Music Trade Review

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JANUARY 21, 1928
The Music Trade Review
First Twelve Months of
Piano Promotion Work
Sales Promotion Committee of the National Piano Manufacturers
Association Summarizes Accomplishments of First Year
of Its Activity in the National Campaign
Melody Way Club Formed
by Cincinnati Merchants
(Continued from page 3)
instructed by qualified teachers, and there will
be no charge for lessons. Those who have some
knowledge of the piano will be seniors and
others will be juniors. The lessons will be
printed in the Times-Star on a certain day
each week as a further aid to the movement.
Otto Grau, head of the Otto Grau Piano Co.,
is very enthusiastic about the Melody Way
Club, and he expects it to do much to stimulate
the demand for the piano. "It was a big suc-
cess in Milwaukee," he pointed out, "and there
is no reason why it should not be even a greater
success here. Surely, if we can teach ten or
fifteen thousand children how to play the piano
there will be a big percentage of cases where
the parents will supply them with an instru-
ment. In other words, this will 'put the piano
back into the home.' Not in every home, of
course, but in a great many of them. And it
will not do it in a hurry. We are sowing the
seed, and we must wait a while for it to grow."
In speaking of the Melody Way Club Wm.
R. Graul expressed the hope that it not only
would promote the popularity of the piano but
also bring the members of the trade closer to-
gether and result in the formation of a much-
needed business organization.
T H E completion of the first full year of work by the Sales Promotion Committee of the
National Piano Manufacturers' Association has been marked by the issuance of an im-
pressive folder signed by all the members of the committee and setting forth briefly some of
the accomplishments in the matter of piano promotion during the past twelve months. The
message of the committee to the trade is in full as follows:
"The Piano Promotion Plan, sponsored and financed by the National Piano Manufacturers'
Association, has just completed the first year —
of its work. We who are directing the actual
operations of this plan feel that at this time
some expressions of our views and deductions
would be of interest to the industry at large.
"During 1927 the piano was presented to the
American public in a more forceful and intensi-
fied way than ever before in the history of our
business. Through your Sales Promotion Com-
mittee, many widely varying activities designed
to broadcast the message of the piano were set
in motion.
"Advertising has appeared in some of the best
Two More Harringtons
magazines in the country—tie-up advertisements
on the piano are being used locally by almost
for West Point Academy
a thousand piano dealers—hundreds of thou-
sands of folders on the piano have been dis-
Following the recent installation by Hard-
tributed through piano dealers—music teachers
man,
Peck & Co., New York, of a large Har-
in large numbers are putting their shoulders to
rington
upright at the U. S. Military Academy
the wheel—class piano instruction in schools
at
West
Point, an order was received by the
and elsewhere is being urged in a wide general
executive
offices of the company for two more
way—piano contests have been sponsored—
instruments
of the same design. A Hardman
constructive publicity is appearing in hundreds
grand
and
a
Harrington Junior upright were
of newspapers and in many of the country's
purchased
recently
by the Board of Education
most prominent magazines—organizations of all
of
Newark,
N.
J.,
for
use in the public schools
characters, music clubs, women's clubs, rotary,
Max J. de Rochemont
of
that
city.
Kiwanis, are co-operating with us.
G. Gulbransen, the Gulbransen Co., and Chas.
"Simpler methods of learning to play the Jacob, Jacob Bros., treasurer. Edward S. Boy-
piano have been devised and spread abroad—• kin is executive secretary of the committee and
Columbia Shop Chartered
piano tuners are being assisted in their work in director of its work.
keeping pianos in tune—adverse publicity on
The Columbia Music Shop, Buffalo, N. Y., has
the piano has been corrected—a nation-wide
Consult the Universal Want Directory of been incorporated by N. Rovner, to engage in
committee for the advancement of piano study The Review. In it advertisements are inserted a general music business with a capital stock
consisting of many leading authorities in music free of charge for men who desire positions. of $25,000.
and education has been formed and is in opera-
tion—the interest of schools and colleges in the
piano has been cultivated—in brief, a definite
program has been set in motion to re-establish
the piano in the minds of all the American peo-
ple.
"The committee's plans for 1928 are bigger
and better, requiring the utmost co-operation of
every contributor. If this plan helps the piano
business—as we believe it will—all of us will
benefit by it.
"There is nothing the matter with the piano.
Through the medium of a new invention, Radio, the competitor of the Piano,
We are making better pianos than we ever
becomes a friend and ally. With this device the piano takes the place of fhe
made. There are twenty-seven million homes
radio loudspeaker and does the work more perfectly, with far greater fidelity
in this country and statistics show that less than
than the most expensive loudspeaker.
one out of every three of these has a piano.
The idea has been tried before, but so had Transatlantic solos before the
immortal "Lindy" came along. Others had tried and failed until they used the
Nearly a million new homes, are established each
Wright "Whirlwind" with "Lindy" at the helm. Others have tried to use the
year. There are fifty-four billions of American
wonderful acoustic properties of the piano for radio reproduction, but it required
dollars in vaults of savings banks. These facts
the remarkable "ENSCO" reproducing unit and "ENSCO" engineering skill to
prove conclusively that not only have we a mar-
solve the problem. It works with any radio set.
ket for pianos, but the purchasing power be-
The "ENSCO" driving unit created a sensation in radio circles. It is the only
direct-drive, distortionless unit for large cones; it is the only unit that can be
hind it.
adapted to use in conjunction with the piano sound-board.
"You and we, who are supporting this Sales
The unit can be attached to any piano, grand or upright, in a few moments.
Promotion Plan, must stand up strongly behind
It does not show and it does not deface the piano or interfere with operation as
a piano. Above all it is extremely simple, therefore the cost is low—only $10.
it. It. is an investment that will pay us real
Complete. It will pay you to write for details and discounts. The Ensco Piano
dividends. This work cannot be done in twelve
Unit is made and guaranteed by Engineers' Service Company, under U. S. Patent
months. In order to make it successful we
No. 1630119 and others pending.
must have your co-operation, your courage and
your energy." ,
The members of the committee are Max J.
deRochemont, of the Laffargue Co., chairman;
BOSTON
CHICAGO
TORONTO
W. H. Alfring, Aeolian Co.; Mark P. Campbell,
Write to Main Office: 25 Church St., New York, N. Y.
Brambach Piano Co.; W. E. Guylee, Cable Com-
pany; C. Alfred Wagner, American Piano Co.; A.
THERE IS SOMETHING NEW
UNDER THE SUN!
A Foe of the Piano
Becomes a Firm Friend
ENGINEERS' SERVICE COMPANY