Music Trade Review

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Resolution on Tuning Charge
Adopted by New York Tuners
As stated before in T H E REVIEW, the
piano technicians, members of the
American Society of Piano Technicians
and the National Association of Piano
Tuners, who reside in the Metropolitan
New York area, held a meeting at
Steinway Hall recently and not only
discussed the idea of stabilizing prices
of tuning but also passed a resolution
with the object of establishing a mini-
mum tuning price of $8.00.
Presiding at the meeting was Erwin
Otto, President if the New York Chap-
ter of the A.S.P.T., and Irving Pine,
President of the New York Chapter of
the N.A.P.T. The Secretary for the
meeting was Harry Firstenberg.
According to Mr. Otto, it was re-
vealed that most of the dealers, manu-
facturers and department stores in the
metropolitan area now charge from
$7.00 to $9.50 for tuning, the average
being closer to $8.00. Individual tuners
related the relative lack of opposition
to the minimum price among their cli-
entele, indicating that where a piano
owner felt certain of getting good value
for the $8.00, there was no hesitation in
paying the price. Particularly was this
true of tuners advertising their A.S.P.T.
and N.A.P.T. affiliation, and that piano
technicians in Westchester and Nassau
counties and in nearby Connecticut have
expressed their determination to charge
a minimum of $9.00 and $10.00 to
meet the higher living and business op-
erating costs in those areas.
Continuing, Mr. Otto said, "The ques-
tion of illegal price-fixing and anti-
trust legislation was found, in discus-
sion with counsel, to have no applica-
tion to the $8.00 minimum tuning price
campaign, since the qualified and regis-
tered or certified tuners concerned rep-
resent only a small part of the esti-
mated 350 to 400 tuners operating in
the area. Piano owners interested more
in cheap, rather than quality, tuning
would not be deprived of the oppor-
tunity of getting such service."
Mr. Otto stated that they were some-
what disappoitned over the fact that
there was not an attendance of manu-
facurers and dealers at that meeting
to enter into the discussion. A letter
was read from Vice-President A. S.
Zeisler of Krakauer Bros, stating that
the $8.00 minimum price seemed to be
justified and that they were willing to
go along on that basis.
The resolution adopted by unanimous
standing vote at the meeting is as fol-
lows:
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1954
WHEREAS the question of prices for
piano tuning in the New York metro-
politan area has reached a point re-
quiring joint action by the local organ-
izations of the American Society of Pi-
ano Technicians and the National As-
sociation of Piano Tuners; and
WHEREAS at a mass meetng of pi-
ano technicians held Monday, Septem-
ber 13, 1954 at Steinway Hall in New
York City, under the joint auspices of
the above-mentioned organizations, this
question has been thoroughly discussed
by all and sundry interested; and
WHEREAS it is generally agreed that
a quoted minimum price of $8 for tun-
ing in the New York metropolitan area
would be of all around benefit to pi-
ano technicians, piano owners, piano
dealers and piano manufacturers; there-
fore
BE IT RESOLVED that each tuner
take immediate steps to raise his tun-
ing price, the objective being that of
establishing an eight dollar minimum
quoted tuning price for qualified tech-
nicians in the metropolitan area as soon
as possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
a joint price committee be appointed
for the purpose of preparing promo-
tional material acquainting piano own-
ers and piano tuners with the $8 mini-
mum tuning price and for the purpose
of serving as an informational ex-
change center fo rtuners on the prog-
ress of the $8 minimum tuning price
campaign; and
BE IT STILL FURTHER RE-
SOLVED that all qualified unaffiliated
tuners be invited to join whichever of
the two local technician organizations
they please so that all promotional ma-
terial to be prepared can be made avail-
able to them.
Irving Pine, Pres. NY NAPT
Erwin Otto, Pres. N.Y. ASPT
Harry Firstenberg, Sec'y
A second resolution of thanks was
passed in appreciation of the moral
support and helpful counsel given by
Wm. R. Card, executive secretary of the
National Association of Music Mer-
chants.
Several applications for membership
were received by both organizations.
Out of town visitors were Kelso Davis
of Pratt Read & Co, Ivoryton, Conn.
and Errol Crowl, of the Boston Chapter
of the ASPT.
Arthur L. Gray Elected Pres.
New York Chapter of ASPT
At the November 1st meeting of the
New York Chapter of the American
Society of Piano Technicians, the fol-
lowing new slate of officers was elected:
President Arthur L. Gray, Long Island
City; Vicr-President John C. Markert,
Richmond Hill, N. Y., Secretary, Ber-
nard Brown of Flushing, N. Y., and
Treasurer Michael Saliani of the Bronx,
N. Y.
Erwin Otto, retiring President, showed
a color movie depicting the scenes of
the summer picnic of the Chapter which
was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Otto at Glen Spey, N. Y. There was
also a playback of a recording made
during a recent Garroway broadcast.
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