Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Here is a $300,000 series of free
piano lessons and programs that
will go into nearly 20,000,000
homes each week via radio. See
to it that local effort capitalizes
this tremendous prospect list.
of development where the broadcasting company officials felt
free to guarantee the time, meetings were called of those
most interested with a view to securing suggestions and win-
ning support. It was felt that the members of the piano
trade, being so directly interested in the programs and the
plans back of them, would be only too anxious to support
the movement to the extent at least of acting as intermediaries
for the distribution of the booklets or giving advice to stu-
dents taking the course, locally, and standing the expense
of the lesson books, which, though nominal, will run into
large figures if the response is anything like that expected.
At a meeting held in New York on December 29, at which
final details of the programs were whipped into shape, and
the support of the trade assured, those present included:—
E. F. Bitner, Leo Feist, Inc.; Harry Meixell, Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce; Walter Fischer, Radio
Music Co.; Keith McLeod, National Broadcasting Co.; Al
S. Zeisler and Arthur I. Hahn, Krakauer Bros.; Richard W .
Lawrence, Bankers' Commercial Security Co.; W . G. Heller,
Winter & Co.; Delbert L. Loomis, National Association
Music Merchants; H. C. Rice, C. Kurtzmann & Co.; H. F.
Ricca and A. R Farmer, Ricca & Son; E B. Bogart, Bogart
Piano Co.; Jacob Schiller, Lester Piano Co.; F. E. Edgar,
Ludwig & Co.; C. W . Fraleigh, Outlook Co., Providence ;
Eugene A. Schmitt, Hardman, Peck & Co.; H. J. Sohmer,
Sohmer & Co.; G. H. Dickinson, Weeks & Dickinson, Bing-
hamton, N Y.; M . A. Alfred, Gallup & Alfred, Inc., Hart-
ford ; C. Albert Jacob, Jr., Mathushek Piano Mfg. Co.;
Gordon
Campbell,
Kohler - Brambach
Piano Co; Max B.
Leichter, Loomis Tem-
ple of Music, New
Haven; Wm. G. Fred-
erick, Marcellus Paper
Co., Worcester; A. P.
McCoy, McCoy's Inc.,
Hartford; L. Schoene-
wald, the Aeolian Co.;
Charles A. Reid, C. A.
Reid Piano Co., Plain-
field, N. J.; C. Alfred
Wagner, the Aeolian
Co.; Henry Schiebel,
Bloomingdale
Bros.;
P. R. Griffith, Griffith
Piano Co., Newark;
CARL FRIEDBERG, Pianist
C. M . Tremaine, Na-
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
February, 1931
tional
Bureau
for
the Advancement of
Music, and E. C.
Mills, of the Radio
Music Co.
Subsequently, Mr.
Mills went to Chi-
cago, where on Janu-
ary 14 he outlined
the plan before a
large gathering of
piano manufacturers
and dealers of the
midwest section of
the country gathered
at the Hotel Drake.
It is pointed out by
M r . Mills that there
were several million
E. C. MILLS.
pianos in the homes
President, Radio Music Co.
of the country not in
use, the figure being given as close to seven million. These
instruments are of little value to the owners because they are
not used, nor to the piano dealers because there were no
replacements, nor to the publishers of music because, not
being used, there was no need to buy music. In the latter
case it has been noticed that the sales of song successes have
been diminishing in volume during the past few years.
"Ramona" sold over two million copies a couple of years
ago, and "It Happened in Monterey" sold close to two
million copies, yet the big hit of last year, the "Maine Stein
Song," sold considerably less than one million, despite the fact
that it was the outstanding success of the season. It is all
affected by the lack of use of the piano.
Judging from the results accomplished by campaigns sim-
ilar to that launched for the piano, broadcasting officials are
of the opinion that at least a half-million people will become
students in the short piano course, particularly as the materials
are furnished to them free. These figures are based on the
idea that the Tuesday broadcast will reach between twelve
and fifteen million people regularly, and the Saturday pro-
gram between fifteen and twenty million.
In short, the
half-million figure will be reached if only three per cent of
the listeners will take advantage of the offer.
Inasmuch
as
the
course is not for chil-
dren only but is also
designed for adults, it
is believed it will bring
back to the piano ma •
of those who have
given it up through
lack of practice, or
who felt lack of inter-
est in their early les-
sons. In such cases it
will mean the return
of many thousands of
pianos to use, and
where the instruments
are obsolete or none
available, it will lead
to the purchase of new
(Turn to page 18)
ALOIS HAVRILLA, Announcer