Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1954 Vol. 113 N. 8

Page 10 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The Jfusi
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
A. C. Osborne
Alexander Hart
Associate Editor
Technical Editor
V. T. Costello
Terry Ruffolo
Production Manager
-
.
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 Americas Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
Vol. 113
AUGUST, 1954
No. 8
year, but the redeeming feature of the report showed
that there were a little over 1800 dealers at the Con-
vention, whereas in the analysis which was made
last year there were some 1600 dealers who could
be depended upon as purchasers. The increase in this
buyer attendance certainly was reflected in the or-
ders which were placed but it was very noticeable
that quality and not quantity was the feature of the
attendance. Many of the smaller dealers throughout
the country did not attend and this of course was at-
tributed to the fact that the spring business had been
pretty dull and that they choose to stay at home for
the simple reason that they did not wish to miss any
business that might be forthcoming. The piano man-
ufacturers, furthermore, were quite pleased with the
delivery arrangements which were made by the
N.A.M.M. in securing the services of one transporta-
tion company which took care of delivering the in-
struments and taking them away from the hotel. This
was a tremendous help, according to many of the ex-
hibitors, and proved to be another improvement
which had been brought about this year by the Exec-
utive Committee of the N.A.M.M. Practically every
piano manufacturer had some new model piano to
show. Some of them had more than one, and there
were quite a variety of new methods of teaching the
piano, with the idea of making it fun to play rather
than the drudgery which had been attributed to
taking piano lessons in the years gone by.
Business-As We See It
T
HERE were certainly very definite signs of op-
timism at the 53rd Annual Convention of the
National Association of Music Merchants which
took place last month in the Palmer House in Chi-
cago. In spite of the terrific 100-degree heat, the
piano and organ exhihits were
visited by a large number of deal-
ers and when the show was over
practically every one of the ex-
hibitors said that they had done
considerably better than they did
in 1953. The rearranging of the
meetings of the members and di-
rectors of the N.A.M.M. proved
very effective. Incidentally, the
breakfast
m e e t i n g of the
N.A.M.M. which was held on
CARLETON CHACE
Tuesday morning was attended by
more dealers and members than any other annual
meeting which was ever held in the history of the
association, according to retiring President Russell
B. Wells. Furthermore, it was over early enough in
the morning to give the members a splendid oppor-
tunity to use the rest of the day for visiting exhibits.
The association's report on the annual attendance
reveals that it was approximately 7% less than last
10
The Increase in Electronic Organs
W
E believe that the electronic organ was prob-
ably a topic which was more liberally dis-
cussed than ever before in the history of the
business. At the present time, there are 9 manufac-
turers of electronic organs and since the inception
of the chord organ, which was introduced a few
years ago by the Hammond Organ Co., the steady
increase in sales of this type of instrument has
prompted other manufacturers to devise a similar
instrument. So, at this Convention we had a new
chord organ introduced by the Minshall Organ Inc.
of Brattleboro, Vt. and another new organ of the
spinet type introduced by the Organo Division of
the Central Commercial Corporation. In addition to
this, the Estey Organ Corp. of Brattleboro, Vt. in-
troduced a complete line starting with a pipe organ,
an electronic organ, a spinet organ right down to the
small portable organs for children. The other organs
displayed, which had been on the market for some
time are the Allen, the Baldwin, the Connsonata and
the Wurlitzer. The exhibit rooms of all these ex-
hibitors were visited by a very large number of those
who attended the Convention, and in every instance
the feeling surrounding these instruments was pre-
dominated by an "easy-to-play" program.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954

Page 11 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
What About Organ Competition?
T
HE result of this electronic organ activity has
brought about several comments from the man-
ufacturers of pianos as well as the dealers
regarding what the organ competition may do or has
done to the piano business. In our estimation, the
organ competition will do to the piano business just
what it will be allowed to do by either the piano
manufacturer or the piano dealer. Contrary to what
the piano industry has had in the past, or what we
might call 'outside competition', it now has some
inside competition with which to contend. So, what
is the answer? First, we might consider what the
organ manufacturers have done to put over their
instruments, compared to what the piano manufac-
turers and dealers have done to sell pianos. In sur-
veying the organ field during the last year, it has
been estimated that approximately 40,000 organs
have been sold against the production of approxi-
mately 148,000 pianos. Of this 40,000, approximate-
ly 70% have gone into homes and at least 6 0 % of
the 70% which have gone into homes have been
purchased by persons over 40 years of age. These
are people who did not learn to play a musical in-
strument in their early days and have become in-
terested in the organ on account of the easy-to-play
chord organ methods and they are enjoying their or-
gan at the same time becoming more keyboard-con-
scious than they ever have been in their lives. The
sale of these organs have been definitely stimulated
by the fact that in every organ studio there is an
organist who teaches people how to play the organ.
In fact, we talked to one organ studio man who also
handles pianos. He has six rooms in which he
teaches and he not only teaches people how to play
the organ but he also teaches them how to play the
piano. He has a special corps of teachers for this
purpose, and he is planning in the fall to put on a
special campaign on the piano as well as on the
organ.
sand leaders of bands in accordance with a survey
which has recently been made by the A.M.C. We do
not feel that the piano industry should fear the or-
gan competition providing it works on ways and
means of still promoting the keyboard experience on
the piano. We will admit that the organ competition
is here, but we do not believe it is here to the extent
that the piano industry cannot find ways and means
of making it an asset. In our estimation, anything
that makes anyone more keyboard-conscious is some-
thing that can be of considerable help in promoting
the sales of pianos, if handled properly.
Think This One Over
J
UST another thing that was told to us, which
might be borne in mind by some piano dealers:
one organ dealer who sells pianos told us that he
can afford to have six salesmen out canvassing not
only for organs but for piano sales, because when he
sells organs the profit is there, which enables him to
pay the salesmen a good commission. Therefore, his
organ business is good and he also picks up consid-
erable piano business besides, and in running the
operation in this manner he doesn't have to cut
prices on the pianos, which unfortunately has been
the case in many instances during the recent period
when the piano business has been dull. We would
suggest that each piano dealer consider what he can
do under the present situation because the electronic
organ business is here to stay and will not, as was
suggested to us by one person, be a fad. Let the old
adage "Competition is the Life of Trade" be your
guide and go and get your share of business which is
always around you in this the wealthiest country in
the World.
Children Learn Piano Playing
F
EDITOR.
ROM what we have learned we believe that
the purchase of organs for teaching children
to play is very small. That is where the piano
comes in, and we believe that every dealer should
promote in some way the teaching of the piano in
connection with his wareroom, or have a community
teaching center perhaps supported by all piano deal-
ers in the community in order to stimulate the key-
board experience among children, which we need so
badly. That, of course, is the essence of the effort
which is being made in the schools and colleges
throughout the country, and it is what we need, be-
cause after all the piano is the basic of all musical
instruments and it has been so voted by several thou-
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, AUGUST, 1954
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