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Western Music & Radio
Trades Convention
AN FRANCISCO, CAL.—The Western
Music and Radio Trades Association
Convention and the Pacific Radio Trade
Show had been dove-tailed so thoroughly
that music merchants and radio men met, as
a matter of course, on the same platform where
common interests were discussed. In fact, the
Convention and the Radio Show were not two
great gatherings, but one. Attendance was
large, representing the seven Western States.
The Convention was held in the St. Francis
Hotel, San Francisco, June 30 and July 1 and 2
and the Pacific Radio Trade Show, on the same
dates, was held in the William Taylor Hotel,
Inhere the leading manufacturers of the coun-
try were represented by a large exhibit. The
fourth day was devoted to a golf tournament.
Luncheons, banquets, entertainment features,
dances which marked the first three days were
shared jointly by all delegates to the Conven-
tion and all the wholesale and retail radio in-
terests represented at the Convention and the
JjRadio Show.
if : Monday was devoted to registration at the
fetv Francis and the William Taylor and to the
opening of the Radio Show, for dealers only.
i Ernest Ingold presided at the sessions of the
Convention, Tuesday, Music Day, and Wednes-
day, Radio Day. These were morning sessions,
the afternoons being left free for delegates to
visit the Radio Show. There was no Open
Forum, and speeches succeeded one another
without discussion.
Shirley Walker, secretary 1927 Western Music
and Radio Trades Convention, made the ad-
dress of welcome at the opening convention ses-
sion. He sketched the history of Western as-
sociation work which dates back seven years,
giving B. P. Sibley much credit for initial work.
In conjunction with the reading of a tele-
gram of congratulation from C. Alfred Wag-
ner, president, Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, Mr. Ingold said that indications are
better for business and an upward curve. Car-
load shipments of musical merchandise to the
Coast are better.
The keynote address, "Give Us Music," by
Lloyd Taylor, Sparks-Withington Co., Jack-
son, Mich., consisted of rapid-fire statements,
emphasized with brief, pointed stories. He
said that his slogan is: "All kinds of music for
all kinds of people," but there is no such thing
as bad music. When it is bad it ceases to be
music.
The next speaker was Norman Pilsbury of
the Oakland public schools, who described the
success of "Group Piano Teaching" in the pub-
lic schools of Oakland, Cal., where there are
now approximately two thousand students and
where the class piano movement is progressing
rapidly. After describing the eager interest of
both parents and children, he concluded ^fcth a
suggestion: "Through the children you may
reach the parents. If you wish more parents
to think seriously of the instruments you have
to offer, it would be well to give serious thought
to ways and means of educating the people to
the practicability of introducing piano classes
into the curriculum of public schools."
"What Music People Like, and Why," was
described by Arthur S. Garbett, Director of Ed-
ucation, National Broadcasting Co. He enumer-
ated the faculties aroused in people by music
and said he is always careful to give programs
S
that appeal to a little of every faculty. The
American people do not like to listen to pieces
that last fifteen to forty minutes. They like
short pieces.
"Present Status of Instalment Selling" was
the subject of an address by E. V. Krick, past
president, American Institute of Banking, and
vice-president, American Trust Co. He said in
part: "Sales naturally depend upon purchasing
power, and the latter to a great degree is con-
tingent upon employment. . . . It is impossible,
because of lack of information, to determine
Ernest Ingold
whether instalment sales of other lines follow
the motor industry, but if so, it would appear
that instalment sales are not reduced dispropor-
tionately to unemployment, wages or aggregate
purchases. The representatives of many of the
larger finance companies are of this opinion.
"The effect of unemployment and drop in
wages is not felt alone in purchases, but also
in collections. Perhaps the real condition of
the instalment movement may be reflected more
in this factor than the others." After sketching
the opinions expressed by several large finance
companies, he quoted a Western finance com-
pany executive as saying: "The dealers have
had their lessons, they realize now that it is
unwise to push a sale unless there is every
expectancy of payment. Requirements are be-
coming more uniform and exacting, terms are
more restrictive with the result that our busi-
ness is on a very satisfactory basis."
"The Baby Musicians," a paper by G. W.
Thompson of the Sherman, Thompson Music
House, Eureka, Cal., was read by Ernest Ingold,
who said that the firm is known throughout the
northern section of the State for its baby or-
chestra in which small children learn to play
instruments before school age. The paper
described how the orchestra sells instruments.
A very little girl, who had traveled 30O miles
from Eureka to play her tiny violin, was stood
on a table and won an ovation.
P. T. Clay, president of Sherman, Clay &
Co., embodied valuable and practical sugges-
tions in his address: "Business Trends and
Economies Necessary in Musical Merchandis-
ing." He said, in part: "I can best say that the
principal economy must start at the top.
In other words, the bugaboo of all merchan-
dising business at the present time is the tre-
mendous overhead which has grown up through
a series of years and which seems impossible
to reduce. There is, of course, a certain amount
of overhead that is necessary to any business,
but I would advise every music merchant to
cut out the non-producers as rapidly as pos-
sible, to pay only such salaries as are commen-
surate with the work performed and to go back
to that old Biblical injunction that 'the laborer
is worthy of his hire,' and to see that no one
is paid more than he is worth.
"With the rapidly changing styles and models
in radio it is absolutely necessary to have a
rapid turnover. In the radio business to-day the
dealer must have a turnover of at least eight
times per annum. The economy, there, is a
saving of interest, a saving of unnecessary
space which means rental, a saving of unneces-
sary janitor service, polishers' services and dis-
count rates because less capital will be required
to operate your business."
The session was followed by luncheon in the
Colonial Ballroom of the St. Francis with the
Evcready Tube Troubadours, as entertainers,
pre-ented by the National Carbon Co., D. B.
Glendenin, chairman. Delegates then visited,
the Radio Trade Show. At 6:30 p.m. there was
the "Welcome Night" banquet, at the St. Fran-
cis, features by the RCA Victor Co., Otto May,
chairman. The dance, later, was presented by
the Brunswick Radio Corp. and Philco's Mid-
night Frolic had C. L. McWhorter, district
manager, as chairman.
RADIO DAY
At the opening of the second day's Conven-
tion sessions, Ernest Ingold presiding, messages
of congratulation were read from Otto B.
Heaton, president, National Association of
Music Merchants and from Delbert L. Loomis,
executive secretary of that organization. In
spite of the strenuous social program of the
previous evening, there was scarcely a vacant
chair when the session was called to order.
J. W. Held, Standard Oil Co. of California,
told of the Standard Symphony Educational
Broadcast. Mr. Held attributed much of the
success of the Standard Symphony hour to the
radio dealers of the Pacific Coast. Six hundred
schools are now equipped with radio, represent-
ing 150,000 children. The Standard Symphony
hour started two years ago and has contributed
to the cultural life of the Pacific Coast. Mr.
Held's talk was accompanied by Broadcast dem-
onstrations, illustrating and describing differ-
ent instruments in an orchestra.
Robert D. Eastman, president Radio Retail-
ers' Association, gave a practical talk on "Effec-
tive Retailing," which was strengthened by the
presiding officer's statement that he is operat-
ing a store, at a profit. He advised care in ob-
taining sales volume, so as not to sell at a
loss. In selling on time the first thing is to
get adequate down payment. When the dealer
takes a small down payment, or nothing down
on the customer's old radio, for the first pay-
ment, at the end of the year he wonders why
he has no profit to show. He advised against
demonstrations in homes, but if absolutely
necessary, never leave the radio overnight, but
close the sale as fast as possible.