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Apathy in the Player Industry, the
Fact, the Cause and Cure
The Fact of This State of Mind Is a Curious Lack of Live Working Interest — The Cause Is the False
Principles of Merchandising Too Often Put Behind This Instrument—The Cure Rests in the
Necessity of Reselling the People the Wonderful Game of Playing Their Own Music
W
HATEVER else may be uncertain in
this uncertain world, one thing is quite
certain; and that is that no good ever
came through apathy. The whole tendency of
our age is towards constant movement, and
whosoever attempts to stand still finds that he
must purchase this static condition at the cost
of complete stagnation, which is only a prelude
to decay and death. This is far more obviously
true, of course, with respect to an industry, that
is to a group activity, than to the activity of an
individual. The very moment that a group
activity stands still it begins to die. All indus-
trial history proves this, and no axiom ever pro-
pounded has better evidence in support of its
claims.
The wise man does not look towards the sun
to discover what may be the chances of its
shining all day. Rather the wise man looks
towards the Western horizon, that he may dis-
cern any clouds gathering. So, too, one should
not always look at figures of trade or at news
items about the increase of business this or that
house is enjoying if one wishes to forecast the
future of the player business. Rather one should
look outward toward the very farthest outposts
of the retail trade, and try to discover what spirit
animates the merchants who keep the stores and
the salesmen who come into actual contact with
the men, women and children into whose homes
player-pianos go. Only by so looking can one
hope to discern the truth.
Apathy: The Fact
And what does one then discern? The answer
unhappily is that the most conspicuous feature
disclosed by inspection is general apathy. There
is a curious lack of live working interest. Mer-
chants talk about the player business as if the
best were worked out of it and what remains
must be merely a sort of poor debris not likely
to last long, and certainly not to be expected to
amount to much.
N^ow, of course, talk is cheap and men are
likejy to say many things which in reality they
do not mean at all. Yet, it is unquestionably
true that too many merchants and salesmen
take an unhealthy view of the player business.
What strikes the observer most in this attitude
is the apparent resignation to unprospcrous
thoughts and feelings. It is really extraordinary
—this prevalent attitude of meekness and humil-
ity. Men in the retail business act as if the
golden days were over. They even acquiesce in
their own gloom and do nothing to fight against
it. What is the reason for so astonishing a state
of affairs?
Apathy: The Cause
The answer is really not far to seek. The fact
is that the player "game" has been conducted
upon false principles almost ever since it was
launched. One does not lightly and unprac-
tically make this accusation. On the other hand,
one does not throw the blame for a mistake
upon any single element in the circumstances.
One simply says that, owing to conditions which
were too powerful for those who were affected
by them, the true principle of player merchan-
dising was early lost. And, because of this fact,
the apathy which now seems so mournfully gen-
eral throughout the trade can easily be ex-
plained.
When the player-piano was new in the realms
of the piano business, it was under the owner-
ship and control of two interests, which were
wise enough to see that the only practical prin-
ciple of exploiting it was a strictly musical prin-
ciple. In fact, any one who will take the trouble
to read once more the early Pianola and An-
gelus advertising will see that one text sufficed
always for each of the many ingenious and
effective pieces of advertising copy by means of
which these pioneer instruments were launched.
This text was, in effect, this:
"You, man or woman, who love music but
cannot play the piano, can now become a player-
pianist; something which you will find to be
quite as delightful as being an ordinary manual
performer."
And a secondary text, equally common to all
the copy, was this:
"You must learn to play this new instrument,
but 'learning to play' means only that whereas
even the first time you sit down to it you pro-
duce music correctly as to the notes, the longer
you do this the more expressively and artis-
tically you perform, making yourself rapidly and
delightfully into a true musician of a new kind."
And the point is that just so long as these
texts were strictly adhered to the player
mounted steadily,' if not with terrifying speed,
into popularity. And it was going strong when
the impatience and the rashness of the retail
trade overturned the correct system and in place
of it substituted one quite wrong, although
plausible and speciously attractive.
The retail trade believed that the merchan-
dising was too high-brow and that the people
would not learn to play. Hence, began the cry
"this instrument needs no 'study,' a child can
play it." Originally this was adopted as a motto
by one dealer trying to kill another dealer's
sales through pretending that his instrument
needed no "study." And then the infection
spread everywhere. Within a year or two every
piano manufacturer was being pressed to turn
out a competitive player-piano. It was thought,
and firmly believed too, that with the slogan "a
child can play like a master" nothing stood be-
tween the trade and enormous prosperity except
the question of price. Low-priced player-pianos
were to mean immediate and lasting prosperity.
This is a sober statement of historical fact.
We all know the outcome, how after a few years
of fictitious prosperity the public interest died
away. The coming of the reproducing piano
did indeed revive that interest but in another
direction, for the appeal of the reproducing
piano, powerful and wonderful as it is, bases
itself upon a different foundation; upon listen-
ing instead of on performing. It is the differ-
ence between being entertained and oneself
playing a game.
The fact is that a child cannot play the'player-
piano well, in the sense in which an adult can
play it after due practice. And the public found
this out, so that when the phonograph, the re-
producing piano and the radio successively came
along, the player-piano, badly played, out of
tune, and acceptable only for want of something
better, lost its appeal. Hence an apathetic trade,
wondering what next to do.
Apathy: The Cure
Well, it is time to forget and to put aside
apathy. The player-piano, since the days men-
tioned above, has been unwisely merchandised.
It is time to merchandise it wisely once more.
Let us forget prices and forget mutual knock-
ing. Let us forget piffle and get down to fact.
The player-piano is the world's most fascinating
musical instrument, but only a scattered few
enthusiasts to-day know what it is or can be
made, to do. Yet, its potential selling power is
enormous. Let us then face the facts. Let us
resell the American people, who love games of
every sort, on the wonderful game of playing
their own music. The appeal here is actually
the most powerful that could be imagined. Let
us start in again talking music, demonstrating,
learning to play well ourselves, advertising the
great game of personal playing. Let us stage a
great national player-playing contest. Let us,
in fact, put into our job one-half the energy
we once put into cutting prices, and we shall
bring back the player-piano.
And the Sun Comes
Then we may once more look at the sun and
forget signs of clouds upon the Western horizon.
Pacific Coast Plant of
Columbia Co. Operating
New Factory in Oakland, CaJ., Will Be De-
voted to Recording and Manufacturing New
Process Records by Local Artists
The latest Columbia Phonograph Co. re-
cording and manufacturing unit, located in
Oakland, Cal., has started the production of
Columbia New Process Records. .
In order that the music lovers in the Far
West may have the latest popular hits that
are written by Pacific Coast composers and
sung and played by Coast artists and organiza-
tions, the new plant will specialize in the re-
cording of such numbers. This will be a
distinct departure from anything ever before
attempted by Columbia in this country. It is
another step in the forwarding of the Columbia
policy of making it possible for everyone to
have the music they love as it's recorded by
home artists.
This modern plant, located in one of the
great manufacturing centers of the country,
will be able to give quick distribution of the
latest recordings to every dealer in the West-
ern States. Hereafter the time consumed by
shipments from Eastern points will be saved.
A charter has been granted to the Com-
munity Music Shop, Peoria, 111., which will
deal in musical instruments in that city. The
officers are Ivan H. Derges, Hugh P. Marshall,
Nellie Derges and Louise Marshall.
PIANO
PIANO S C A R F S
COVERS and BENCH-CUSHIONS
0. RIMM« H F ( . CO