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The Music Trade Review
SEPTEMBER 17, 1927
Encourage the Amateur Musician to
Enter the Retail Selling of Pianos
A. G. Gulbransen, President of the Gulbransen Co., Chicago, Points Out the Advan-
tages This Type of Salesman Brings to the Industry
U^VERYWHERE in the country are young
*-^ men who through aptitude or training are
peculiarly fitted for the piano business.
These are the men who play a musical instru-
ment of some sort and who will fit into an
orchestra, band or similar organization.
These young men should be encouraged by
every manufacturer and dealer to get into piano
selling. I realize that many of them are lack-
ing in business ability; but that is true of any
group of young men. They must be worked
with and culled out. The ones who cannot
produce will naturally fall out of the race.
I feel that not enough importance is attached
to the advantage that musical ability gives the
young man in the piano business. There are
men in the retail end right now, and who have
been for years, who are not making proper use
of their training in music, as a help to business
success.
The dealer with a small organization able to
furnish music whenever the occasion requires
has an undoubted publicity and sales advantage
over competitors. There are piano dealers who
conduct or play in municipal bands, who supply
music for dances, who play on special occa-
sions in local theatres, who furnish music for
openings of new stores, festivals, etc., and who
are always ready to put on a concert on short
notice.
In many cases these men have become lead-
ers in their communities, not only from the
music standpoint but as outstanding figures of
local prominence.
Music is in a large measure the stepping-
stone to success. Men who are musicians are
in demand many, many times during the course
of the year. Music gives an entry possible to
obtain in no other way.
In our house publication for August we have
the pictures and details of an orchestra which
one of our dealers has within his own estab-
lishment. The drums are played by a sales-
man; the first banjo by the manager of a
branch store; the second banjo by a salesman;
the first violin by a tuner; the guitar by a
salesman; the piano by the sales manager of the
main store. It goes without saying that the
little organization is putting the name of the
dealer on the map and will continue to keep it
there. The house, incidentally, is a sound, sub-
stantial business institution doing a very fair
volume of business. Its credit is excellent.
I came in contact a few days ago with an-
other one of our dealers who is the conductor
A. G. Gulbransen
of a little orchestra, not, however, composed
of employes of his store. A big department
store was to have an opening and what was
more natural than for them to come to the
music dealer and ask him where an orchestra
might be obtained. He offered his own and
then the representative of the department store
asked, "How about a piano? We have none."
The dealer said, "Never mind about that.
We will take care of the piano."
An arrangement was made and the little or-
chestra played, getting $75.00 for its services.
11
The piano was one of our small-sized instru-
ments, easily handled, and on the upper panel
appeared the name of the instrument and the
dealer by whom it was sold, so that all who
saw might read and thereby get the adver-
tising message.
This appearance paid the dealer in two ways
—••in a monetary way and in the way of pub-
licity.
This dealer and a number of others in this
particular State use instruments in that way at
dances, in theatre appearances, county fairs,
etc., but their musical ability is the key to the
whole thing.
The music business, when viewed from this
angle, might be said to be a business where the
work is particularly pleasant and where initi-
ative pays good returns.
I would say to dealers: Encourage young
men who have musical ability to fit themselves
for the music business. Encourage boy scout
bands. Encourage music competition of all
sorts.
Take a broad view of your business. We
cannot just go along taking everything out of
the music business that we can possibly get
out of it without putting something into it.
l.ct us put into it at least this thought, this
effort, to build up the personnel of the men
who are in the music business or who can be
attracted to it.
In Chicago a fund has just been raised that
will enable the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
players to receive a substantial increase in their
salaries. This has been a point of contention
for some time.
As salaries are measured at the present time,
the pay of these men is not unreasonably high.
Then if it is possible to pay them larger sal-
aries and they are entitled to them, why not
help them get it? What better way could there
be to attract men to the music profession than
to pay them adequate wages?
If men are expected to work for less than
normal standard of pay, there is no incentive
for them to get into a particular line of activ-
ity. This is true of the music profession, the
piano business, or any other line of endeavor.
If a man has musical ability, encourage him
to take up a line of work that fits in with his
ability, namely, the piano business. Pay him
in accordance with the work that he is capable
of doing and with the results that he is able
to show.
The personnel of the piano business needs
building up. As a matter of fact, the person-
nel of every business needs attention all of the
time if it is to be kept at its highest point of
proficiency.
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