June 5, 1920.
HIGHER WAGES AND
ARTISTIC DESIRES
Old Desires for Grand Pianos for Instance Are
Now Satisfied by the New New-Rich.
The partiality of the young mechanic and the
farmers' boy for silk shirts has provided a common
text for thoughtful and thoughtless writers on eco-
nomics. The thoughtless ones viewed desire for
fine raiment with sobbing alarm while thoughtful
students of industrial problems only saw in the fact
a minor sign of change in the spirit of the times.
It is significant as it affects the manufacture of
musical instruments. The thinking ones among the
writers admit that no matter how humble the cir-
cumstances of a person may be there is a longing
for beautiful and artistic things. And though the
silk shirt may be one expression, more substantial
dreams may be realized.
The fact is that the country is in for an art awak-
ening of a serious sort, and music is included in the
scheme of things. Perhaps as good evidence as any
is in the hands and among the files of the Bureau
for the Advancement of Music of the Music Indus-
tries Chamber of Commerce. Every day more con-
clusive evidence is being gathered by dealers who
sell fine pianos and phonographs, and records and
rolls of artistic music.
We have had in this country our favored classes
who reserved to themselves the right to enjoy artis-
tic things. Perhaps it is better to say the favored
classes enjoyed the right because they had the price.
The favored classes are still with us but they are
more numerous and less exclusive.
The amazingly big increase in the demand for
grand pianos, especially baby grands, noticeable
within recent years may be traced to the fact that
a lot of people who always had the desire for a
grand piano found themselves able to satisfy it.
Higher wages have enabled many men to provide
the best in pianos and phonographs for their fam-
ilies.
The furniture dealers have awakened to the pos-
sibilities in the old desires and the new ability to
satisfy them. The bright furniture salesmen have
a good way of handling the new new-rich, as they
very correctly call the favored ones who work for
bigger wages. They recognize it as an important
trade fact that the generation that reveled in gaudy
plush and shiny veneers is gone and that one of
cally, especially where they have had rivalry, an-
tagonism and suspicion. If dealers in their respec-
tive communities will get together in a semi-social
organization they will be able to adjust many of
the evils. There is no man who can help this or-
ganization like a traveling man, a man not identified
with any of the local troubles.
Co-operation, as far as possible, is more satisfac-
tory than competition, unless the competition is con-
structive and of a kind that succeeds because it does
things better, and on a higher plane than competi-
tors. Co-operation is possible and desirable ampng
dealers in the same city, which would benefit their
customers infinitely more than cut-price competi-
tion.
Every dealer should enter whole-heartedly into
the work and objects of the association in order
to check existing evils that all lines of business
know in one form or another, but which are being
curbed and cured by co-operation. Destructive price
cutting, to cite the most disastrous, could not exist
if local dealers treated one another as friendly com-
petitors rather than as rivals or enemies.
General and Miscellaneous.
It should be generaly recognized that sheet music
lias been the foundation upon which the whole music
business rests, for if music were not composed and
published there would not be much need of instru-
ments or, at least, there would not be such a large
or profitable sale for them.
The great business as we know it today has been
brought about largely through the genius, industry
and enterprise of composers, publishers and dealers
whose efforts have inspired so many to turn to
music as a means of entertainment, expression and
education.
Some of those whose interests are largely cen-
tered in mechanically produced music believe that
the sheet music business will gradually decline as
the other kind prospers, but the experience of the
past few years does not warrant any such conclu-
sion, and neither does wider observation, nor a
knowledge of human nature.
The proper procedure is not to stand aloof from
an association and point out that the body has not
done this or that particular thing that the individual
believes necessary or desirable, but rather to join
with the. association,and in the councils of that body
PRESTO
improved taste keeps things busy in the showrooms.
The suggestion to invest in something of real artistic
value is listened to. And the salesmen note that
once a customer of the kind alluded to buys one
piece of period furniture it is not long before other
pieces are purchased, and finally there is no con-
tentment until all the furniture in the room is of
that period.
WARER00M WARBLES
(A New One Every Week.)
By The Presto Poick.
THIS ETHICAL TRADE.
FOR MUSICAL THOUGHTS
Los Angeles, Cal., May 24, 1920.
Editor Presto:—I read in your paper something
about a desire, on the part of the Association for
Advancement of Music, for as many sayings of
great men as possible about music. I have been
making a collection of that kind ever since I joined
the sheet music trade, and I believe that I could
supply about 300 of the best and wisest sayings on
the subject.
But it would require a lot of time and work to
transcribe the paragraphs, and to do it would ne-
cessitate the employment of an expert typist. Can
you tell me whether the association, or Bureau of
Music, will pay anything for the extracts, or will
it be a free-will offering? I want to help, but am
very busy selling the latest song hits and old-time
favorites to the music lovers and teachers in Los
Angeles.
Truly yours,
E. M. DeM.
While we have no positive knowledge in the mat-
ter, it is our impression that there is no premium
upon the paragraphs about music which are wanted
by the National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music. Director C. M. Tremaine is compiling the
material for a convincing booklet and he invites
help of music men who are sufficiently enthusiastic
to contribute their assistance. You might ask him.
however. His office is at 105 West 40th street, New
York.
MEETINGS IN JUNE,
Among the important events scheduled for this
month are the mid-year conference of the board
of control of the National Association of Music
Merchants at the Hotel Traymore, Atlantic City,
N. J., : on June 25 and 26. On June 28, 29 and 30
the National Association of Talking Machine Job-
bers will hold the annual convention in the same
hotel in Atlantic City.
On June 1, 2 and 3 the convention of the Amer-
ican Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists
met in Atlanta, Ga.
present the ideas believed necessary for its advance-
ment. If the ideas are not acted upon then ther-
be reason for criticism.
The work being done just now is so big and broad
that the music dealer who hesitates to join the as-
sociation ranks can be accused of cheating just a lit-
tle bit by letting the other fellow carry on the bur-
den of the work that in the long run is going to
benefit the trade as a whole and every individual in
it. The work is plentiful and every one should do
his part.
The purpose of the association is to advertise the
legitimate interests of all dealers in music. To ac-
complish this end the association pledges its best
efforts to secure-for them such profit as will enable
them to conduct their business honorably and inde-
pendently, and give proper encouragement to the
development of the better retailing of sheet music.
It endeavors to secure better conditions for the
publishers of music by striving to secure and main-
tain a spirit of co-operation and harmony between
the publishers and dealers, and it calls the attention
of all to the indisputable fact that the ultimate pros-
perity of the publisher depends upon the prosperity
of the dealer.
Efforts to build up the organization have been
helped very materially through the interest shown in
it by most of the traveling men and we could not
have accomplished what we did in our earlier years
if they had not done such good work.
In the judgment of President T. F. Delaney,
the association can best serve the interests of the
industry by convincing and by demonstration prov-
ing to small and large dealers alike, the fact that
the sheet music business is not essentially different
from other lines of business, and can be put on a
clean and healthy basis permanently, if a conscien-
tious effort is made in that direction.
The teacher demands concessions of the dealer,
and the dealer in turn, on behalf of the teacher, from
the publisher. Why? The return privilege is con-
stantly abused, and there are hundreds of other
small details which it would be difficult to enu-
merate within the confines of a letter.
The complete circular-letter from which the fore-
going paragraphs are reproduced may be had by ad-
dressing either President T. F. Delaney, Chicago,
or Secretary J. M. Priaux. New York City.
There was a time when if a man
Were tricky in his dealing,
And tried his customers to pan
In ways too much like stealing,
He'd find his neighbors on to him
In ways too mixed to mention,
While all the world seemed keen to trim
His obvious pretension.
He'd find that if he would succeed
He must not thus dissemble,
Nor try to win by hoggish greed,
Or what might such resemble;
He'd soon discover people knew
In ethics he was lacking,
And nothing then that he could do
Would serve to give him backing.
Today we never have a care
About our neighbors' straying,
Because we know they'll all be fair
In what their advs. are saying;
We feel that ethics in the trade
Is just like golf or tennis,
And if not clean and fairly played
We just report to Dennis.
Q R S TEAM BEATS
BARRETT COMPANY'S NINE
The Score Was 27 to 17 in Favor of the Music Roll
Co.'s Boys.
In the Chicago Industrial Athletic League games
played on Saturday, May 29, the Q R S Music
Co.'s team was pitted against the well-known Bar-
rett company. This game, while not made up oi
good baseball, was nevertheless the finest game
that has been seen in years from the spectator*'
point of view.
The game was featured by the hitting on botli
sides, the Q R S scoring 17 hits while the Barrett
company were getting 11. The final score was 27-17
in favor of the Q R S team.
The next game in which the Q R S will partici-
pate is against the La Salle Extension University,
and will be played on Saturday, June 5, in Washing-
ton Park, on Diamond No. 8, at 2 o'clock.
PACKARD AGENT AT BERLIN, WIS.
Henry P. Veatch, Chicago and Mid-West repre-
sentative of the Packard Piano Company, returned
Tuesday morning to the city from a western trip.
While absent, he made a connection for his com-
pany's goods with A. Schilling & Company, of Ber-
lin, Wis. Mr. Veatch is going to Arkansas this
week, where, in his old territory, he will straighten
out one or two matters and return to Chicago in
time for the Republican national convention.
A BIG DAY'S ORDERS.
Over ten carloads of player-pianos were ordered
in one day this week of the Story & Clark Piano
Co., 315-317 South Wabash avenue, Chicago. The
day was Tuesday, and the orders all came in by
mail—one day's mail. The dealers ordering this
large aggregate number of player-pianos of Story
& Clark make are scattered widely in all parts of
the country, but that they are all good, reliable
dealers goes without saying in these days of choos-
ing one's dealers.
Hy Eilers, of California, writes to Bush & Gerts
that if all the pianos he receives are up to the
standard of the Bush & Gerts style R that has just
come in. he will have no trouble in selling them.
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