Music Trade Review

Issue: 1929 Vol. 88 N. 16

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
APRIL 20, 1929
Baldwin Radio Programs
PleasePresent Owners
Interesting Reaction to the Baldwin Radio
Hour Reported by Company—What One
Baldwin Owner Writes
The Baldwin Piano Co.'s radio programs on
Sunday evenings over Station WJZ, New York,
and the NBC network, have brought some in-
teresting results both in general interest and in
sales. The broadcast has been intended pri-
marily to interest new prospects and the public
at large, in the Baldwin pianos, but judging
from the following letter received from Ralph
Kremer, a tire dealer of Denver, Colo., the
Baldwin programs have also the effect of in-
creasing the satisfaction of Baldwin owners
in their instruments. Mr. Kremer writes:
"Since my selection of a Baldwin grand piano
for my home, I have been more than ever in-
terested to observe the constant progress of
this instrument in the favor of professional and
amateur musicians, both locally and nationally.
"Especially have I enjoyed the national
broadcasts every Sunday afternoon 'At the
Baldwin.' I feel that your company has helped
millions to realize that the piano is truly the
essential musical instrument in every home, and
I know that I value my Baldwin the more for
having heard Gieseking play one on your radio
prograaiis. I am delighted to know that this
artist is to appear again 'At the Baldwin' on
April 14.
"I can assure you that we have become very
greatly attached to our piano."
The Music Trade Review
JJ. C. Cox, Columbia Head, Points
"Broadcasting Is Stimulating the Demand for Discs," He Declares—Also Aided by
Sound and Musical Effects of Movies, Creating Love for More Music
T T C. COX, president of the Columbia Phono-
•*•• graph Co., who recently made a tour of
the South, included New Orleans in his itiner-
ary and while in that city was interviewed by
local reporters, taking occasion to declare that
America was gradually becoming a nation of
music lovers with a growing interest in classi-
cal music.
Contrary to what may be considered as the
general impression concerning the effect of the
radio upon the sale of phonograph records, Mr.
Cox said that instead of harming sales the radio
had done much to increase them.
"There were some bad years around 1922, in
the early radio days," he said, "but ever since
that time the yearly sales of phonograph
records have been steadily increasing. It is
my belief that much of this increase was
brought about by the radio, which, sending
music into hundreds of homes that had been
without music before, produced a genuine love
for it."
Another great stimulus to the phonograph
record business, Mr. Cox said, was the introduc-
tion of sound and musical effects to the motion
pictures.
"Take such a thing," he said, "as a so-called
'theme' song which is heard by hundreds of
people every day. It is not unnatural that this
song, if it is a good one, will cause people to
want to hear it over and over again, any time
they so desire. All of which means an in-
creased sale of phonograph records."
That a bright future is expected for the busi-
ness, Mr. Cox said, was indicated by the fact
that all manufacturers of radios are making a
combination set which will include a phono-
graph as well as a radio attachment. This, he
said, would also mean an increase in the sale
of records during the coming year, which is
expected to be one of the most successful in
the history of the industry. The surprising
thing, Mr. Cox said, was that classical music
was vying with that of a more popular nature
to an extraordinary extent, even though the
popular far outstrips the classical in point of
public approval at the present time.
Mr. Cox said he thought this increased appre-
ciation of the more solid musical compositions
was also brought about by the radio. "It
brought good music into innumerable homes
and fostered a love for that music that has con-
tinued to grow."
J. W. Jenkins' Sons Go.
Opens Fifteenth Store
New Plaza Store in Kansas City Is Decorated
in the Spanish Style—Paul W. Jenkins the
Manager
KANSAS CITY, MO., April 16.—The fifteenth store
of the J. W. Jenkins' Sons Music Co. was
opened formally here Saturday, April 6, in the
Plaza Theatre Building at Forty-seventh and
Wyandotte streets. This branch will be
known as the Plaza Store. A continuous group
of visitors filled the rooms throughout the day
and evening. The display rooms include first
and second floor space of four thousand square
feet, and the decorations throughout are in
Spanish effect. The entrance floor, with the
floor covering in flagstone, includes, beside the
display space, the sheet music and record de-
partments, and a small radio demonstration
PHILADELPHIA, PA., April 15.—A special promo-
room.
tion campaign has been launched by the local
The center display room, on the second floor,
branch of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.
has been planned in patio effect through the
in the interest of Brunswick Panatropes, radios
use of window-awnings, flower boxes and a tiled
and combinations. L. C Gilman has come from
fountain, amber sidelights and side floodlights
the Chicago offices of the company and will
for this interior lighting. The model living
make his headquarters at the local branch, 40
room, for the display of Duo-Art instruments,
North Sixty-first street, for the next six months
shows a very attractive home-setting effect and
or so in order to develop close contact with
includes the showing of orthophonic Victrolas,
the dealers in the territories.
roll cabinet, benches and piano scarfs, pads and
floor lamps. There are two other display rooms
on this floor, one of them devoted to the band
instrument stock. One of the pleasant features
PHILADELPHIA, PA., April 15.—The formal open-
of this floor, which is to be installed at once,
Los ANGELES, CAL., April IS.—At a recent meet-
ing of the Board of Directors of the Southern ing of the new store of the J. R. Wilson Co. is the Aeolian Duo-Art pipe organ, with open-
California Music Co., J. Stanton Bietry was at 63 South Sixty-ninth street, was held last ings for the pipes so arranged as to throw the
appointed manager of the radio and phonograph Friday and it is estimated that close to 15,000 tone into either the patio room or the living
department. He has been in this line of busi- people visited the new quarters during the day. room. Paul Wesley Jenkins, son of J. W. Jen-
ness for the past five years. Mr. Bietry has The store is one of the most attractive in the kins, Third, is in charge of the Plaza Store.
been with the Southern California Music Co. city and is located in the heart of the pros-
since April 1, 1928, as assistant manager of the perous West Philadelphia section. It is hand-
radio and phonograph department, and previous somely equipped and provided with six demon-
to that he was with the Fitzgerald Music Co. stration booths for the convenience of custom-
His wide experience of sales promotion work ers. The main floor is given over to display
will add to his success. €. S. Pittenger, well sections for sheet music, talking machines and
BEAUMONT, TEX., April 15.—W. L. Pace, presi-
known in southern California music trade radios, and the upper floors are devoted to the dent of the Pace Piano Co., of Beaumont and
circles, is assistant manager of the radio and offices of the company officials, including Presi- Houston, Tex., died at his home here on April
dent L. R. Haas and General Manager J. A. 3. Burial was on April 4.
phonograph departments.
Stafford, who is charge of the four branches
Death came suddenly to Mr. Pace, who was
operated by the company. Representatives of sixty-three years old. He had returned a few
practically all the wholesale houses doing busi- days before from Chicago, where he had visited
ness with the Wilson Co. attended the cere- the offices and factories of the J. P. Seeburg
EAST LIVERPOOL, O., April 15.—Forrest A. Ben-
mony.
Piano Co., of which he was vice-president
nett, for several years identified with the Smith-
Acute indigestion was the fatal illness.
Phillips Music Co., has opened an exclusive
Mr. Pace was a pioneer piano man of Texas,
piano store at 114 West Fifth street. Mr.
having opened his first store in Beaumont thirty'
Bennett announces his line will include Bald-
years ago, which was moved from Denison,
DAYTON, O., April 15.—James Gerard, a veteran
win, Ellington, Hamilton, Howard, Monarch
music dealer of this city, died at home here Tex., where he had been engaged in the busi-
and Winton uprights, players and grands.
Formal opening of the store was held Satur- recently of heart trouble. He was sixty-eight ness for several years.
Some years ago a second store was opened
day and souvenirs were given the hundreds who years old and had spent most of his life in
Dayton. He is survived by a son. The funeral in Houston by Mr. Pace and his son, Charles
visited the store during the day.
A. Pace, who is vice-president of the stores, and
services were held here.
now general manager.
Congress Music Co., Leiter Building Stores,
Mr. Pace is survived by his wife and seven
The store of the Pawhuska Music Co., Paw-
Congress and State streets, Chicago, has been
incorporated. The incorporators are C. M. huska, Okla., has been entirely remodeled and children, four of these children being from an
earlier marriage.
redecorated.
Weile, H. L. Clancy and A. Leubke.
Strong Brunswick Campaign
Launched in Philadelphia
J. S. Bietry Named Manager
J. R. Wilson Go. Opens New
Quarters in Philadelphia
Death of W. L. Pace,
Veteran Texas Dealer
Opens New Piano Store
Death of James Gerard
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Music Trade Review
Paul ]VL Booth, British Plate Maker,
Is Luncheon Guest of New York Trade
Formally Welcomed to This Country by Hermann Irion, of Steinway & Sons, at Event
Tendered in His Honor by Richard W. Lawrence—Many Present
A DISTINGUISHED trade visitor to reach
"^^ our shores last week is Paul M. Booth,
cx-chairman of the Federation of British Music
Industries and a member of the firm of Booth
& Brooks, Burnham - on - Crouch, England,
piano-plate makers.
Mr. Booth stated frankly that he had come
to the United States particularly for the pur-
pose of observing business methods on this
side of the water as they concern his branch
of the industry and was seeking information
that he could carry home with him and use to
advantage in improving manufacturing and dis-
tributing methods. He will remain in the coun-
try for about a month and expects to travel
as far West as Chicago, stopping in Rochester,
Buffalo, Toronto, Chicago, Springfield, O., and
Washington, during his tour. He has already
received invitations to inspect numerous repre-
sentative plants engaged in the making of
pianos and parts.
On Friday of last week Mr. Booth was the
guest of Richard W. Lawrence, president of
the Bankers-Commercial Security Co., Inc., at
a luncheon at the Republican Club attended by
a number of prominent members of the trade
including Hermann Irion, president; A. L.
Smith, general manager; Dewey M. Dixon, as-
sistant general manager of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce; D. L. Loomis, execu-
tive secretary of the National Association of
Music Merchants; C. M. Tremaine, director of
the National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music; Herbert Simpson, president of Kohler
& Campbell, Inc.; Gordon Campbell, of the
Brambach Piano Co.; C. Alfred Wagner, vice-
president of the Aeolian Co.; Max J. de Roche-
mont, vice-president of the Laffargue Co.; Cur-
tis A. Wessel, editor of The Talking Machine
and Radio Weekly; Daniel Webster, editor of
The Talking Machine Journal, and B. B. Wil-
son, editor of The Music Trade Review.
At the luncheon Mr. Irion took occasion for-
mally to welcome the guest from England and
took occasion to emphasize the cordial spirit
President Hoover Heads
Music Week Committee
Consents to Act as Honorary Chairman of Na-
tional Music Week Committee for the Cur-
rent Year
C. M. Tremaine, secretary of the National
Music Week Committee, announced this week
that President Hoover had consented to act as
Honorary Chairman of the Committee for the
annual celebration this year from May 5 to 11.
Mr. Tremaine is particularly gratified over
President Hoover's consent to act in an hon-
orary capacity, particularly as he was con-
strained to refuse two written invitations be-
cause of the press of official duties. However,
Mr. Tremaine, while in Washington last week,
took occasion to visit the White House and a
personal plea brought the desired results.
President Hoover's action is appreciated par-
ticularly because of the fact that President
Coolidge acted as Honorary Chairman for
music week celebration during his tenure of
office, realizing that the movement was de-
signed to advance the cau'se of the art and
was not in any sense a commercialized proj-
ect. Up to this time the governors of a score
or more of States have issued proclamations
urging that citizens join in the observance of
Music Week, and with the President accepting
the Honorary leadership of the movement it
is given added dignity.
with which he and other members of the
American trade have been received by the rep-
resentatives of the British Music Industry.
He told of the close co-operation between the
various divisions of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce of America and the Federa-
tion of British Music Industry, and paid par-
ticular tribute to Col. Patton, the head of the
Federation. He assured Mr. Booth that he
would be given every assistance possible in his
search for trade information in the United
States.
In his reply, Mr. Booth declared that al-
though he had been in the country hardly
twenty-four hours he had been made to feel
quite at home by his friends in the trade.
He stated that the British piano men had
much the same problems as are found in
America and were endeavoring to meet those
problems much as they are doing it in this
country. He declared himself to be particularly
interested in the training of apprentices and
outlined briefly the system in vogue in Eng-
land where special training is given to young
men in all branches of the music instrument
manufacturing industry. Under the system in
vogue there the employer pays for the time
devoted to the special training which, at the
outset, may average three days a week and is
subsequently cut down to two and finally one
day a week as the student progresses. He
seemed somewhat surprised that no such sys-
tem of training was in vogue here.
San Antonio Music House
Features Emerson Line
SAN ANTONIO, TEX., April 15.—The San An-
tonio Music House, which recently took on the
Emerson piano, has been using considerable
advertising space in the daily papers exploit-
ing this old-established instrument. One of
the most recent advertisements, under the cap-
tion of "Another Artist Adds His Praise to
the Emerson," displays a photograph of Dr.
David Friedman seated at the Emerson grand
as well as a letter from him in which he says:
"Please accept my sincere appreciation for the
wonderful Emerson piano you sent to me for
my disposal since I came to your city. I chose
the Emerson piano above other makes because
it responds more to my emotion, and I feel
free and at ease during my performances. I
consider it the highest achievement in piano-
forte building". You are to be congratulated for
having such a marvelous instrument in your
possession. I shall always use it exclusively
for my concert work and teaching, as I expect
to make San Antonio my permanent home."
Pfaff With Sonora Co.
Paul F. Pfaff, who for the past five years
has been assistant buyer of the phonograph,
record and musical instrument department of
the John Wanamaker store, New York, and
lias had much previous experience in the whole-
sale music field, is now representing the So-
nora Phonograph Co. in upper Manhattan.
Bradford Veteran Dies
MILWAUKEE, WIS., April 13.—Hugo Bergmann,
seventy-three, for forty years an employe of
the J. B. Bradford Piano Co., died here last
week. Mr. Bergmann had never been absent
from work for even one day while employed
at the Bradford Co. He was foreman of the
shop at that concern.
APRIL 20, 1929
Gordon Campbell Heads
N. Y. Piano Manufacturers
Annual Meeting of Association Held on April
12 — E. M. Ruelbach Resigns — Minimum
Budget Adopted
The annual meeting of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association was held on last
Friday evening, April 12, at the National Re-
Gordon G. Campbell
publican Club, being preceded by the usual
dinner. General trade conditions were dis-
cussed at length and a minimum budget adopted
to carry on the work of the Association for the
ensuing year. E. M. Ruelbach, who has been
commissioner of the Association for several
years, has resigned and the work of his de-
partment will be taken care of, as necessity
arises, by the Industrial Relations Committee
of which Max J. deRochemont is chairman.
Walter Drew continues as counsel for the As-
sociation on a new retainer basis.
The annual election of the officers resulted
as follows: President, Gordon G. Campbell,
Brambach Piano Co.; first vice-president, W.
E. Janssen; second vice-president, C. Albert
Jacob, Jr., Jacob Bros.; and secretary-treasurer,
Albert Behning. The executive committee con-
sists of George L. Catlin, Skinner Organ Co.;
W. G. Heller, Winter & Co.; George Urquhart,
American Piano Co.; and Herbert Brown, Aus-
tin Organ Co.
A. M. Seavey in New York
A. M. Seavey, well-known music dealer of
Saco, Me., visited New York early this week
while en route to his home after an extensive
motor trip through the Southland. With Mrs.
Seavey visits were made to the principal re-
sorts in Florida and Cuba, also stopovers at
various places along the Atlantic seaboard on
the way North. They report a delightful trip,
which was brought to a climax with a week-
end stay in New York, where Mr. Seavey re-
newed many trade acquaintances. He visited
the executive headquarters of the National
Association of Music Merchants, where he was
guest of D. L. Loomis, executive secretary,
getting an intimate glimpse of the workings of
the various departments of these offices. Mr.
Seavey is State Commissioner in Maine.
The Wood Piano Co., Norfolk, Va., is now
broadcasting a half-hour musical program each
afternoon through station WTAR.

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