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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
CHANGE OF EXECUTIVES
OF THE Q R S-DEVRY CO.
A number of changes in executives have
recently been made in the Q R S-DeVry Co.
The general offices are now located at the
factory, 4829 South Kedzie avenue, Chicago.
Thomas M. Pletcher resigned as president,
but not as director; Treasurer Barclay was
succeeded by J. V. Kleckner, who becomes
vice-president and general manager. Chas.
Kunzer is general sales manager.
The music roll business of the Q R S Co.
including the equipment, master rolls, etc.,
has been sold to the Imperial Industrial Co.,
of New York City, Max Kortlander, presi-
dent. Mr. Kortlander is well known as a
veteran of the music roll business, and for
years was the technical head of the Q R S
roll plant. It is understood that he made
this purchase for himself and business asso-
ciates and has already announced his inten-
tion to increase the interest of the public and
the trade in player-piano rolls. The Q R S
catalog contains many thousand selections,
embracing all classes of music.
STORY & CLARK PLANT TO
RUN THROUGHOUT SUMMER
For the first Summer in years the Story &
Clark Piano Co.'s factory at Grand Haven,
Mich., will not shut down or take a Summer
inventory, but will work the whole Summer
through without any time off for repairs.
The piano business at Story & Clark has
been highly satisfactory of late, with orders
for grands particularly good. Five carloads
were among the July shipments, two of these
being for a northwestern State, two for a
mid-west State and one for a southwest State.
In addition widely distributed orders for a
few from each of many dealers contributed
to make quite a large total. President Frank
F. Story is pleased over the outlook for he
spent quite a bit of time at the factory in
July, giving his personal attention to details
of a number of new case designs, which he
intends to add to the company's present line.
THESE DEALERS STILL SEE
LIVE MARKET FOR PLAYERS
August, 1931
began to holler 'wolf and told people the
player was a dead dog.
"We absolutely know that there are lots of
old people without children left home that
still love piano music, and the player is the
thing. But there has been so much published
and said about it that it is almost out of the
race. Musical journals should at least boost
until the manufacturers and big dealers could
have gotten out from under."
CHAS. FREDERICK STEIN
VISITS DEALERS IN EAST
Charles Frederick Stein returned to his
factory at 3047 Carroll avenue, Chicago, on
July 10 after a three weeks' trip to a number
of points in the Central and Eastern States.
He started a few days after the close of the
Chicago convention, where he exhibited for
th,e first time his new upright and made quite
a sensation with it. He said to THE REVIEW:
"I wanted to call on a number of the
dealers who visited us at Chicago, and to
keep appointments which I had previously
made with a number of other piano men. I
visited a number of Ohio cities, six cities in
New York State, a number of the principal
points in New England, in Pennsylvania, and
as far south as Washington, D. C, being
desirous of getting personally acquainted with
the leading dealers in the area I traveled.
"A number of these had written me about
my grands and others had heard of my new
upright, but I wanted to know local condi-
tions, and the dealers themselves in their
business quarters, because while I am nat-
urally desirous of having more representa-
tives for the Charles Frederick Stein piano,
it is to my mind highly necessary that not
only is the dealer convinced of the excel-
lence of these pianos, but it is also necessary,
I think, that he be the sort of dealer that can
handle my kind of piano.
"I made several new and desirable agents,
and negotiated for several more agencies. It
was pleasing to find that so large a propor-
tion of dealers realized that a high-class
piano is, after all, the very best assurance
of a permanently successful business.
"I was pleased to find out how many
dealers are now basing then- business poli-
cies on quality rather than on price because
more of them each year are realizing that a
quality instrument is the best possible adver-
tisement they could have as it brings them
not merely satisfied but highly enthusiastic
customers, who boost such an instrument
among their friends."
One of the comments made by the most
experienced and observant travelers is that
there is still a demand for player-pianos and
consequently for rolls. In fact, a number of
manufacturers of players who never sub-
scribed to the statement that "the player-
piano is dead" are still manufacturing these
instruments and getting a reasonable price SCHUMANN PIANO CO.
for them. Frequent comments along the same
MAKES ONLY ONE GRADE
line are made by dealers who visit the
Every piano leaving the factory of the
western office of The Review.
- Schumann Piano Co., Rockford, III., carries
Last week, in connection with some other the name Schumann on the fallboard, that
correspondence which Sales Manager Hugh company making only one grade of instru-
A. Stewart, of the piano department of the ments. At the present time the company is
Gulbransen Co., has been having with them, making two models of uprights, 3 feet 8
a prominent Indiana firm of music instrument inches and 4 feet 2 inches high, respectively,
dealers wrote him the following comment, and three sizes of grands, namely, Model AA
which is worth earnest consideration:
4 feet 10 inches, Model E 5 feet 3 inches
"In our opinion there should still be a de- and Model M S feet 6 inches. The com-
mand for the player-piano and if the manu- pany's period models comprise Louis XVI,
facturer could muzzle the musical journals Spanish, Italian, William and Mary and
or get them to still boost, not knock, the Sheraton, in addition they make three fine
player would still be in reasonable demand. models in the custom-built lines: the Louis
When the radio came in most every dealer XV, Louis XVI and Duncan-Phyfe.
27
A BALDWIN MESSAGE
OF REAL IMPORTANCE
The Baldwin Co. recently issued a special
folder of envelope size for the use of its
dealers bearing the following imposing mes-
sage:
"Less than three per cent of the criminals
in our prisons can play a musical instru-
ment.
"Ninety per cent of all students graduating
with honors from high school and college
have had musical training.
"Teach your child to play the piano and
'the chances are he will become a useful,
straightforward citizen."
Mrs. Marion Story III
Edward H. Story, of the Story & Clark
Piano Co., was called from his home in Pasa-
dena, Cal., in mid-July for the serious illness
of Mrs. Marion L. Story, aged eighty-eight,
who has long been resident here. Mrs. Story
is the widow of the founder of the Story &
Clark Piano Co., which business has long
been owned and managed by her two sons,
Edward H. and Frank F., the latter being
president of the Story & Clark Piano Co.
Increase for Wurlitzer
Cyril Farny, vice-president of the Wur-
litzer Grand Piano Co., DeKalb, 111., reports
that the business has shown a very nice in-
crease in the first six months of this year
over the same period in 1930 and the pros-
pects are the increase will continue for the
balance of the vear.
THE REVIEW'S
WANT DIRECTORY
NY member of the music trade may
forward to this office a Position
Wanted or Help Wanted adver-
tisement intended for this Department, to
occupy four lines, and it will be inserted
free. Replies will also be forwarded with-
out cost. Additional space charged at
the rate of 25c per line. If bold-faced
type is desired, the cost for same will be
25c a line, 6 words to a line.
Cash must accompany order.
Business Opportunities and For Sale
advertisements inserted as display space
only at $5.00 per single column inch.
A
WANTED—Information of the pres-
ent whereabouts of R. E. Bestor, for-
merly of Minot, North Dakota. Ad-
dress Box D46, Chicago office, Music
Trade Review, 333 N. Michigan Ave.
POSITION WANTED — A-l tuner, repairs
pianos and small goods. Know whole music game.
Desire Southern or Western States. First con-
tract not longer than six months. Address Box
342S Music Trade Review, 420 Lexington Avenue,
New York.
POSITION WANTED—by radio service man
willing to install antennas, also capable piano tuner
and repairer. Single, sober and reliable. Address
Box 3423, Music Trade Review, 420 Lexington
Avenue, New York.
POSITION WANTED—as piano salesman, sales
manager or manager of music store. Twenty
years' experience as sales manager. Employed
now but desire to make a change. Address Box
3420, Music Trade Review, 420 Lexington Avenue,
New
VorW