Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1920 1757

RE8TO
PRESTO
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-
BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL.
C A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
Editors
Telephones: Chicago Tel. Co., Harrison 234; Auto. Tel. Co., Automatic 61-70S.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code),
"PRESTO," Chicago.
Cntered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office, Chicago. Illinois,
%
under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4. Payable in advance. 'No ttr*
rge in U. S. possessions, Canada, Cuba and Mexico.
Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTO
PUBLISHING CO., Chicago, III.
Advertising Rate*^Three dollars per Inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.
Six dollars per in,ch per month, less twenty-five per cent on yearly contracts. The
Presto jtoes not sell Its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted for articles of de-
scriptive character or other matter appearing 1 in the news columns. Business notices
will be indicated by the word "advertisement* In accordance with the Act of August
sl^s 1912*
,„
Ratee for advertising in the Year Book issue and Export Supplements of The
Presto will be made known upon application. The Presto Year Book and Export
issues have the njost extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical
Instrument trades and industries in all parts of the world, and reach completely and
effectually all the houses handling musical instruments of both the Eastern and West-
ern hemispheres.
The Ftesto Buyeis' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Musical
Instruments; It analyzes all Pianos and Player-Pianos, gives accurate estimates it
their values and contains a directory of their manufacturers.
? Items of news, photographs and other matter of general interest to the must*
trades are Invited and when accepted will be paid for. Address all communication* fe»
Presto Publishing Co., Chicago, III.
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1920.
TO CORRESPONDENTS.
PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE NEWS OF THE
TRADE—ALL KINDS OF NEWS EXCEPT PERSONAL SLANDER
AND STORIES OF PETTY MISDEEDS BY INDIVIDUALS. PRESTO
WILL PRINT THE NAMES OF CORRESPONDENTS WHO SEND IN
"GOOD STUFF" OR ARE ON THE REGULAR STAFF. DON'T SEND
ANY PRETTY SKETCHES, LITERARY ARTICLES OR "PEN-PIC-
TURES." JUST PLAIN NEWS ABOUT THE TRADE—NOT ABOUT
CONCERTS OR AMATEUR MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS, BUT
ABOUT THE MEN WHO MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND
THOSE WHO SELL THEM. REPORTS OF NEW STORES AND
THE MEN WHO MAKE RECORDS AS SALESMEN ARE GOOD. OF-
TEN THE PIANO SALESMEN ARE THE BEST CORRESPONDENTS
BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE TO READ AND HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FINDING OUT WHAT IS "DOING" IN
THE TRADE IN THEIR VICINITY. SEND IN THE N E W S -
ALL YOU CAN GET OF IT—ESPECIALLY ABOUT YOUR OWN
BUSINESS.
A BOW OF PROMISE
Industrial prosperity is almost impossible as long as strikes im-
pend and both capital and labor feel the uncertainty of the upheavals
which have kept the world in a state of semi-terror for many years.
The strike, as a means of defense, on the part of working men, is as
old as labor itself. In the early days England tried to check it by
barbarian systems of physical torture and imprisonment. The strikers
were sentenced to mutilation by loss of their ears and other punish-
ment of that kind. But strikes continued and spread until finally they
grew bolder and attacked the fields of labor where interference threat-
ens the very foundations of democracy,
It is time that the world, in its boasted refinement and freedom,
found some way by which to regulate the most vital problem in the
affairs of man. And, considering the many other problems which have
been settled, and the time, thought and fortunes that are put to their
solution, there must be some way by which the menace of spreading
industrial unrest may be quieted once and for all time.
Nothing is impossible in the operation of reasonable legislation.
No obstacles or opposition can stay the purposes of a government
that can by a word, and at once, change the habits and regulate the
personal appetites of its people. There is no such thing as any council
of citizens overthrowing the prosperity of the millions because of
private grievances, real or imaginary. And there should be no such
possibility as the getting together of any self-appointed delegates, or
other quasi officials, for the purpose of stimulating industrial strifes
when regularly chosen representatives of the people might quickly
adjust the misunderstandings and help the smooth and steady flow
of relations as they must exist between employes and employers.
In political campaigns it is a crime, severely punished, for any
candidate to spend more than a fixed and moderate sum of money in
winning election. It is the custom with labor unions to accumulate
large surplus sums of money with which to sustain, strikes, and to
March 25, 1920.
levy tax upon all who remain at work, in "peaceful" shops, for the
support of the strikers. To one who doesn't know much it seems that
there may be evil and corruption in the control and expenditure of
money, by untrained and possibly vicious leaders, exceeding the waste-
ful extravagance of the political campaign. And if one can be checked
the other certainly can be also.
But there is at last promise of some serious effort to settle the
strikes. The industrial commission has submited to the President a
plan which seems to promise well. It should be studied by piano men
as well as others. Every member of the piano trade who has been
annoyed by the shortage in production feels that the cause should be
removed. The strikes in the New York factories have cut down ship-
ments about 40 per cent during the last twelve months. The shifting
of many orders from the Eastern to the Western factories has
placed the latter industries at a disadvantage, and the fact that sup-
plies come so largely from New York has had the effect of interfering
with the Western output nearly as greatly as if the actual strike had
extended throughout the country.
Just now, the piano industry is moving ahead splendidly. The
New York industries are recovering from the effects of the protracted
strikes. But until some permanent settlement of the most vital ques-
tion of the day can be found, the piano trade, as well as others, must
feel the unrest of uncertainty. And we believe that the industrial com-
mission has proposed a plan in which there is the basis of funda-
mental reform and the kind of protection that has long been needed.
WELL-KNOWN SUBSCRIBERS
A little more than a casual estimate shows that of all Presto
readers ninety-three per cent are retail music merchants and their
salesmen. This includes heads of departments. The proportion of
paid subscribers to whose private homes the paper goes regularly is
not large, approximating four per cent, though the copies to the homes
of manufacturers is somewhat larger than that. In some cases the
paper has been going every week to private addresses of industrial
heads for from ten to thirty years without interruption.
And it may amuse a few—though it shouldn't—to know that it
several instances the ladies of the household insist on receiving th<
paper, also. We have a total of sixteen of that kind of attention.l
In one case there was, for some reason, a lapse in sending the papei
to a lady who had long before requested it. After a few weeks ha(
passed a courteous note, in which ill-disguised reproach at what
have seemed like neglect, came with a $2 check inclosed. The ladj
was at once made an honorary life member. She is the wife of one
of the most distinguished piano manufacturers, and her interest ii
trade affairs is widely recognized.
A rather surprising fact in connection with the mailing list
the number of small music publishers who are regular readers. Anc
they are among the most insistent inquirers in the "Where Doubts
Are Dispelled" department. It is curious, too, that the small pub
lishers seem to be perpetually concerned with the activities of th<
"Songs wanted" gentry. They appear to seek some methods of pub
licity and promotion which may wholly depart from the questionabl*
practices implied. It is a good sign, and in one case, within a weel
a small publisher in the West forwarded to this paper a sworn affidavH
stating that he would print no song that might be "in the least sugl
gestiye of smut or calculated to bring the blush to the cheek of th(
most refined." He wanted advertising rates, but when his sonj
arrived the publisher was told to save his money; that he had pr<
duced nothing with a spark of promise in it; that, while there is notl
ing shameful in the line "May God Almighty bring you bliss,"
sung to commonplace accent it could not prove inspiring.
Certainly the music publishers are doing better, anyway. Wl
mean the smaller ones. The nests of erotic vultures that cluster
the top-story lofts in middle New York are the same as when she<
music was first blown out of Pond's and Ditson's and Peters' and Goi
don's and landed in the cess-pools of Hit Alley. The hope now lies i|
the great music roll industry. With such powerful influences as tl
Republic Corporation, the Imperial Company, the Q R S Company
and the rest, it will not take long to close both the bung and tl
spigot of the intemperate sewers of song slush.
It was the purpose at first to attempt a tabulation of the pianl
salesmen who, independently of their employers, are regular subscrilf
ers to this paper. Some years back a systematic effort was made
win a large reading of that kind, and with success, as the frequenc
with which the Presto Watch Fob is seen testifies. But we failt
to carry that line of investigation far, though the daily letters whic
come afford ample evidence that the salesmen, are with us in sympj
thetic numbers. To show how much in earnest the traveling piai
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
March 25, 1920.
salesmen are in the matter of getting the trade paper, there are five
old-timers who insist that Presto pay heed to their ever-shifting
addresses so that the paper may not fail them at any time. In two
instances the salesmen have for years sent regularly timed itineraries;
in others, post cards came weekly in advance, giving the next address.
We believe this subject is an interesting one, but we have not
yet touched upon the real theme of it. It involved, when we started,
consideration of what we believe to be the only real danger of a widely
read trade paper to its loyal advertisers. It is a recognized fact that,
whether consciously or not, an advertiser in an old trade publication
comes to consider the readers of that paper as in some sense indorsed
by that fact alone. It sometimes happens, too, that because a rep-
utable paper will not print unfair advertising, new advertisers seem
to apply the same ruling to the character of the paper's subscribers.
Presto can not vouch for all of its readers; the impossibility is
obvious. And it has come to our notice more than once that a small
number of persistently dishonest subscribers make it a practice to
watch the advertising pages for the purpose of promptly ordering
goods "to be shipped at once," or similarly phrased. In one case
during the past week a scoundrel even gave this paper as "reference."
There is one veteran of devious reputation, in northern New York
state, who has been doing this trick for the past twenty years, and
during that time has sent in his subscription under nearly a dozen
names. It is wise to use deliberation in sending goods to new cus-
tomers, at least until some investigation can be made. And the trade
paper is often a pretty good credit rating institution. Certainly this
trade paper is always as ready to protect its advertisers as it is to
extend to them the facilities of publicity.
over" and inspection, has received a vast amount of personal care
and special skill. Should there, even now, seem a scarcely perceptible
blemish, or should there be anywhere a tarnished screw-head, the
wonder of the critical dealer may overcome him! But he can have
little idea of what was required to get that particular piano, of that
special style, into its box and on its way to the impatient dealer.
Pianos belong to the manufactured things that are made "one
at a time" and that come only "one in a box." The man who breaks
into piano manufacture with no knowledge of the "game" beyond an
inadequate notion of the size of the investment required, is doomed to
disappointment and some despair before he can get over the rough
part of the road. The retail piano man who can not in some degree
get under the hide of the factory troubles, is also in line for his
own unprofitable troubles. He must learn to exercise patience; to
acquire the habit of letting his own customers into some of the secrets
of the business, and to adjust the difficulties that belong to his end
of things, without worrying the source of his supplies.
The merchandise of the florist may fade and decay over night.
But the florist has no recourse upon the greenhouse. Pianos may,
and do, last a lifetime. But the price paid for them does not justify
the expectation that they will last a lifetime, under any and all cir-
cumstances.
PIANO MAN'S OPPORTUNITY
I day.
In a perfectly natural manner of observing things a few pessi-
mistic piano men "viewed with alarm" when the Eighteenth amend-
ment was written into the Constitution. Their alarm was not for the
national ban on booze, for some of the alarmists were teetotalers and
not a few were and now of necessity are of the class who could take
it or leave it and who generally left it. The piano pessimist's alarm
was for the expected dire effects the national prohibition would have
on the sale of electric pianos.
But instead of the expected slam to the sales of electric pianos
an insistent demand for the instruments came to pass. What the
piano merchants are witnessing is the transition of business from
the saloon to the ice cream parlors and the coffee shops. Many a
place formerly occupied by a pianoless saloon is now made joyful by
soft drinks, the cold stuff and the obedient and ever-ready nickel-in-
the slot piano. There are more opportunities than ever before in the
electric pianos.
The electric piano offers almost limitless opportunities. In the
cities especially is the field large and fruitful. With the growth of
the moving picture industry that field is extended and continues to
expand every day.
In all large cities, and in many of the smaller cities, the automatic
electric piano is almost an absolute necessity in the cafes and other
public places. A good electric coin-operated piano will go very far
toward paying the fixed expenses. In the moving picture show it is
as essential as the film, or nearly so. The cost of the pianist is a big
item. The difficulty of finding competent performers is another. The
electric piano fills the void perfectly, and some of the special instru-
ments designed for the "movies" are as nearly perfect as the in-
genuity of man can make them.
In the cafes the coin-operated piano is a money-maker. It not
only gathers the nickels. It gathers also the customers. Music is
an irresistible magnet. Every man who knows anything knows that.
The methods by which sales may be made—the terms—are also easily
attractive. The electric piano actually pays for itself.
Don't overlook the electric piano as a profit-winner in your busi-
ness. There are several fine ones now on the market. Their makers
also advertise in Presto. Read their advertisements and get busy in
a way that insures profit, and a lot of it.
To the average piano dealer it often seems incredible that, after
I he has found the sale and closed it, there should be any further hitch
I in counting the profits and making the new piano owner happy. But,
las a matter of fact, the wonder is that the manufacturers have kept
|the trade as nearly supplied as has been the rule. If the impatient
lealer with deliveries waiting could understand the troubles of the
factory heads, he would quickly realize that his own disappointments
ire comparatively small. He would perhaps understand more nearly
fhat piano manufacture means. He would see that in the long list
)f manufactured products not many demand a wider selection of parts
md materials, or a more perplexing advance-estimate of the absolutely
[ndispensable supplies.
The beautiful instrument that is rolled glistening from its box
|n the piano wareroom had its beginning a good while ago. It has
>een handled by a good many skilled men. Its every part, from the
irst sawing of the timber for the case, to the last delicate "going
It is certain the National Association of Music Merchants would
not presume to dictate to the government of any church, but the
association was discreetly potent in passing one resolution—that
favoring the removal of the ban on dancing which is part of the
Methodist Church laws. The removal of that ban would result in
an added stimulation to the business in dance records and music rolls.
Methodists are notable for their rigid observance of church rules, but
the young Methodists of both sexes are human and just as sociable
as the youth of other churches which do not forbid the pleasures of
the dance. It is possible the ban will be lifted. The Methodist Gen-
eral Conference has been strongly memorialized to that end."
* * *
Who makes the smallest grand piano in the world; the smallest
talking machine, the smallest record? These questions would prob-
ably be answered gladly and promptly by those who think the credit
WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE
There are other considerations in the labor problem besides
wages and hours of work. And many piano manufacturers too had
and still have a vexatious time in solving those considerations. In a
story elsewhere in this paper it is good to see that the Baldwin Piano
Co., Cincinnati, is not distressed by one of the most vital causes to
an unsatisfactory labor situation—the remoteness of factories from
desirable residence districts. In the choice of the site for the new
million dollar factory of the Baldwin Piano Co., on Gilbert avenue,
opposite the Eden Park entrance, the fact that seventy per cent of the
employes of the great piano plant lived within walking distance of
their work, was a determining one.
The housing problem is nation wide today. There is not a city
in the country where the supply of dwellings is nearly equal to the
demand. The condition too has a hampering effect on the labor
supply in a great many industrial plants. In many cities cheap and
roomy factory sites are undesirable because of the scarcity of houses
for employes in the vicinity. The Baldwin Piano Company is fortu-
nate in occupying a location in Cincinnati where problems of homes
for its employes and transportation to and from work do not vex.
FROM FACTORY TO STORE
When the average piano dealer writes, or wires, the manufac-
turer, impatiently demanding explanation of the delay in shipping
the instrument some retail customer has selected, he probably has
little idea of conditions at the factory. Very few piano men have any
[knowledge of what the shipping department has to contend with.
I The beautifully printed catalogues, with the telegraphic code, gives
no suggestion of the condition of the stock room, and the impatience
of any individual dealer is only a small part of the sum of the entire
clamor that comes to the manufacturer in the mails, perhaps every
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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