Music Trade Review

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IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
Training the Music Salesman in the
Merchants' Standard Music Department
Some of the Problems That Confront the Retail Sheet Music Merchant in Obtaining Properly
Trained Employes in This Department and How They May Be Solved
Tp OR a long period the standard sheet music
* dealer has been faced with the problem of
training new music clerks and retaining old
ones in his employ. This problem has not
been lessened in more recent years due to the
fact that the progress in the standard music
field has been quite substantial and necessitated
an increasing use of music clerks.
Dealers have often complained that their
very best salesmen are too often lured into
other fields. They are attracted to positions
that are more remunerative. For this latter
situation there is no cure. There will always
be and there should be competition of that sort.
In most instances while the employer regrets
the loss of employes attracted to other fields
they do not, of course, care to place obstacles
in the advancement of promising persons.
Naturally, where the dealer is constantly train-
ing salesmen the too frequent loss of such
services after they have attained some measure
of competence and success is, to say the least,
a little burdensome.
Now all successful employes of a standard
sheet music establishment must be trained
workers. A large part of their activities is
head work, memory, a quick judgment of vari-
ous tastes, a complete knowledge of music in
all of its various phases, a quick assimilation of
the season's music trend and current events, and
a mind that while trained for its duties is able
to reply promptly when necessity arises to
records, catalogs, etc., for the specific informa-
tion that is not available otherwise. If all of
this is true, and with due respect for the need
of good salesmanship, the underneath function
of a person with such knowledge is more in the
nature of competent librarian and teacher. If a
large percentage of the competent clerk's ac-
tivities must needs be along the lines of a
trained librarian able to guide, as"sist and con-
tribute constructively to the music needs of the
community, including the teacher, student and
others, then this whole question should be
treated from an entirely different angle. If
these premises are true then the consideration
of the problem takes on an entirely different
aspect. Then the present stress that is laid
upon the salesmanship features of such em-
ployes' work should be somewhat lessened and
the atmosphere of training such employes or
inducing them to y enter sheet music activities
should be governed along the lines of training
the mind for a specialized work. A work that
only compares in remuneration with that of the
related activities in libraries. Possibly if stores
were operated along such lines the dissatisfac-
tion of employes in their salaries and in the
work itself would be, to a great extent, elimi-
nated.
In other words, in laying too much stress on
salesmanship, when, after all, the large part of
the functions of the music clerk are governed
by numerous other attributes, is an erroneous
attitude. Something along this line is certainly
worthy of consideration because it is well
known that, despite the scope of knowledge
necessary to be a successful music clerk, the
compensation, owing to the nature of the busi-
ness, must be limited. The sheet music dealer
operates and probably will continue to operate
on a very small margin of profit. Owing to the
average small unit of sale these departments are
not able to make adjustments o< - attain a better
balance through larger unit of sale as is pos-
sible in many other lines of business. This
branch of the music business, the sheet music
activities, must, of course, pay for itself and
they must do so on present margins of profit.
These profits show no likelihood of ever being
substantially increased and even with some
slight increases the situation would not be im-
proved sufficiently to make any large difference
in the remuneration of retail employes. There
is always the small unit of sale, the attention
and time that must be given to each purchase
and other factors that make this end of the
music business something other than mere mer-
chandising.
If the new employes entering the sheet music
retail field were not given any false ideas of the
possibilities the industry would probably get as
many interested in the work as is possible to
do at present, and at the same time it would
make for mental ease and satisfaction on the
part of the worker. The work is interesting
and for those that have some musical knowl-
edge and a love for music it is a most digni-
fied and constructive calling. There is advance-
ment for those who attain exceptional com-
petence and who are willing to work whole-
heartedly for the growth of music appreciation.
Such advancements only come, however, to the
trained worker and those who love music and
who are not to be lured away to other and
probably work of a less permanent character.
New Xlnt Go. Numbers
SONGS THAT SELL
—
Just a Little Lonter (Irving Berlin)
Because I Love You (Irving Berlin)
How Many Times (Irving Berlin)
When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob,
Bobbin' Along
I'm on My Way Home (Irving Berlin)
That's a Good Girl (Irving Berlin)
My Baby Knows How
(I'm Tellin' the Birds—Tellin' the Bees)
How I Love You
Oh! How She Could Play a I kulclc
When I'm in Your Arms
Rags
Some Day
So Will 1
Elsie Shultx-en-Heim
Susie's Feller
I Never Knew What the Moonlight Could Do
At Peace With the World
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (If I Knew
I'd Find You)
I'd Love to Meet That Old Sweetheart of
Mine
Remember
Always
Let's Make I'p
But I Do, You Know I Do
Who Wouldn't?
In the Middle of the Night
Blue Bonnet, You Make Me Feel Blue
Roses Remind Me of You
Tonight's My Night With Baby
Put Yotir Arms Where They Belong
Poor Papa
Gimme a Little Kiss—Will Ya? Huh?
If You Miss Me as I Miss You
And Then I Forget
Old-Fashioned Sal
Pretty Cinderella
—
BOOKS THAT SELL
New I'niversal Dance Folio No. 12
Special Kdition for l!Ci7
X
—
Peterson'* I'kulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
Tiddle I>« I'ken
Strum It With Crumit
Irving Berlin's Song Gems
From the Musical Comedy Sensation
The Xlnt Music Co., 1523 Ohm avenue,
Bronx, N. Y., publisher of the popular songs,
"Sweetest Girl, I Long for You," and "Love
Me as I Love You," is sending out several
thousand orchestrations to leading orchestras
throughout the country. In conjunction with
this national publicity move an effort is being
made to interest vaudeville singers in these
two numbers.
Recent additions to the Ager, Yellen & Born-
stein staff include Moe Kraus, to the writing
^-tafif in the New York office; Carl Lamont on
the Coast with an office at 935 Market street,
"THE COCOANUTS"
—
Tlnr-allnf the Bell'll Ring
Why Do You Want to Know Why?
Floridii By the Sea
The Monkey Doodle Doo
Lueky Boy
We Should Care
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
San Francisco; Johnny Green in Boston and
Chick Castle in the Chicago office.
Around the globe—no Music Books are better than
the MOST POPULAR - - these £acts are sub-
stantiated by the best dealers everywhere
Wire for descriptive catalog—order from jobber or direct from publisher
Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc., Publishers, New York City
46
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