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News Number
THE
RENEW
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. 87. No. 24
Published Weekly.
Federated Business Publications, Inc., 420 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. Dec. 15,1928
Single Copies 10 Cents
$2.00 Per Year
215,732 Pianos Produced in 1927
Reports Federal Bureau
_
Figures Just Announced at Washington Reveal Last Year s Manu-
c
f T
T T
1 rv
r o n -r»
valued
at
$20,027,574;
upright
reproducing
pianos, 4,096, valued at $1,419,933; baby grands,
A>
43,772, valued at $17,540,842; baby grand players,
490, valued at $306,025; baby grand reproducing
pianos, 7,223, valued at $5,550,097; parlor grands,
8,747, valued at $5,319,799; parlor grand player-
pianos, 44, valued at $30,422; parlor grand repro-
ducing pianos, 1,182, valued at $1,695,631; con-
held their own. In considering the figures, of
cert grands, 293, valued at $290,034; automatic
course, it is necessary to remember that the and electric pianos, 3,574, valued at $1,639,716;
number of establishments reporting decreased
pipe organs, 2,451, valued at $16,667,128; reed
from 142 to 124 over the two-year period, or
organs, 3,091, valued at $385,280; brass wind
12.7 per cent.
instruments, valued at $6,550,097; wood wind
The items which entered the total for 1927 instruments, valued at $1,844,688; percussion
are as follows: Upright pianos without player
and other instruments, valued at $2,715,312.
attachments, 69,846, valued at $12,261,827; up-
In addition perforated music rolls to the value
right pianos with player attachments, 76,447,
(Continued on page 4)
facture of Instruments Had Decrease of 30 Per Cent
in Units and 35 in Valuation
ASHINGTON, D. C, December 11.—
The preliminary figures of the biennial
census of manufactures for 1927 cover-
ing the musical instrument field and just issued
by the United States Department of Commerce
indicate that there were made last year 215,732
pianos of all types, including uprights, grands,
players, reproducing pianos and automatic in-
struments, with a total value of $66,081,900, as
compared with 306,584 pianos manufactured in
1925, with a valuation of $93,676,977, and 347,589
pianos of all types valued at $104,362,57,8 in 1923.
The report shows that the decrease in units
over the two-year period from 1925-1927 was
approximately 29.6 per cent, and in value 35.7
per cent.
In view of the wide speculation that has been
carried on in the trade during the past year or
so regarding actual production figures, each
man, apparently, having his own idea as to just
what the output for all factories was during
the twelve months' period, these census figures
are particularly interesting, for although in
themselves they are subject to correction and
at best may be regarded as far from perfect,
they nevertheless represent some logical basis
upon which to make calculations.
There are those who have maintained that
there was a falling off in player-piano demand,
which meant an actual reduction of 100,000 units
in itself, although the census figures show that
the actual decrease during the two-year period,
1925-1927, was 67,384 units, or 46.8 per cent.
Straight uprights during the two-year period
showed a falling off of 20 per cent in units, the
decrease being from 87,285 to 69,864 instru-
ments.
Those who have pinned their faith on small
grands have found that move justified appar-
ently, for this is the only type of instrument
that shows a gain in production during the two-
year period, the increase being from 40,357 in
1925 to 43,772 in 1927, while the increase in
value was nearly $1,300,000. Player grands,
however, dropped from 5,287 in 1925 to 490 in
1927, a decrease of 90 per cent. Reproducing
baby grands and straight parlor grands about
W
TABLE 1
PRODUCTS BY CLASS, TYPE, NUMBER AND VALUE: 1927 AND 1925
1927
1925
Value
Class and Type
Number
Value
Number
$125,149,877
Complete
instruments,
aggregate
value
$98,445,418
Pianos, total
215,732
66,081,900 306,584
93,676,977
Upright
69,864
12,261,827
87,285
16,873,982
Upright, player
76,447
20,027,574 143,831
38,166,755
Upright, player, reproducing type
4,096
1,419,933
5,476
2,193,001
Grand:
Baby
43,772
17,540,842
40,357
16,244,241
Baby player
490
306,025
5,287
2,042,350
Baby player, reproducing type
7,223
5,550,097
7,597
6,317,357
Parlor
_
8,747
5,319,799
9,170
5,433,129
Parlor, player
44
30,422
156
103.801
Parlor, player, reproducing type
1,182
1,695,631
2,543
3,526,957
Concert
293
290,034
579
452,861
Automatic and electric
3,574
1,639,716
4,303
2,322,543
Organs, total
5,542
17,052,408
6,315
13,249,750
Pipe
2,451
16,667,128
1,955
12,808,220
Reed
3,091
385,280
4,360
441,530
Band and orchestral instruments, total... No data
15,311,110 No data
18,223,150
Wind instruments:
Brass
"
6,550,097
8,846,386
Wood
"
1,844,688
631,592
Stringed instruments
"
4,201,013
5,858,714
Percussion and other instruments,
(chimes, xylophones, drums, bells,
traps, etc.)
"
2,715,312
2,886,458
Perforated music rolls
No data
3,216,960 No data
6,067,529
Pneumatic-player actions for installation]
in player-pianos
\
"
6,607,914
14,782,477
Cabinet player attachments x
J
Piano parts and materials for sale as such
13,828,609
15,222,975
Orchestrions 1
)
i am 074.
1,842,197
Organ parts and materials for sale as such)
i,eiu,u^
Parts and materials for musical instru-
1,867,131
ments other than pianos and organs
1,991,877
Receipts for custom work, renting, tun-
1,652,975
ing, repairing, etc
1,815,043
4,157,092
All other products 2
3,350,138
1
2
Not shown separately for 1927 and 1925 in order to avoid disclosing output of individual establishments.
Benches and stools; radio cabinets; phonograph cabinets, etc.