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SEPTEMBER 17, 1927
moonlight boat ride on Lake Erie on the
steamer "City of St. Ignace," observing the sky-
line of Cleveland set off by myriads of lights and
dancing on the steamer's deck to the music of
an excellent orchestra.
Tuesday Luncheon
The official association luncheon was held on
Tuesday noon in the main ballroom of the hotel
with A. L. Maresh, president of the Cleveland
Music Trades Association, as chairman. Mr.
Maresh was introduced by Secretary Hyre and,
in his opening address, welcomed to the city the
members of the association from other sections
of the State and told of the plans for their en-
tertainment as made by the Cleveland mer-
chants. He stated that the music business,
while only fair at present, held promise of
improvement and took occasion to share among
unemployment in various parts of the State,
restricted immigration, prohibition and the craze
for automobiles, the blame for the decline in
piano sales. He said in part:
"The Music Merchants of Ohio Association
was organized in Cleveland nineteen years ago.
Its founders had but one thought in mind: Unity.
Being banded together they have driven the
'puzzle,' the 'F. O. B.,' the 'Account of moving
to California,' and other schemes and recently
the lascivious songs, out of Ohio, we hope for-
ever. They have torn off the mask of the un-
scrupulous dealer who keeps on misleading the
public with fake advertisements, such as a $950
latest 1927 model player-piano, no down pay-
ment, used only three months, for $235, includ-
ing cabinet, bench, fifty latest player rolls, lamp,
scarf and a free life insurance policy. Is it any
wonder that the legitimate dealer suffered? The
general public lost confidence. Ohio has no
room for the crooked dealer—either stay
straight or get out.
"The Music Merchants' Association of Ohio
will have a membership of close to 600. This
is by far the largest State organization in the
United States. The aim of its officers is not
high salaries, but to build still stronger, to see
how much good they can do for every fellow
member—a work of love.
"Our future is just what we make it; our pur-
pose will give it its character. One's resolu-
tion is one's prophecy. There is no bright out-
look for the man who has no great inspiration.
"Leave all your discouraging pessimism be-
hind. Do not prophesy evil but good. Have the
purpose within you to bring along better times
and better times will come. Men who hope large
things are public benefactors—men of hope to
the front! Remember there are three kinds of
people in this world: The Wills, the Won'ts and
the Can'ts. The first accomplish everything, the
second oppose everything, and the third fail in
everything. To which class do you belong?"
The chairman then introduced Hon. Harry
L. Davis, former Mayor of Cleveland and ex-
Governor of Ohio, who welcomed the visiting
delegates to the city. The welcome was re-
sponded to by O. H. Boyd, president of the asso-
ciation.
The next speaker was Edward C. Boykin, ex-
ecutive secretary of the Sales Promotion Com-
mittee of the National Piano Manufacturers
Association, who outlined what has been accom-
plished by the committee in carrying on national
advertising in the interest of the piano and
in co-operation in group instruction and piano-
playing contest movements. He stated that at
the present time some 800 dealers throughout
the country are co-operating in the work by giv-
ing it local support, and that over 5,000 coupons
had been received in response to advertising sug-
gesting an easy way to learn to play the piano
and that the majority of them came from
mothers^ At present the committee is sending
out a monthly news sheet featuring the piano in
various ways to over 700 newspapers in all
sections. All the promotional work that has
been carried on or that may follow will be of
little value, declared Mr. Boykin, unless there is
attention given to improving the caliber of sales-
manship in the trade to take quick and proper
advantage of the public interest that has been
The Music Trade Review
aroused in the piano. The point of contact be-
tween the trade and the public is the most vital
point, he said, and a high level of efficiency must
be maintained.
During the luncheon the delegates were enter-
tained with dance selections played by the King
Troubadours through the courtesy of the H. N.
White Co., Cleveland, maker of King band in-
struments, one of the selections being "Life is
But a Dream," a waltz composed by A. L.
Maresh, president of the Cleveland Association
and chairman of the luncheon. Eugene Bergen,
an eleven-year-old violin prodigy, also played
several selections in a manner that aroused en-
thusiasm.
Tuesday Afternoon Meeting
The afternoon session opened with a lengthy
discussion regarding the action of the police of
several Ohio cities, particularly Columbus, in
prosecuting dealers who demonstrate talking
machines and radios in front of their places of
business. It appeared that in at least one case a
store owner was arrested for operating a phono-
graph within the store proper, but placed so
that the music was heard in the street. Several
of the dealers were in favor of police regulation
in many cases where the demonstrations might
be held to constitute a nuisance, but there was
an inclination to have ordinances passed that
would definitely define when and where an in-
strument might be demonstrated.
F. B. Beinkamp, chairman of the committee
on the advancement of music, was unable to be
present and had no official report to make.
However, he did send the following brief report
which was read by Rexford C. Hyre, secretary:
"One of the best ways to promote the music
business would be for our association to have
a weekly radio hour. This I have suggested
several times before. The only way to promote
the business is to create a desire for self-expres-
sion. The foot player would be selling today if
the music men had promoted the idea of sing-
ing with it instead of wabbling on the bench
to jazz rhythm and reading cheap, trashy, silly
words. They killed a goose that was laying
golden eggs. Radio should encourage a desire
for self-expression. Remember my slogan 'If
you're a performer you're a better listener.'
That's the central idea."
Getting Young Men Into the Business
One of the interesting features of the session
was the talk by E. O. Callander, of Zanesville,
regarding his investigations to determine why
young men hesitated to enter the music business
as a career. He said that the general impression
was that sales resistance was too great, pos-
sibilities of earning much money small, and that
the members of.the trade, in many cases, did
not seem prosperous enough from surface in-
dications to make the field attractive to the out-
sider. He declared that most of the so-called
reasons were fallacies; that pianos were no
harder to sell than many other products, particu-
larly insurance, and that there were enough
prosperous members of the industry to encour-
age the youngster regarding his future.
Selecting Outside Lines
On the subject of "What outside lines should
be added by the retail music merchant to
strengthen his business?" J. H. Henderson, of
the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co., declared
that there were so many opportunities for sell-
ing in the music field itself that there should be
no need for adding outside lines. He said that
several instruments could be sold to one cus-
tomer with proper effort and that many dealers
were wrong in considering the sale closed when
they had disposed of a piano or a phonograph
to a prospect. If proper attention were given to
both the sale and the resale, he said, the dealer
would be too busy to consider other products,
for the field is almost limitless.
E. S. Hershberger, of Cleveland, representing
the B. W. Smith Co., Inc., talking machine and
radio jobber, held the view, on the other hand,
that there was room in the music store for
those electrical devices used by the housewife,
who, in the majority of cases, also selected the
musical instrument. He referred particularly to
electric refrigerators as something to offset the
Summer lull in music sales and offered many
facts to support his views.
Wednesday Session
At the opening of the final session of the con-
vention on Wednesday, considerable time was
devoted to a further discussion of outside lines
that might be handled in the warerooms of the
music merchant in order to increase the general
volume of sales. The opinion of the merchants
present appeared to be that it is best to stick to
lines closely allied to the music trade, for the
field for musical instrument sales, properly de-
veloped, is sufficient to occupy the dealers' time.
C. C. Baker, Columbus, O., then told of in-
stalling a musical soda fountain in his store to
biing in prospects to hear the music he sells.
The fountain is so constructed that its back is a
replica of organ pipes through which both talk-
ing machine and player music is given, the num-
bers being requested by those who come in. At
first, he said, the numbers were 50 per cent jazz
and 50 per cent classic, but the latter have
steadily developed until the requests are now 90
per cent for standard and classic. The average
number of those visiting the fountain is 1,000
daily and record sales alone have shown an in-
crease of 85 per cent.
Secretary Hyre then read the report of J.
Fred Van Court, upon the Association's mutual
insurance plan, outlining its many advantages
and the economies effected by it. The report
urged that members take out tornado insurance
against wind damage. Charles H. Yahrling
talked in favor of mutual insurance and urged a
special campaign among the members to take
advantage of it.
A. L. Maresh, in presenting the report of the
legislative committee, sounded a warning re-
(Continued on page 25)
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