Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
MARCH 16, 1929
Wonders if Columbus
DeForest Radio Go. to
This Dealer Goes After
Bought a Mathushek
Hold Sales Conferences
Mail Order Competition
Tuner Finds Figures 1492 on Old Piano of
That Make and Inquires if It Is the Date of
Manufacture
Sales Meetings to Be Held in Key Cities
Throughout the Country During March and
April to Discuss Sales Plans
An interesting letter written on the back of
a bank deposit slip was recently received by
the Mathushek Piano Mfg. Corp., New York,
from J. C. Hajek of Great Falls, Mont., in
which he says:
"On my regular tuning trips through the
State of Montana I have tuned an old Mathu-
shek piano, or what appears to be a spinet
type of a square, rosewood case, at an old and
historic town of Ft. Benton. The instrument
is in the possession of the Ft. Benton Woman's
Club and Commercial Club at a local library.
It was found that it was the first piano shipped
by boat to this State, then just territory of
Montana. There are several serial numbers,
also dates written in the German language.
Some date 1492—if year, was Mathushek mak-
ing pianos then? Where? Germany? I can
trace this piano to St. Louis, possibly New Or-
leans. How it got there? Where from?"
It is to be supposed that the figures 1492
represent the number of the instrument which
was evidently manufactured by Frederick
Mathushek in the early years of his career as
a piano manufacturer, but this is not the year
Columbus discovered America.
The DeForest Radio Co., Jersey City, N. J.,
has arranged for a series of district sales con-
ferences to be held during March and April,
according to Harry C. Holmes, general sales
manager of the company. The conferences will
be held in various sales territories for the pur-
pose of imparting and securing information
which will guide the company and its repre-
sentatives in its selling campaign.
The sales policies will be discussed and ex-
plained, as will the 1929 advertising campaign,
including newspaper and magazine advertise-
ments, window displays, dealer helps, etc. In
addition to Mr. Holmes those who will ad-
dress the meeting will include W. J. Barkeley,
assistant to the president; B. W. Matthews, of
the Hanff-Metzger Co., advertising experts, and
Paul C. Staake, director of advertising.
The first conference will be held in Chicago
on March 5, covering the Detroit, Minneapolis
and St. Louis territory, and will be followed
by conferences in Kansas City on March 8;
Denver, Colo., March 11; Seattle, Wash., March
15; San Francisco, March 19; Los Angeles,
March 21; Dallas, Tex., March 26; Atlanta, Ga.,
March 29; Greensborough, N. C, April 1;
Pittsburgh, Pa., April 3, and New York City,
April 10. Representatives from neighboring
States will attend each of the conferences.
King George Makes
Record for Columbia
Last Public Speech of British Sovereign Be-
fore Illness Recorded for Public Archives
The last public speech of King George, be-
fore his present illness, was recorded by Co-
lumbia, with His Majesty as the artist. The
occasion of the speech was the opening of a
new bridge over the river Tyne at Newcastle.
The city corporation wished to preserve in the
borough archives His Majesty's actual voice,
and King George consented.
The record has been placed on sale in Eng-
land, and Columbia has offered all proceeds to
the Children's Hospital at Gateshead, England,
at the other end of the bridge from Newcastle,
after handing the hospital an advance cheque
for 200 guineas.
Gordon Plays in Toledo
on Famous Steck Grand
TOLEDO, O., March 9.—Some valuable pub-
licity was secured by Grinnell Bros, here last
week with the showing of the American-built
Steck grand piano that was used by Richard
Wagner during the period he was composing
"Parsifal." Several columns of comment on
the celebrated instrument appeared in the lead-
ing local newspapers and the Grinnell firm
used large display advertisements to link up
with the showing of the piano. Philip Gordon,
concert pianist and special Aeolian representa-
tive, gave a complete recital on the Steck in-
strument, which "is still in an excellent state of
preservation.
Sonora Radio Program Plays
Part in RMA Concert Series
The radio broadcast program of the Sonora
Phonograph Co. on Thursday evening, Febru-
ary 7, was made a part of the series of broad-
cast programs sponsored by the Radio Manu-
facturers' Association. The series was launched
some time ago, and was originally made up of
eight programs, but the number of members
desiring to participate made it necessary to ex-
tend the series beyond the original limitations.
Places Knabe Grand in
|
Beaux Arts Auditorium
Los ANGELES, CAL., February 23.—Fred Meyers,
advertising manager of the Platt Music Co. re-
ported the sale of two six-foot four-inch Knabe
grand pianos to C. S. Forve, president and
general manager of the Beaux Arts Auditorium,
and to Mark Markoff, Russian dramatic tenor,
respectively. The former is for use in the
Auditorium of the Beaux Arts Building, the
headquarters of many of the leading artists and
musicians. The latter goes to the studio of
Mark Markoff, formerly of the Russian Im-
perial Opera, who was recently teaching in New
York, but has recently come to Los Angeles
under contract with Gloria Swanson Produc-
tions, Inc., to teach the 'technique of singing
and talking for the "talkies." The sales were
made by Walter Nubling, director of affiliation
activities, Platt Music Co.
New Edison Distributing
Headquarters in Seattle
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., February 23.—H. J. Zeus-
ler, manager of the Edison Phonograph Dis-
tributing Co.'s San Francisco branch, stated to-
day that they have been doing a very big busi-
ness. To facilitate distribution, a sub-branch
office has been established in the Volker Build-
ing, Seattle, with Thomas J. Fallon in charge.
In Los Angeles H. R. Curtis is opening as a
jobber at 727 Venice Boulevard, distributing
Edison goods. Mr. Zeusler says that the Edi-
son products have been received in volume re-
cently and in spite of the fact that the San
Francisco branch has trebled its outdoor sales
force and doubled its indoor force they have
been working day and night to fill all their
orders coming in from dealers. Lots of stock
is now rolling in from the factory. Two of the
straight radios and one of the combinations are
in especial demand.
The Arcade Piano store has been opened in
Room 104 in the Arcade Bldg., Racine, Wis.,
handling Kimball pianos.
R. W. Hunter of Durango, Col., Takes Adver-
tising Space to Tell His Local Public of the
Actual Situation
DENVER,
COLO.,
March
9.—R.
W.
Hunter,
head of the R. W. Hunter Piano Co., Durango,
Colo., recently came out with a large adver-
tisement in his local newspaper on the subject
of "Mail-Order Pianos." The ad was two
columns wide and some eight inches deep. The
message was handled in good style by Mr.
Hunter and it read as follows:
"A great deal has been said 'pro' and 'con'
about buying by mail. The merchants contend
that their prices are right, considering both
quality and service, to say nothing of the
money invested in merchandise kept on hand
for the customer's personal examination, and
the guarantee that every responsible merchant
gives his merchandise. The customer's con-
tention lies principally in price, a matter of a
saving, or supposed saving. From long ob-
servation and some experience we have found
that in at least three-fourths of cases the sup-
posed saving in price is attained only by a re-
duction in quality of the merchandise bought by
mail.
"In the piano business we have found this to
be the case absolutely. We will sell you a
piano, of same quality as sold by mail-order
houses, for a lower price; or, we will sell you
a better piano for the price they ask.
"A used piano of standard make is a better
buy than a new mail-order piano; no excep-
tions to this rule. The descriptions and 'sell-
fing talk' of the mail-order catalogs are full
of barefaced falsehoods; they say 'the dealer
does not allow you anything for your old
piano, he simply adds that much to the price
of his new piano.' This is false. Also they say
'bell metal' plate. If you can cast iron 'bell
metal' they are right, but cast-iron, of which
all piano plates are made, is not 'bell metal,'
and no piano was ever fitted with a plate made
of bell metal. Another of their falsehoods.
There are many more in these descriptions. No
one but a piano expert is a competent judge ot
piano quality.
"We stand behind the instruments we sell. We
only ask a chance to prove our statements.
Have a talk with us before considering sending
your order to Chicago, Kansas City, or else-
where."
Death of Robert L. Laverty
SAN ANTONIO, TEX., March 12.—Robert Latta
Laverty, 40, district manager of the Walthall
Music Co. of this city, died suddenly while in
Laredo this week on business for the firm. The
body was brought baqk to San Antonio and
was forwarded to Talladega, Ala., where burial
was held.
Laverty was a native of Alabama, but had
been connected with the music business in this
city for the past five years. He was a Mason,
and a member of Christ Episcopal Church. He
is survived by his widow, three daughters,
Elizabeth, Margaret and Eleanor Laverty, and
one son, Robert Laverty.
Garnival Hurts Record Sales
NEW ORLEANS, LA., March 12.—William F.
Standke, manager of the Standke Music Co.,
225 Baronne street, said that sales of records
at his store were a little slow last week due to
the fact that the public of this city is pleasure
bent at this time of the year, the Carnival sea-
son and that as soon as they again settle down
to business, sales in all departments will return
to normal.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review.