Music Trade Review

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mentals for a good business later. Besides this if he doesn't
choose to go into business for himself the profession offers
a lucrative posiion for a man with a dealer or a manu-
facturer due to the fact that both manufacturers and dealers
have become convinced that the salary scale must be
attractive or they can't interest men in the business. Now
it is up to dealers to send students to these schools. It
will redound to their benefit in the future.
Radio-Phonographs
Important
Postwar Factor
ADIO-PHONOGRAPHS, television, wire recording
and phonographs are going to be a greater factor
for the postwar business of the piano dealer than
at any time in the history of this business. Proof of this
has been shown by the unprecedented demand for records
during the war period. While record sales have soared to
some 150 million during the past year, it has been predicted
that production will reach 300 million when the postwar
business gets into its swing. The postwar age will be
one of see as well as listen. The living room radio will
be a combination radio-phonograph and as soo.n as tele-
vision appears and becomes practical for all it will be
part of the combination. For the whoopee room, the
outdoors and the vacation, record players will have their
field day. A greater demand than ever before. Where
the living room combination will be furnishing symphonies
and classical selections for the family, the portable record
players will be entertaining the bobby sockers with boogie
woogie. For the retail sale of these types of musical
instruments no one is better equipped than the music
merchant. He has always sold instruments in the higher-
priced brackets. He has built his prestige on selling quality
products and his follow-up system of selling creates busi-
ness. If you haven't looked into this phase for your business
it's high time you did. There are many fine combination
instruments being manufactured now. Enough to supply
the demand for all piano dealers who will be able to
represent an individual quality product in his territory.
That is sound reasoning also, but certainly until production
gets into full swing piano prices will have to remain high.
As production becomes greater there will be an opportun-
ity for lower prices but they should never again become
so low that piano manufacturers and supply men have to
get up in a meeting and say the things which we heard at
that meeting. Every manufacturer of every commodity
is entitled to a profit or else the business isn't worth a
tinker's dam.
Better Contact Your
Congressman
VIDENTLY the OPA don't want any business to
be worth that and we were glad to see concerted
I si action taken by the association in the form of a
resolution protesting the price ceiling policy of the OPA,
which will be not only sent to them but also to the Small
War Plants Corp. We were interested also to hear, for
the first time, something we have been advocating for the
past two months; that each member should contact his
Congressman and persuade as many other members of the
industry ss possible to do the same thing and keep him
pdvised regarding the deplorable condition the industry
finds itself at the present time. The more sources Con-
gressmen get gripes from the sooner they will be spurred
trt action on behalf of their constituents. This fact was
mentioned by Richard W. Lawrence in his address at the
luncheon and from the political experience Mr. Lawrence
has had no one knows better what he is talking about. The
government is anxious to see that there is steady employ-
ment in the country during the postwar period and as he
pointed out men can't be employed unless a business can
be operated, and operated on at least a break-even basis.
So again we say, get acquainted with your Congressman
and when you have troubles tell them to him. The OPA
claims that when the Congress passed the bill controlling
this bureau, they put limitations on the pricing to be done
according to 1942 prices. They claim they cannot do
otherwise until the Congress tells them to do differently.
If this is so, then this is another reason why you should
go after your Congressman. You'll do a whole lot more
1SPMA Meeting a "Wow"
good doing this than you will arguing with a piano manu-
I ROM what we heard at the annual meeting of the facturer about when you are going to get pianos. In fact,
National Piano Manufacturers Association this you may get pianos quicker if you do protest to him.
month, piano dealers can make up their mind that
Unified Action May Get Results
they are not going to get new pianos soon and that when
they do get them they will have to pay more for them than If ] [ N HERE was one redeeming feature about that meet
at any time in the last decade. For the first time in many
II ing. It looks now as if the association as a unit
years the supply men "let their hair down" and told the
will take some definite action regarding the pricing
piano manufacturers it was time they stopped trying to situation. Several individual applications for a better price
beat prices on supplies down to the bone so that no money ceiling are now in the hands of the OPA. With pressure by
could be made by the suppliers. It was one of those "love a group brought to bear it may hasten these to maturity.
feasts" which one hasn't heard for many moons. We believe We were told, just before going to press, that the price
from what we heard that perhaps the piano manufacturers ceilings on used pianos have been set and that they have
may in the future be able to make more than a $5.90 gone to be signed. When these do appear another compli-
nrofit on a piano which they are entitled to. Of course cation will be thrown into the pot. We are hoping, how-
the argument was advanced that with prices too high no ever, that they will not create too much of a disturbance
one would buy pianos but other musical instruments and because dealers will have to depend on used pianos for
commodities which will come into a lower price range. some time to come, or else shut up shop.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, JUNE, 1945
II