Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
NOVEMBER 19, 1927
The Music Trade Review
Winner in Standard Pneumatic Sales
Contest Has $66,245 Volume of Sales
Jack T. Rosen, Janssen Retail Division, New York, Awarded First Prize of $1,000—
Long List of Other Prize Winners in the Event
'HpHE final results of the national player-piano
•*• selling contest, conducted by the Standard
Pneumatic Action Co., New York, from Feb-
ruary 24 of this year to September 24, were
made known this week, and the names of the
winners as well as the cash awards in each
case were officially announced. It will be re-
membered that this sales contest was announced
in The Review and through other channels early
in the year, at which time the company sent
out an elaborate twenty-page prospectus con-
taining the details of the competition.
The prospectus, which had a striking gold-
and-black cover, was virtually a complete sales
manual, outlining the salient selling points of
the player-piano. A copy of this selling
brochure was sent to every piano dealer in
the United States and Canada about a month
before the contest started and thousands of
additional copies were furnished to salesmen.
Haskin & Sells, certified public accountants
of New York, judges of the contest, have sub-
mitted their report, which shows the following
winners:
possibilities of the player-piano, if the right
selling effort and enthusiasm is put behind it.
He drew this conclusion from the fact that a
single individual, Jack T. Rosen, of New York,
sold in seven months' time player-pianos,
equipped with the Standard player action, hav-
ing a total value of over $66,000, through the
incentive of this national selling contest.
"The Standard Pneumatic Action Co.," Mr.
Mennie stated, "will reap benefits from this
contest for many months to come, in view of
the fact that during the slow Summer months
we were busy, when many manufacturers found
that their player sales were not brisk." Mr.
Mennie added that in any affair of this kind
there is always a tinge of regret that there
could not be enough prizes so that every con-
testant could participate in the prize money,
but due to the great number of salesmen enter-
ing this contest this is obviously not possible.
Mr. Mennie stated that on behalf of the officers
of the Standard Pneumatic Action Co. he is
taking the opportunity through the medium of
the trade papers to congratulate publicly not
Jack T. Rosen, Janssen Retail Division, New York City, total credits 6,624.5, sales total $66,245, first prize
$1,000; Frank Pascale, Mathushek Piano Co., New Haven, Conn., total credits 2,515, sales total $25,150, second prize
$500; F. L. O'Donnell, C A. House Co., Wheeling, W. Va., total credits 2,146.25, sales total $21,462.50, third prize
$200'; M. M. Badstuelmer, Trenton, N. J., total credits 1,842, sales total $18,420, fourth prize $100; J. B. Meitzen,
Walt'hall Music Co., San Antonio, Texas, total credits 1,554.5, sales total $15,545, fifth prize $50; C. S. Jackson, Chas.
S. Norris Co., Boston, Mass., total credits 1,550, sales total $15,500, sixth prize $50; Jacob Gaiser, Biddle Piano Co.,
New York City, total credits 1,331, sales total $13,310, seventh prize $25; E. A. Fierman, Henry F. Miller Co.,
Boston, Mass., total credits 1,248, sales total $12,480, eighth prize $25; Kirk J. Coffrin, Forbes & Wallace, Springfield,
Mass., total credits 1,118.7, sales total $11,187, ninth prize $25; Bob Ham, Maison Blanche Co., New Orleans, La.,
total credits 1,111.1, sales total $11,111, tenth prize $25. Separate sets of prizes for cities under 50,000. Two
additional sets of prizes were awarded exclusively for salesmen selling in cities' under 10,000 population, and from
10,000 to 50,000 population. The following salesmen won prizes in the 10,000 to 50,000 group: Mrs. C. Murdock,
Chicago Heights, III., total credits 2,069.5, sales total $20,695, first prize $300; H. J. Marlette, Port Huron, Mich.,
total credits 756, sales total $7,560, second prize $100; A. E. Willard, Mathushek & Son, Plainfield, N. J., total
credits 577.5, sales total $5,775, third prize $S0; Paul O. Rieck, Mt. Carmel, Pa., total credits 559, sales total $5,590,
fourth prize $25; Lester R. Taylor, Taylor Bros. Co., total credits 428.5, sales total $4,285, fifth prize $25. Three
prize winners in the group of cities under 10,000 population: M. Mat La Vail, Philip Werlein Co., McComb, Miss.,
total credits 800.5, sales total $8,005, first prize $300; B. H. Webber, Belfast, Me., total credits 257.5, sales total
$2,575, second prize $100; George Oschwald, Lawrenceville, 111., total credits 230, sales total $2,300, third prize $50.
W. A. Mennie, president of the Standard
Pneumatic Action Co., pointed to the results
of the contest to illustrate the enormous selling
only the winners of the contest, but the many
who made a good showing but not quite suf-
ficient to win any of the prizes.
So. California Association
Custom-made Pianos to Be
Holds Instructive Meeting
Featured by Sherman-Clay
James O. Cook, Jr., of Local Advertising Club,
Emphasizes Value of Window Displays, Par-
ticularly in Southern California
Special Department Along Unique Lines Estab-
lished in San Francisco Under the Direction
of W. Ambrose Whitner
Los ANGELES, CAL., November 12.—The Novem-
ber general meeting of the Music Trades Asso-
ciation of Southern California was held on
Wednesday evening, November 9, and was at-
tended by a representative number of members,
who listened to an instructive talk on the
"Value of Windows" to the retail store. The
meeting was held under the chairmanship of
the new president, W. H. Richardson, who
introduced James O. Cook, Jr., chairman, win-
dow display department of the Advertising
Club of Los Angeles. Interesting figures and
statistics were given by Mr. Cook in regard
to the percentage of expenditure on window
display to the total cost of advertising as
experienced in other retail lines. He stated
that many big department stores spent as much
as 25 per cent of their advertising on their
windows alone, much of which, of course, rep-
resented expensive settings, costly models and
fixtures, as well as the salaries of expert win-
dow dressers and their assistants. He said
that, due to climatic conditions in Los Angeles,
more "window shopping" perhaps was indulged
in than elsewhere and that merchants in the
Southland generally took advantage of these
circumstances with results that could be traced
directly.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., November 10.—Sherman,
Clay & Co. have just started a custom-made
piano department. W. Ambrose Whitner, who
has had years of experience as an interior
decorator and designer, has been engaged as
manager of the new department of custom
design. Mr. Whitner is an expert on period
designs and periods^ generally. He helps cus-
tomers to get the pianos to suit their rooms.
He can assist them in selecting the correct
period design. Or, if they want to run to pure
fantasy, they can have pianos painted in any
colors they admire, or they can be ornamented
with harps, demons or any other design that
takes their fancy. While Sherman, Clay & Co.
are giving special attention to period designs
of Steinway pianos, they can also give cus-
tomers special designs in custom-built pianos
of more inexpensive make.
When asked regarding the new department
of custom design, Richard Ahlf, head of the
piano department, Sherman, Clay & Co., said
that the company's shops have been doing a
certain amount of decorating, etc., in their
shops for years past. The designing of the
custom-made pianos will be done at the fac-
tories or at the company's own shops here.
It is generally believed that Sherman, Clay &
Co. is the first retail piano house to have a
department of custom design, though the fac-
tories have such departments.
Carlos Cobian Praises
the Christman Piano
A letter was recently received by the Christ-
man Piano Co., New York, from Carlos Cobian,
composer and musician, in which he states:
"You have my best wishes for your further and
I
Carlos Cobian
|
continued success of the Studio grand. Its per-
fect harmony and sonority inspire me in my
work. I heartily recommend your piano for its
tone and singing qualities."
Carlos Cobian was born in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, and first became famous when at the
age of nine years he composed a barcarola in D
minor. He was a pupil of the National Academy
of Music in Buenos Aires and later at the sug-
gestion of Camille Saint-Saens, the composer
of Samson and Delilah, he made a tour of
Europe. Cobian's compositions are typical
Argentine music and are famous in all Latin-
American countries as well as in France and
Spain.
Lower Freight Rates on
Used Pianos to Coast
Twenty-Five Cent Reduction on Both Carload
and Less Than Carload Shipments by Water
From New York to Pacific Coast
Hill & Sons, well-known dealers in used
pianos and player-pianos, of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
announce that they have secured a lower freight
rate on used pianos shipped to the Pacific Coast
by water, as a result of taking the matter up
with the United States Intercostal Conference.
The previous rate was $1.75 per hundred pounds
on L. C. L. shipments, and $1.25 on carloads of
12,000 pounds or over. The new rate is $1.50
per hundred L. C. L., and $1.00 per hundred
pounds on carload shipments. The rate applies
to second-hand pianos, securely boxed and of a
declared value not exceeding $75 per instru-
ment.
Goelzlin Establishes New
Agencies for Pianos
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., November 12.—On a
business trip of two weeks' duration, through
the Sacramento Valley, L. Goelzlin, proprietor
of the Pacific Music Co., opened several new
accounts for the Mathushek Piano Manufactur-
ing Co. and also some new accounts for Cable
& Sons, for both of which firms he distributes
in northern California. Small uprights, he
found, seem to be more in demand than any
other style, even in the smaller towns. Mr.
Goelzlin has been shipping some players to
Australia, where they still enjoy considerable
popularity. Among a considerable foreign ele-
ment in California there is a good demand for
foot-power players.