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"The Piano Industry-Has It a Future or Only a Past?"
THE PRIZE WINNING ANSWERS
N THE February issue of THE REVIEW there was reprinted from "Retailing Home Furnishings" an article entitled
"The Piano Industry—Has It a Future or Only a Past" by Harry A. Glasser, vice president of the Colen-Gruhn Co.,
Inc., New York, distributors of electrical appliances and home furnishings. This article stirred up so much controv-
ersy that THE REVIEW offered prizes for the three best answers. From the many answers received the judges, Richard
W. Lawrence, president of the Bankers Commercial Corp., New York, Charles M. Freeman of the Hirshon-Garfield
Co., New York, and Carleton Chace, Editor of THE REVIEW, decided, after much deliberation, that the following four were
the best. First prize, a $25.00 War Bond, goes to Walter L. Bond, secretary-treasurer of the Weaver Piano Co., York,
Pa.; Second Prize, $10.00 in War Savings Stamps, to Arthur W. Wright, retail salesmanager of Wm, Knabe & Co.,
New York; Third Prize to Byron H. Collins, Leonia, N. J., formerly retail sales manager of Steinway & Sons, New York,
and now with the Federal Telegraph and Radio Co., Newark, N. J., and Honorable Mention to J. M. Wylie, piano
merchant in Fargo, North Dakota.
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2. A piano, as a work of art, is entitled to the most
attractive "furniture appeal" with which it can be clothed.
The piano industry has gone far in developing "furniture
appeal" in the past ten years. Notwithstanding all this
WALTER L. BOND
progress, I feel the surface has hardly been scratched by
our industry in exploring the possibilities of making the
Secretary-Treasurer
piano a better looking piece of furniture. But, I don't believe
Weaver Piano Co., York, Pa.
many homes would give the space for the most beautiful
VERYONE should participate in music and, therefore, piano imaginable merely as a piece of furniture. If the
every family should have a piano. I am thoroughly piano is to be in every home, it must get there and stay
in accord with Mr. Henry A. Glasser's views that the there because it is used as a musical instrument by members
piano should be a much more important item than it ever of the family and or friends. Along with advances in "eye-
appeal" must go the promotion of easy teaching methods for
has been.
I take it for granted that we all learning to play the piano; and the promotion of music
agree that under present condi- participation by all the people. Unless this is done—and
tions almost anyone can sell all of to a more successful degree than ever before—the mass
the pianos he can get by almost market which Mr. Glasser envisions will never be attained.
any plan of selling. In this letter
3. From a sales standpoint, pianos are "specialty" items
I am considering the questions in the highest sense of the word. Radios, refrigerators and
raised by Mr. Glasser from the other appliances are "staples." The selling of "staples" is
standpoint of the highly competi- largely a matter of whether the customer will buy yours or
tive days which are predicted to your competitors—he is going to buy one or the other. The
follow sooner or later after the selling of "specialties' is' largely a matter of whether the
close of the war.
customer will buy any piano of any kind from anybody.
I do not believe Mr. Glasser's Advertising and display will help to do the job, but these
plans will produce the results cannot at their very best be more than auxiliaries to the
highest type of personal educational salesmanship by an
which he predicts because:
1. Pianos as musical instru- aggressive salesman. If appliance jobbers merchandise
WALTER L. BOND
ments are more than precision pianos to retailers on the same indiscriminate basis they
instruments like radios, refrigerators, washers, etc. A do radios and other items, I believe they will creaate dead
$25.00 violin is made to more exact standards of dimensions inventory for a large percentage of those retailers. The
than a $500.00 violin. It is sold to the intelligent buyer 1 not only chance for success is if the wholesaler can and will do
because it is mass produced, but because that is its musical a better job of sales and merchandising service for the
worth. The musical qualities which give the $500.00 violin retailer than piano manufacturers are willing to do. It is
its value are produced by the patient hand-work of the my personal conviction that there is nothing in the physical
experienced craftsmen who cannot obtain these musical set-up or planning of an appliance wholesaler which gives
results on a mass production basis. Art, in any of its mani- him any permanent advantage over the piano manufacturer
festations, is the very opposite of mass production. I believe in giving service to retailers.
through the radio, the sound pictures, the phonograph and
I believe that the piano business requires specialists who
the personal appearances of musical artists, the public is are completely piano conscious in every detail of its manu-
becoming much more musically intelligent and much more facture, promotion and sale. I believe the hope of attaining
discriminating about tone and musical values. The unusual the highest volume of piano business as an industry is
opportunities which our company has had during the war dependent upon an increase in the efficiency and the aggres-
to become familiar with production methods and production siveness of those engaged in manufacture, promotion and
developments in many fields have convinced me more fully sale of pianos and in increasing the number of individuals
than ever that musical instruments of desirable tone and of ability who will devote themselves exclusively to this
performance cannot be produced by mass production meth- one line of endeavor. The whole tendency in business and
ods. Much can be done, and much has been done, to mass professional life is towards "specialization" and it seems
produce component parts for pianos, but the actual building to me that a shift, from distribution direct from factory to
of the piano must be done by careful painstaking highly retailer, to distribution through jobbers of many other items
experienced craftsmen if the result is to be a musical in addition to pianos, would be contrary to the trend of
instrument worthy of the efforts of the pianist.
events.
First Prize
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, APRIL, 1945