Music Trade Review

Issue: 1950 Vol. 109 N. 9

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
special offer of new type of service.
This method of contacting former cus-
tomers may bring more honest answer?
than would be obtained by a personal
talk with them.
'
The use of a letter is practical chiefly
in the case of former credit customers.
Where former cash customers are con-
cerned, its use obviously depends upon
knowledge of their names and addresses.
If you do not have such a record of cash
customers, you might begin at this time
to compile one for possible future use.
The names and addresses can be taken
from sales slips or delivery tickets, or
may be obtained by asking customers
to fill out a form which will enable you
to give them advance notice of special
sales or the receipt of especially desir-
able merchandise.
b. A third person can be employed
to contact a list of former customers to
ask why they are now trading elsewhere.
The advantage of this method is that
the person probably could obtain truer
and franker answers than would be given
to you personally by former customers.
c. If your store is located in a small
community, mutual friends of former
customers and yourself perhaps can find
out discreetly why they are now trading
elsewhere.
d. Former customers can be contact-
ed personally in an attempt to learn
why they have stopped buying from you.
Value of studying competitors' meth-
ods.—Careful study of competitors'
methods may indicate strong points of
their businesses with which they are
winning away your customers. For in-
stance, is their advertising more effective
than yours? Do they have more courteous
salespeople, better displays, merchan-
dise of higher quality, lower prices, su-
perior services? Can you improve or
change your own merchandising meth-
ods to overcome their advantages?
Studying and using the information
gained.—After obtaining criticisms and
suggestions from the various sources
mentioned and studying your own oper-
ations and those of your competitors,
weigh carefully the information gained.
Where criticisms are justified, correct
the offending conditions as quickly as
possible. In regard to suggestions for
improving your store and its services,
you might eliminate immediately those
suggestions which cannot be adopted be-
cause of limitations of space, location,
and so on. The remaining suggestions
can be divided into those for immediate
adoption and those for adoption over a
period of time.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1950
Four Color Post Cards by Weaver
Can Be Used for Many Purposes
The Weaver Piano Co., York, Pa., has
issued a series of 4-color postcards for
use of their dealers in promoting Weaver
pianos. Each carries a very forceful mes-
sage exploiting both the Weaver grand
piano and the Verti-Mignon.
In announcing these cards, the Weaver
Piano Co. suggests that they can be used
to invite prospects to the store, to con-
tact musicians and teachers for pros-
pects, to send to newcomers in the deal-
ers' territory, to tell prospects of newly-
arrived pianos in his store, to announce
special bargains, to thank people for
calling, to say thanks for favors shown
by others, to ask customers and friends
for prospects, to suggest to former cus-
tomers that they trade their old pianos
for new ones and to invite people to
your window when you have an unusual
display.
Keeney Sells County Schools
Anne Arundel, County Superinten-
dent of Schools, Annapolis, Md., has
made arrangements to purchase three
Wurlitzer Pianos, Model 901, from D.
O. Keeney, owner, Keeney's Piano &
Music Store of Annapolis.
YOU MAKE MORE PROFIT
SELLING MAAS CHIMES
If you sell organs, you can make additional profit with little
effort by selling Maas Cathedral Chimes, Vibrachimes, Organ
Harps and related instruments. . . . Maas Chimes are more
than half-sold in advance, through national advertising, pro-
motion and publicity. . . . Maas is the leading name in the
field of electronic chime, bell and harp products for churches,
schools, organists, institutions and private homes. Every town
has a list of prospects for Maas instruments. . . . Build your
organ department into a steady source of extra profit with
Maas Chimes, Carillons and Organ Percussions.
VIBRACHI ME...
designed for instant attachment to
the Series 15 Wurlitzer Organ is
today's biggest selling chime instru-
ment. It produces beautiful chime
tones, perfectly tuned, for use in
private homes, churches, clubs. The
attachment is economical, requires
no added floor space. Every Wur-
litzer Organ prospect is a prospect
for the Vibrachime.
MAAS VIBRACHIME
MODEL 804-W
for Series 15 Wurlitzer Organs.
Also models for other organs.
Write for information and prices.
MAAS CATHEDRAL CHIMES . . . CARILLONS . . . VIBRACHIME
HARP CELESTE . . . AUTOMATIC HYMN PLAYER . . . MONOBELL
CHRONOBELL . . . TOWER BELL SYSTEMS . . . VIBRACHORD
WESTMINSTER CLOCKS...ALTAR CHIMES...ANGELUS RINGERS
ORGAN COMPANY
Dept.
11, 3015 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles 39, California
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Jiusic
Ji
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
MCMIM OF
V. T. Costello
Associate Editor
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF MUSIC
MERCHANTS
Alexander Hart
Technical Editor
Mary Louise Kauffman
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 RKO Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephones; Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
Vol. 109
SEPTEMBER, 1950
No. 9
Business—As We See It
LTHOUGH Regulation W has been revived,
piano and musical instruments are not named
among those commodities which come under
the control of this regulation. Television sets, phono-
graphs, radio sets and radio-phonograph combinations
are the only instruments connected
with the music industry, named in
the regulation at this time. On these,
a down payment of 1 5 % is speci-
fied, and the maximum time limit
is 18 months. Thus, the music mer-
chants who handle pianos and mu-
sical instruments are relieved of
any of the formalities in respect to
this type of merchandise. It will be
remembered that the effect of the
original Regulation W on the mu-
CAKLETOX CHACE
sic industry proved very satisfac-
tory. In fact, many piano merchants were glad that
pianos land musical instruments were included in the
.10
act. Since that time, down payments and time limits
have been so well stabilized that very seldom have credit
extensions gone beyond 24 months. Down payments
have been at least 2 0 % . Through the original Regu-
lation W, the public was educated to the fact that a
certain amount of down payment was obligatory and
that there were only certain credit limits that could be
used. They were also educated to the fact that the piano
bench could not be included in the total price of the
piano and had to be added thereto. Therefore, most
piano merchants have continued along these lines which
they have found to be much more satisfactory than
many of the methods practiced before the original
Regulation W was put in force. Besides, this, the per-
centage of cash sales lias continued to be very high,
and instead of a large percentage of time sales, cash
sales still predominate in a manner similar to that of
the war period. Therefore, if music merchants continue
along these lines, there seems to be no reason why
Regulation W should ever be extended to apply to the
music business. The music industry itself seems to have
gotten into the habit of regulating its down payments
and time sales to the entire satisfaction of all con-
cerned. Bravo!
Should The Teaching Age Be 4 Or 9 Years?
C""^ AST month we published an article in which,
J l / | after complimenting the American Music Con-
^•"••" ferenee regarding their work in promoting piano
lessons in the schools, the writer posed the question as
to whether it was more practical to start children taking
piano lessons when they were 4 years old rather than
when they were 9 years old. It seems that from what
we have since learned from William A. Mills, executive
secretary of the American Music Conference, that the
children in the third grades are at present taught pitch
through the use of the tonette and the flutophone, to
give them an idea of tone on a single staff. According
to Mr. Mills, the American Music Conference believes
that it would be more practical if a piano were used
at this age in order to give them the pitch of a double
staff. This they consider would be perfect pitch. It is
evident, therefore, that the American Music Conference
has this matter in mind and, although where music
merchants have started to have children taught at an
earlier age, a certain amount of patience is required
to see that this idea is carried out in the parochial
and public schools. It has been a long period that
other methods of teaching children pitch at the earlier
age has been in vogue. It must be remembered also
that it has been many years that there has been no
attention paid whatsoever to the teaching of piano in
the schools and the progress which has been made
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1950

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