Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Music Trade Review
MARCH 2, 1929
All Lexington Piano Houses Milwaukee Store Reports
Victor Co.'s Net Income
Now Association Members
Gain in Its Piano Sales
Increased During 1928
Executive Secretary Loomis, of National Asso-
ciation of Music Merchants, Reports 100 Per
Cent Membership for That City
Dealer Reports People Now Buying Quality in
Instruments—Window Displays Are Respon-
sible for Increased Business
Delbert L. Loomis, executive secretary of the
National Association of Music Merchants, who,
after attending the meeting of the general con-
vention committee in Chicago recently, started
on a tour of some of the cities of the Middle
West and South to meet the dealers, last week
stopped off in Lexington, Ky., and reports that
all four of the piano houses in the city are now
enrolled in the association, one with two mem-
berships, which makes the average 125 per cent.
In Lexington is one of the charter members
of the association, J. P. Simmons, who is now
connected with the Music Shop there handling
28, 1928.
Included in the net profit of $7,324,018.52 is the Baldwin line of pianos as well as Victor
the company's proportionate equity in the in- and Sonora talking machines, Conn band in-
come of the Victor Talking Machine Co. of struments, Gibson stringed instruments, At-
Canada, Ltd., amounting to $1,055,210.73, com- water Kent radio, and sheet music. Mr. Sim-
puted on the basis of the Victor company's mons, who only recently returned to his native
ownership of 79.49 per cent of the outstanding State, has had an interesting career in; the
stock of the Canadian company during the three trade, entering the business in 1883 as shipping
months ended March 31, 1928, and of 83.34 per clerk in the Baldwin warerooms in Louisville.
cent from that date to December 31. The option Four years later he was made manager of the
to acquire the outstanding balance of 16.66 per Memphis store of the company, and subse-
cent was exercised in the latter part of De- quently was connected with the Smith &
cember, resulting in full ownership of the Cana- Nixon Co. For 25 years he was the principal
owner of the Junius Hart Piano House in New
dian company at the end of the year.
Orleans, and most recently spent two years
In a letter enclosed with the report President on the Pacific Coast. The proprietor of the
Shumaker calls the attention of stockholders to Music Shop is W. A. Burnett.
the offer from the Radio Corp. of America to
J. H. Templeman is the dean of the piano
the common stockholders of the Victor Talking
Machine Co. for the exchange of their stock men in Lexington. Associated with him as
under a plan and agreement which have been treasurer of the J. H. Templeman Piano Com-
unanimously approved by the Board of Direc- pany is Dan S. Stephens, a piano man of un-
tors. In it he urges them to deposit their stock usual ability. The line includes the Steinway,
immediately since the Radio Corp. is not obli- Kranich & Bach, Kurtzmann and the Milton
gated under its offer unless seven-eighths of the pianos.
Donald B. Neal has given attention particu-
outstanding common stock of the Victor Co.
is deposited under the plan on or before March larly to special sales and has not only been
successful in the music business but is known
4, 1929.
as an unusually successful real estate operator.
He operates a piano wareroom on one side of
North Limestone street and a phonograph shop
on the opposite side.
Joe Candioto has been in the piano and music
business in Lexington for about twenty years
Indiana Dealer So Impressed With Tone of and he has built up a prosperous business. His
Thirty-five-Year-Old Instrument That He line of pianos includes the Henry F. Miller,
Writes to New York Manufacturer for Becker Brothers and Schubert. He also
Franchise
handles talking machines and radios. "
MILWAUKEE, WIS., February 25.—Piano business
is showing a gain over last year, and sales
during the past three months have compared
very favorably with sales for the same period
of the previous year, according to A. Schroeder,
manager of the piano department at Gimbel
Brothers store.
"People are not looking for cheap pianos at
all," Mr. Schroeder declared, "and there is a
trend in piano buying in looking for quality
that appears to me as most encouraging for
the business. The demand for grand pianos
is the most notable, and the interest in uprights
is centered largely in the small uprights.
"Usually the small uprights are sold for
homes," Mr. Schroeder continued, "but their de-
mand seems to have been influenced by the
promotion which they have had in schools. An-
other use for the small uprights is in a field
which has growing popularity, and this is the
demand for them made by young women who
wish a practice piano.
"With grands, however, the demand shows a
good natural activity, and we have noticed that
window displays have been instrumental in sell-
ing a good many pianos," Mr. Schroeder con-
cluded.
The store has been featuring one grand piano
in a background suggestive of a living-room.
Many customers have been attracted to the
piano department by these displays, Mr. Schroe-
der stated, and he cited an instance where a
display devoted to a grand piano last week
made two sales during one afternoon.
Tie-ups have also been successful in realizing
immediate and later sales on pianos, he ob-
serves. When "Jerry and Her Baby Grands"
played at the Palace Theatre here recently, a
Brambach was featured in one of the main
windows of the store, with an attractive dis-
play card and picture of the young women in
the act, announcing that the players used seven
Brambach baby grands in the act. Four of the
girls from this act appeared in the Gimbel
piano department one afternoon and played to
a group of more than 400 persons, and Mr.
Schroeder stated that from this demonstration
there was an immediate result in the sale of
one of the grand pianos.
Annual Report of Company Indicates Gains in
Several Directions—Canadian Company Adds
to Profits
The net income of the Victor Talking Ma-
chine Co. for the fiscal year ended December
31, 1928, as shown by the annual report released
last week, was $7,324,018.52 against $7,269,523.03
for 1927. Net sales for the year amounted to
$52,064,419.52.
This net profit is equal, after deducting an-
nual dividend requirements of the prior prefer-
ence and convertible preferred stocks, to $7.37
per share of common stock as compared to
$7.22 in 1927 on the basis of the number of
shares of common stock outstanding December
Weser Trade-in Piano
Responsible for Agency
A letter was received recently by Weser
Bros., Inc., New York, from a dealer in (Indi-
ana, who was so impressed by the Weser piano
which he took in trade which was thirty-five
years old that he immediately wrote for the
agency of the Weser piano as follows:
"A few days ago I traded in one of your
Weser Bros, pianos. Mrs. Smith told me that
the piano is more than thirty-five years old.
"The tone quality and the condition of the
action, the sounding board being perfect, has
started me to thinking as I am looking for a
small-sized piano to sell from my residence;
would like to have your catalog and prices
at once."
To Handle Edison Line
MILWAUKEE, WIS., February 25.—H. M. Steussy,
Inc., 441 Broadway, has become the exclusive
dealer in the downtown district for the Edison
radio and radio-phonograph combinations.
Other dealers in the Milwaukee territory in-
clude J. Mandelker & Son, 306 Grove street, in
a business district on the south side of Mil-
waukee; Seidel Bros., 1017 Third street, in the
outlying northern business district of Milwau-
kee; Frank Preuss Co., who has announced
new Edison parlors at 1216 Walnut street, and
I. D. Hale, Inc., dealer at 59 Twenty-seventh
street.
New Atwater Kent Line
Re-establishes Piano
Displayed to Dealers
Department in Canton
The Burr-True Corp., Atwater Kent distribu-
tors of Syracuse, N. Y., recently staged a series
of salon showings of the new A. K. line for
their dealers in Syracuse, Auburn, Watertown,
and Courtland, N. Y. Attractive cards of ad-
mission were sent to all Atwater Kent dealers
and to others regarding its prospects and the
attendance was most satisfactory.
Stieff Branch Giving
Nightly Radio Programs
WILMINGTON, N. C, February 25.—The Charles
M. Stieff, Inc., branch of this city is presenting
a series of nightly broadcast programs through
WRVT with the broadcasting on Saturday
night taking place in the show window of the
company's store. The first broadcast in the
window attracted crowds that blocked traffic
and proved an excellent piece of publicity.
Arthur J. St. Antoine, manager of Bailey's
Music Rooms, in St. Albans, Vt., for the past
eight years, has purchased the business which
was formerly a unit in a chain of seventeen
stores operated bv the late A. L. Bailey.
CANTON, O., February 25.—The Klein Heffelman
Zollars Co., large department store, which some
time ago announced the discontinuance of its
piano department, has re-established this depart-
ment and is now featuring a line of well-known
grands. Bert Whitson, new manager of the
store, in rearranging the departments, had the
piano section returned to the fourth floor,
which for years has housed the music depart-
ment. Much stress is being placed on pianos in
recent window displays.
Death of Wm. Sohmer
William Sohmer, a brother of the late Hugo
Sohmer, of Sohmer & Co., New York piano
manufacturers, and uncle of Harry J., Frank J.
and Paul Sohmer, the present heads of the
business, died at his home in Brooklyn last
week in his 76th year. Mr. Sohmer had been
long engaged in the insurance business and was
prominent in political circles, being treasurer of
the Tammany Society and having held many
official positions in the New York State and
City Government. He is survived by three
daughters and three sons.