonograph division of the
Brunswick Co. in trade papers and other pub-
lications. The new department will prepare pro-
motional sales broadsides on Brunswick prod-
ucts, special catalogs and material on records
and instruments, and intends to issue the new
Brunswick magazine called Brunswick Topics,
a generously illustrated periodical relating to
Brunswick activities and to be issued to the
trade and public through the dealers.
H. Emerson Yorke has been selected as the
head of this, department and his varied expe-
chants Association of Ohio, then spoke briefly
in which he stated that in his opinion a piano-
playing contest should appeal to the dealer, the
newspapers, school board, parents and teacher
clubs, and in regard to the latter emphasized the
strong influence they wielded. In conclusion he
said that Cleveland cannot let Detroit get ahead
of her. At this time the meeting adjourned
and groups continued the discussion of the
piano-playing contest idea.
At one-thirty the party drove out to the
Shaker Heights Country Club, each machine be-
ing decorated with banners suitably inscribed
for the occasion. On arrival at the club a fine
chicken dinner was served and at its conclusion
Mr. Muehlhauser called on some of those pres-
ent for a few remarks. The first was Henry
Dreher, who expressed himself as feeling very
gratified to see such a fine attendance and to
know that those present were all so interested
in music.
C. C. Latus, of Pittsburgh, said that he hoped
to see a piano-playing contest put on in Pitts-
burgh at no distant date. There were also short
talks by Anthony Maresh, president of the
Cleveland Music Trades Association; O. H.
Boyd, president of the Music Merchants' Asso-
ciation of Ohio, and Walter A. Elstrom, who
told some humorous stories. During the dinner
Rexford C. Hyre read bulletins regarding the
world series.
Following the dinner there was an automobile
ride over the Heights and to points of interest
and thence to the Hotel Statler.
rience, both with the Brunswick Co. and before
he became associated with the New York office
three years ago, makes him particularly well
fitted for this important position. For five years
before joining Brunswick Mr. Yorke was asso-
ciated with M. Witmark & Sons as manager of
the mechanical department and formed a large
circle of friends in the music trade, and in the-
atrical and associated circles. He is also a
pioneer in radio broadcasting, having promoted
one of the first hours of "Better Music" during
the early stage of organized broadcasting, which
was known as the "Witmark Black and White
Hour."
In New York he was in charge of the pub-
licity and sales promotion of the Eastern divi-
sion of the Brunswick Co. and was manager of
the record department of the New York branch.
In the latter field he inaugurated the idea of
lobby record display boards now widely used
and during the "Brunswick on Broadway"
month he placed display boards in fifteen of
the leading motion picture houses, supper clubs
and theatres on Broadway.
With the introduction of the Brunswick
Panatrope, Mr. Yorke became engaged in the
great demonstration program of that instrument
and was chosen as one of five men selected from
the Brunswick organization to be special repre-
sentatives. His success at this work in the East
led to his appointment as manager of the pub-
licity department at Chicago headquarters. As
he is well known throughout the trade for his
enthusiasm, energy and sincerity in aiding all
dealers with whom he has come in contact, his
promotion will meet with favor.
Now the Allen Music Shop
OCONTO FALLS, WIS., October 9.—Arno Maigat-
ter, proprietor of the music store bearing his
name on Main street, this city, has sold his in-
terest in the business to Edward Allen, who will
conduct the store under the name of the Allen
Music Shop in the future. Mr. Maigatter has
been made general manager of the Groulx Music
Co., which operates a chain of music stores in
this section of the State. Mr. Maigatter will
make his headquarters in Green Bay, and has
moved to that city.
J. A. Parrish and his son, Craig Parrish, have
purchased the business of the Pontjac Music
Shop, Pontiac, 111., from P. H. VonQualen and
F. J. O'Connor.