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The Music Trade Review
REVIEW
(Registered in the U. S. Patent Office)
Published Every Saturday by
Federated Business Publications, Inc.
at 420 Lexington Avenue, New York
President, Raymond Bill; Vice-Presidents, J. B. Spillane, Randolph Brown; Secre-
tary and Treasurer, Edward Lyman Bill; Assistant Secretary, L. B. McDonald;
Assistant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
B. BRITTAIN WILSON, Editor
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
W. H. MCCLEARY, Managing Editor
RAY BILL, Associate Editor
F. L. AVERY, Circulation Manager
E. B. MUNCH, Eastern Representative
WESTERN DIVISION:
FRANK W. KIRK, Manager
E. J. NEALY
Republic Bldg., 209 S. State St., Chicago
Telephone: Wabash S242-S243
BOSTON OFFICE:
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone: Main 6950
Telephone: Lexington 1760-71
Vol. 86
Cable: Elbill New York
March 24, 1928
No. 12
Undermanned — Undersold
ORTY-SEVEN per cent of the families in the United
States, or upward of 12,428,000 of such families, have
annual incomes ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, and 6.6
per cent of American families, or 1,750,000, have incomes between
$5,000 and $10,000. In short, there are close to 15,000,000 homes
in the country where, from a financial standpoint, a piano should
logically find a place.
It is estimated that there are approximately 8,000,000 pianos in
the country, which means that barely half of the families that may
be regarded as being in a financial position to purchase such an in-
strument of one grade or another has thus far been provided. Tak-
ing the situation from a most pessimistic standpoint, and eliminating
half of those potential customers for one reason or another, there
still remain over 3,000,000 families in the income class that may
be regarded as piano prospects who are still to be reached. Over a
ten-year period, at the very satisfactory production of 300,000 in-
struments a year, it would take the trade as it is now constituted
ten years to take care of this market, disregarding for the moment
the increases in population and income, and the replacement busi-
ness that might logically be expected
To say that there are 8,000,000 pianos in the homes of the
country sounds impressive, and yet our friends the tuners can tell
us very candidly just how great a proportion of these instruments
are fit only for the junk heap and the substantial number that need
major repairs before they are fit for use. The story is told of a
business man who over a period of seventeen years built and occu-
pied three new homes, each one a little more elaborate than the last.
On each occasion he junked the greater part of his furniture and
New Quarters Leased by
the State Music Co.
President Isabelle Van Ness, of Mansfield, O.,
Concern, Signs 99-Year Lease on Prominent
Business Property in That City
MANSFIELD, O-, March 19.—'Miss Isabelle Van
Ness, president of the State Music Co., this city,
has just leased a building at the corner of West
Fourth and North Walnut streets with a front-
age of 120 feet and a depth of 118 feet for a
period of ninety-nine years, and the company
will occupy the premises after elaborate altera-
tions have been made, which is expected to be
about May 1.
The State Music Co., which some time ago
MARCH 24, 1928
replaced it with new. The old piano, however, that was moved
into the first house is still doing duty as an ornament, if nothing
else, in the latest residence. How many of the 8,000,000 pianos in
homes may be placed in the same category?
That there is a tremendous market for outright sales and re-
placements is not to be denied, and it all comes back to the ques-
tion of selling the market. What is needed primarily are more
retail outlets; more dealers who have the financial ability and the
energy to conduct and develop retail establishments and particularly
more salesmen to keep contact with the market. Census figures
credit the music stores in a number of leading cities with an aver-
age of only six employes per establishment, and of that fully half
are non-selling. Sufficient contact witli the market cannot be main-
tained on this basis.
M
A Slogan for the Industry
UCH interest is being shown in certain quarters in
plans for securing or developing of a suitable slogan
for the use of the music industry at large upon all
literature, advertising and display matter, with a view to keeping
the industry and its products consistently in the public mind. The
success of various other industries in making their slogans prac-
tically household words, notably the ''Say It With Flowers," mes-
sage of the florist, and the "Save the Surface" campaign of the
paint manufacturers, has served to encourage the music men in
their efforts to secure some group of words that will be readily
accepted by the citizenry.
No slogan that can be secured will serve alone and unaided to
arouse public interest in musical instruments as a class or in any
one particular type of instrument. It will have the effect, however,
of impressing upon the public mind the fact that the music industry
is a substantial, well-organized industry, that it means something
from a national standpoint, and that it has something to offer that
will furnish entertainment and instruction in the home. If this
impression is once fully developed and properly backed by sales
effort, then the slogan will have a real value. If it simply means
the selection of a pleasant phrase, which is left unsupported by
real work, then the money appropriated for the slogan campaign
might well be put to a more useful purpose.
The "Say It With Flowers" slogan did not increase business
for the florist, but it was the consistent and persistent application
of that slogan and its repetition before the public mind and eye
that has enabled the individual florist to get from twenty-five to
fifty cents for a single carnation on Mother's Day. "Save the
Surface and You Save All" represents a grouping of words that
has undoubtedly helped the paint manufacturers, because the slogan
was not left alone to make its own way. It has been used and
emphasized regularly in practically every piece of paint advertis-
ing, and has taught an owner to take as much pride in the appear-
ance of his home as he does in his personal toilette.
If the slogan that is eventually selected by the music industry
proves in the development of its support a means for unifying the
trade to a greater extent in all its branches, and the presentation
of a united front against those many competitive industries that
are seeking the American dollar, then any reasonable amount spent
in securing it is well invested. Lip service alone, however, will not
achieve the desired result.
bought out the local interests of the Starr Piano
Co., will expand its lines materially under the
direction of Miss Van Ness, who is general
manager as well as president. The personnel
of the store will also be increased.
Death of Ghas. F. Cluett
TROV, N. V., March 19.—Charles Frederick
Cluett, president of Cluett & Sons, prominent
music merchants of this city and Albany, died
at his home here yesterday of pneumonia in his
sixty-first year. He is survived by his widow.
The General Piano Co., 2424 Fullerton ave-
nue, Chicago, 111., has been incorporated with
a capital stock of $20,000 to deal in musical
instruments.
New Estey Piano Corp.
Makes First Announcement
The Estey Piano Corp., New York, sent out
the following telegram to dealers in many cities
throughout the country this week: "Estey grand
manufacturing restored to former status as in-
dependent business, using original scales, pat-
terns and period models, four feet eleven
inches, also five feet two inches and six feet.
Estey name one of oldest, only one Estey
dealer in each city regardless of size, if inter-
ested in agency telegraph our experience, our
office 127 West Forty-third street, New York."
B. K. Settergren stated to a representative
of The Review this week that a large number
of favorable inquiries were received next day.