REVIEW
THE
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Volume 99. Number 3
March, 1940
Established 1879, and published monthly by Henderson
Publications. Inc., at Radio City, 1270 Sixth Ave., New York.
U.S.A. 1 Year $2, Two Years $3. Carleton Chace. Executive
Editor. Also Publishers of Radio-Television Journal & The
Talking Machine World. "Musical Merchandise" and
"Parts" for wholesalers.
Only trade publication in the piano business.
Awarded jive medals for "the best" in journalism.
MEOAL4 A W A R D E D T H E Mwstc TRADE REV/EW
The Everett Orgatron department at the John Wanamaker, New York. In the rear stands
Edward Luberoff, manager, talking with Herbert Wrozina, superintendent of installation.
In the foreground Miss Joyce Rickard plays an Orgatron for a customer.
I
AST year 400,000 homes were
built, this year, expectation of
• 450,000 homes seems assured.
• As a home without a piano is
only a house, owners of these new spots
should be our best piano prospects.
Local piano dealers will find it easy to
discover where the homes are being
erected. Only trouble with this type
of prospect is that they might have
bitten off too big a chew with no dough
left for piano payments (actually real
piano competition) altho there should
be enough to take the entire production
for 1940. Estimated last year that the
industry corraled but 5% of these new
homes, which is no selling job in any
language. So in 2 years, 850,000 new
homes go up versus piano production
of a possible 235,000 shows probabili-
ties of sales expansion when dealers
get ready to go after this business.
M
ACY'S opened its piano
department with distin-
guished ceremonies, han-
dling Baldwin, Gulbran-
sen and Story & Clark—all consoles
(no grands) embracing 47 different
models. Pianos are priced at list with
6% off for cash. Bamberger's, Newark,
opened a week later, handling Knabe,
Sohmer, Everett, Gulbransen, Story &
Clark pianos and Estey organs. Two
new outlets in a huge market will do
their share of the business, and aid in
the general piano development because
they can get twice the newspaper space
for the same money as any local dealer.
These stores smart enough to put real
piano men in charge of sales. Macy's
department in general charge of David
Davis, who runs radio, musical instru-
ments and sheet music. Latter is a
big department and so skillfully han-
dled that the turnover of stock is done
almost daily—amazing.
AN'T think of a piano mfr. who
now has a side line, so their
porterhouse steak and breast
of pheasant is secured only
from selling pianos. Next May sees
the promotion of Music Week, a laud-
able promotion but one in which
piano mfrs. support, taking their
C