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The Music Trade 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, T. 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
GARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
W. H. MCCLEARY, Managing
RAY BILL, Associate
F. L. AVERY, Circulation
Editor
E. B. MUNCH, Eastern
WESTERN DIVISION:
FRANK W. K n x , Manager
E.
J.
NIALY
Editor
Manager
Representative
BOSTON O F F I C E :
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone: Main 6950
333 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago
Telephone: State 1266
Telephone:
Vol. 87
A
Lexington 1760-71
Cable: Elbill New York
No. 17
October 27, 1928
The Meetings in Chicago
T the meeting in Chicago this week the Board of Con-
trol of the National Association of Music Merchants
decided to hold a national piano-playing tournament
with the recommendation that the committee appointed communi-
cate with all cities in which contests have been held with a view
to having them send their local prize winners to Chicago in June
to play in competition before the music industries convention. It
is a step well taken and marks the culmination of a movement
for such a national contest that has been under discussion for
several years and which was finally brought to a head only recently.
It was in 1923, following the convention in Chicago at which
the hrst national high school band contest was held, that The
Review editorially advocated a national piano-playing contest.
Prominent members of the trade were quick to see the logic of
the idea. But at that time they were not sufficient in number to
ijnsure the success of the move. It has taken, in short, five years
ior the trade itself to reach an agreement on a* venture which was
entirely feasible at the time of its proposal. Certainly if a con-
test can draw bands made up of forty or fifty boys, each from all
sections of the country, it is not beyond the realms of possibility
to bring to a common center perhaps a dozen single pianists. It
is to be hoped that the plan of the National Association, coupled
Lay ton Bros. Open New
Warerooms in Montreal
Special Musical Program Offered by Old-estab-
lished Canadian Concern to Mark Important
Event
MONTREAL, CAN., October 24.—A'nother achieve-
ment in the history of the house of Lay ton
Bros.,. Ltd., was consummated with the opening
of the large premises constituting their east
end warerooms at 868 St. Catherine street east.
Both floors of the new establishment were gay
.with baskets of flowers, gifts of the firms
represented by Layton's in this city and of
many other friends.
A special inaugural program was given,
attended by throngs of visitors who called to
tender their congratulations. A special broad-
cast of the ceremonies was arranged by Station
CFCF, consisting of musical selections played
by the orchestra under the direction of J. J.
dagnier, and the official opening address of
1', R, l,ayton, president <>f. tlic company, Y. P,
OCTOBER 27, 1928
with the initial effort put forth by the Chicago trade, will meet
with the success it deserves.
From the association standpoint the Board of Control meet-
ing in Chicago was also important. In the first place it was agreed
that the music industries convention would be held in Chicago
during the week of June 3, 1929, at the same time as the annual
convention and trade show of the Radio Manufacturers' Associa-
tion, but at a different hotel. It is felt that the many music
merchants who handle radio, and they are in fact well in the
majority, will welcome an opportunity of combining two conven-
tions in one trip to Chicago, and that there are many matters in
common between the radio manufacturers and the music industry
that might be worthy of discussion at a joint meeting.
Thert are, of course, those who sense the danger that the radio
show will draw attendance from the music industries meeting,
but the answer to this is to make the program so interesting and
important that regular attendance will be worth while.
Another good move was the adoption of the revised consti-
tution and by-laws which again places the Association on the in-
dividual membership basis. The idea of building up the national
organization through the establishment and affiliation of local
bodies was no doubt put forth with full sincerity, and under dif-
ferent conditions might have worked out. The fact that it did
not and that the Association officers have been broad enough to
realize that fact and return to the old policy is distinctly to their
credit and calculated to revive national interest in the body.
The local association idea as a means of building up the
national body in giving it direct contact through such sectional
units with retailers in all parts of the country would have been
perfectly sound had the local Associations themselves been devel-
oped in sufficient numbers, or had they been representative of
all sections of the country. It was found, however, that despite
earnest efforts on the part of the national executives the develop-
ment of local bodies was too slow and too uncertain to be de-
pended upon, and the result was a tearing down rather than a
building up of the National Association status.
What has been accomplished by the very active president and
equally active secretary of the Merchants' Association during the
past year leads to the belief that although the individual member-
ship plan to which the body has reverted is not in any sense perfect,
it at least can be developed on a much broader and more success-
ful basis than heretofore, and the revision of the by-laws makes
this course possible.
On the whole the executive meetings in Chicago proved well
worth while, and little time was wasted apparently in getting at
the bottom of Association problems and handling them fearlessly
and well. It is one thing to arouse and maintain association en-
thusiasm when business conditions are flourishing, but quite an-
other to develop that enthusiasm when the situation is not so
promising. What has been done, therefore, reflects directly to
the credit of the Association executives for their faith in the
industry and its future.
Bouvier, directing manager of the branch, also
spoke over the radio, and Mayor Beaubien, of
Outremont, paid a notable tribute to Mr. Lay-
ton for his philanthropy towards the blind and
for his great business ability.
In his address, Mr. Layton said. "The board
of management of Layton Bros., Ltd., are ex-
ceedingly glad to open their east end warehouse
to-day. I feel that this is a red-letter day. It
is nearly forty-one years ago that the founda-
tion stones of the business were laid in this
city. The business has grown from strength
to strength until to-day it is one of the largest
musical merchandise houses in the Dominion."
The new branch is a spacious and most at-
tractive establishment, with pianos and Victor
orthophonics on the ground floor, which has
been divided into several large salons, while
on the main floor arc demonstration rooms with
artistically arranged radios and other music
producing machines.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
tree of charge for men who desire positions,
Seiberling, Lucas Piano
Department for Brassfield
PoKTiANii, ORK., October 20.—The piano depart-
ment of the Seiberling, Lucas Music Co., has
been taken over by B. R. Brassfield, who has
moved his piano department to the Fourth
street store from the Powers furniture store
where he has been located for the past year.
Mr. Brassfield was formerly manager of the
Wiley B. Allen' Portland branch when they
closed out their agencies in the Northwest and
has since operated a piano department of his
own. He has taken Walter White as his assist-
ant. Mr. White was formerly with Mr. Brass-
field in the Wiley B. Allen branch as piano
salesman and Ampico technician.
Buys Into Martin Co.
W. L. Womack has purchased an interest in
the Martin Music Co., Pine Bluff, Ark., and the
company has changed its name to the Martin-
Womack Music Co,