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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 19J>1
Leominster several case companies,
and most of the supply organiza-
tions now out. Some in this group
were: L. J . Mutty, Hubert Fox, Her-
bert W. Tower, Geo. Faxon, Cambridge
Action Co.
IANO men having trouble
enough on supplies, but not
as bad as radio (aluminum
and nickel). Wire and steel
the main obstacles. Contemplated tax
of 10% is disliked and associations
urging for no tax. Costs of labor up, as
well as supplies, all of which suggests
the wisdom of selling present stock of
pianos at replacement prices, for the
market fluctuation has been up, and is
going higher. We do not expect to see
a piano wholesaled for less than $175—
the cheapest—by the end of the year.
Altho trade-ins will be worth more,
there is no need to be bullish on these
—give the same allowances and put the
difference into promotion. As with
other products, pianos are on the price
upswing, and dealers need worry only
about the lack of inventory. Trying to
get "turnover" these days is danger-
ous, as would be a minimum of stock.
P
F there come a shortage of sup-
plies, we can see the "cheap"
pianos eliminated, for mfrs would
be negligent to use those sup-
plies except on styles that will return
the biggest sales volume. This means
a condensation of styes, but this is not
serious. The upward swing all along
the line of labor and supply costs, and
the uncertain deliveries, are such as to
justify a dealer's expected projection
of stock, by months, for the balance of
1941, and not later than the coming
convention at Hotel New Yorker, July
2 9 - 3 1 , insure himself of these pianos
by long range ordering. Dealers who
stall around the convention exhibits,
and follow the usual custom of so
many, that of returning home and buy-
ing kittinishly, will find their orders so
far down on the shipping lists that
they'll think their names begin with
"Z." Beg pardon, Mr. Zach.
I
ITUATION is such that those old
junk boxes, cluttering up the
cellar can be refinished, reno-
vated, or what it is that the boys
do to them, and sold. It is expected
that dealers will do an increased dollar
volume if they'll use just a fair degree
of intelligence. Increase not only can
come from pianos, but from the addi-
tion of such lines as the marimba and
the vibraharp, easily played by those
who can play the piano. Future looks
bright for piano dealers alert to the new
"times"—it is the mfrs who are doing
the planning and worrying about fur-
nishing dealers with the sinews of the
sale.
S
ITH trade-ins dropping
from about 50% of sales to
about 35%, or a second-
hand take and sale of about
50,000—if we hit 140,000 production
for 1941—it is proof that pianos are
too well built, even if nothing can be
done about it. 50,000 trade-ins out of
the admitted 5,000,000 "punk" pianos
in homes is but 1 % , altho it is 35% of
the new sales. Were but 3% to trade
in the old junk, the industry wouldn't
make enough pianos to take care of the
business. There were 6,000,000 radio
trade-ins last year on home ownership
of about 45,000,000 sets—roughly 14%,
with the industry making 10,500,000
sets to take care of the trade-in and
new sales. So on trade-ins, pianos are
but 7% of the radio trade-in volume.
However, the obselescence of old
pianos versus the new, at least visually,
is 5 times radio. Naturally a product
requiring stability to handle 40,000
pounds of string pressure, can't be
made of mousetrap texture, so an addi-
tional idea to last month's piano policy,
could be to go after old piano owners
and their indifference developed into a
pride of getting the latest. Many up-
right owners are grand potentials, too.
W