Music Trade Review

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age large and long experienced dealers
may feel that very little can be accom-
plished and that certain trade problems
have always and will always be with us.
It is also true that one of the first
shocks experienced by the newcomer to
our musical merchandising group is to
come in contact with the many un-
ethical and unfortunate trade practices.
The size of the operator has little to
do with ethics. The question of whether
?iorae outlying firm should be cautioned
about the use of the old gag, "Piano to
be repossessed in your community, etc.,
answer care of
," combined
with the use of fake contracts to support
the ruse, or whether it is one of our
large city retail outlets which may ad-
vertise that they have spinets for con-
siderably less than $500.00 and up, but
not stating that the lowest priced pianos
include short keyboard spinets, is not
important. The principal of breaking the
rules of ethics is the important factor.
If such firms could be quietly advised,
it is quite logical to assume that at
least some reaction for the good of the
industry will take place.
It is certainly true that the major ob-
jective of all trade associations is, in
effect, to promote more business.
It is just as true that the moral re-
sponsibility of all trade associations is
to promote better business methods.
It is to be hoped that the lesser of an
association's activities will have to do
with curbing unethical trade practices
for the purpose of promoting Better
business.
As a balanced plan there should defi-
nitely be some formula for helping to
channel the selling efforts of our asso-
ciation membership and affiliated groups
to follow proper ethics in achieving the
goal of more and better business. This
is the objective of the Trade Practice
Committee.
The Committee's Action
The committee's only action was to
pass a motion to the effect that the
Trade Practice Committee of the
N.A.M.M. went on record as favoring
that the members of this committee
should send to its chairman any com-
plaints concerning improper business
procedures, together with supporting
proof. The chairman of the N.A.M.M.
committee will pass such complaints
to the Secretary of the Trade Practice
Committee of the Musical Instrument
and Accessories Industry. He, in turn,
will process the complaints in the proper
way.
The action of the committee is ad-
mittedly meager—literally just a start!
Yet it is felt by the members of the com-
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, SEPTEMBER, 1951
mittee that with this small start, and,
with the cooperation of the association
members, a good influence in general
may be had upon the procedures of the
Musical Merchandising Industry.
In accordance with the motion passed
by the N.A.M.M. Trade Practice Com-
mittee, it is suggested that all dealers
who happen upon unethical operations
report them, including proper proof, to
the Chairman of the Trade Practice Com-
mittee, Emert S. Rice, c/o W. S. Rice
& Son Music House, 131 Main Street,
Columbia, South Carolina.
The Committee solicits the suppo.t
of all N.A.M.M. members for the com-
mon good of our industry!
AMC Activity Continues at
Fast Pace
Through the month of August, there
was no let-up in the AMC promotion
activity as the field men made a con-
tinuous number of appearances before
large groups of music educators and
leaders of youth organizations. Included
in these series of talks were speeches
before the 4-H convention at Nashville
and at the National Music Camp at
Interlochen. Meanwhile, AMC-promoted
material continued to appear in news-
papers, magazines, on specially pre-
pared television programs and on thou-
sands of radio programs.
Syndicates Carry AMC Stories
Thousands of newspapers were serv-
iced with a feature story through West-
ern Newspaper Union on "The Golden
Age of Music," underscoring the fact
that the United States is now the most
musical nation in history. It lauded the
AMC program . . . International News
Service carried a coast-to-coast item on
the upswing of guitar sales, while
United Press covered the country with
an interview of President Louis G.
LaMair of AMC, quoting his statement
that today's children studying rhythm
are learning "4 R's instead of 3." . . .
Women's National News Service distrib-
uted an AMC story on the emotional
benefits of music training for children.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Journal
carried a lengthy story on music, using
material from a recent AMC release.
Requests for "Plugs" Continue
In addition to the 1050 stations pre-
viously making constant use of AMC-
prepared "Plugs for Music," a list has
been compiled of 275 new stations that
are initiating use of these commentaries.
It is reported that many music mer-
chants, too, are requesting the "Plugs"
for their own use as material for locally
sponsored programs.
CBS-Columbia Color Sets
Now in Production
Adhering to the time schedule as set
up at the time of the first showing of
color television receivers by CBS-Colum-
bia Inc., manufacturing subsidiary of
the Columbia Broadcasting System, the
first "Dual" color and black-and-white
television receivers to be produced on
a production line were completed Sep-
tember 11th and immediately shipped to
CBS-Columbia distributors.
This receiver, known as the model
12CC2 is a console received with half
door, listing at $499.95 plus tax. It is
the first of a series of color receivers and
color companion pieces to be produced
by CBS-Columbia.
Inflation
(Continued from Page 15)
or escalator wage clauses contribute di-
rectly to the upward spiral of inflation.
Public subsidies are intended to keep
prices down but they also contribute to
the upward spiral of inflation and should
be avoided. It is encouraging to see a
growing number of farmers who want
to get away from parity prices. It would
also be encouraging if there were a ris-
ing trend of popular opinion against
escalator wage clauses and inflationary
subsidy programs.
5. The people of this country need
some effective reassurance that the gov-
ernment is doing, and will do, its utmost
to establish a strong solvent position,
and that there will be an end to the
repayment of its obligations in depre-
ciated money. No matter how thrifty
and saving the people may be, if their
government continues to spend like a
drunken sailor there is as certain to be
inflation as if the people themselves were
to spend their money in riotous living.
6. When a sound plan has been devel-
oped for the assurance of government
solvency, including the elimination of
wasteful and unnecessary spending, and
when operation is established on a pay-
as-you-go basis, then the people of this
country should be encouraged to post-
pone the purchases of goods not imme-
diately needed and, instead, to save their
money.
7. Wage increases unaccompanied by
increases in productivity must somehow
be stopped, for no matter what other
measures may be taken to check the in-
flation, if wage costs continue to rise,