5
September 25, 1920.
the Philadelphia paper expect to realize immediately upon their in-
vestment. It has been estimated that, considering the class of Satur-
day Evening Post advertisers, not to exceed one per cent of its read-
ers are liable to be piano prospects. And not a shade of that propor-
tion are likely to be influenced by the page displays to the extent of
becoming buyers. But, even so, there will be none to dispute the
wisdom of the piano advertiser, who can afford it, if he goes even
as far as the thirteen pages. For advertising is never lost in the last-
ing influence of a good piano.
Of course in contrast with the effect of good trade paper adver-
tising, we can not "see" the cost of the two million circulation. The
trade paper has no circulation to show to advertisers who regard
quantity as the "whole thing." It has a circulation that is 100 per cent
good for any piano that is worth advertising at all. But the relatively
small circulation of the trade paper, if analyzed carefully, will be
found to exceed in investment alone that of the broadcast distribution
The two million circulation readers are a good share of the piano
owners. They are not live prospects. The ten per cent of pianoless
circulation represents 200,000 of the possibly interested kind—a
large estimate. The one per cent of reasonable sales leaves a thou-
sand buyers, if conditions are favorable and there is no knock to in-
tervene between the individual prospect and the piano advertised, and
if the advertisement happens to be a good one. That would mean,
by a vague hypothesis, a possible thousand sales for a $91,000 in-
vestment. But that isn't,the purpose of that kind of advertising. It
is chiefly designed to spread broadcast the name and fame of the
piano advertised. It- is to win the dealer through the public, and to
woo the public through the dealer. And, without doubt, if the adver-
tiser is financially equipped the advertising is good as an investment.
But the trade paper with a very modest circulation, in compari-
son, is a better investment. It affords a 100 per cent investment,
and its results are cumulative. A trade paper appeal to 5,000 active
dealers means more than a printed introduction to two hundred thou-
sand more or less indifferent readers. It means that every dealer who
responds, and becomes a representative of the instrument advertised,
becomes a flesh and blood publicity agent for the piano. He and his
salesmen become advertisers, not to a hetrogeneous lot of people,
but to the special class who want pianos—whether they know it or
not—and will eventually buy them. One such trade paper convert—
MEET BY CHANCE IN
CATSKILL MOUNTAINS
Impromptu Gathering of People of the Piano
at Beautiful Kendall Place in the High
Altitudes of New York State.
one live dealer more to the advertised piano—is of greater value to
the manufacturer than all the results of the advertising pages which,
according to the printing house whose circular suggested this article,
costs the government $12,000 a year and the advertisers $7,000 for
each insertion. It's a pretty problem and one that has never been
figured out with accuracy—perhaps because it can not be.
In Minneapolis there flourishes a jobber and manufacturer who
designates the instrument as the "self-player piano." Why not drop
the "piano" and call it the "self player" and let the world get used
to it that way?
*H
•$*
*&
A New York financier says that the flow tide in trade has reached
the limit and that the ebb will be due early next year. And things
will then settle back to normal and everything but the profiteers
will be perfectly happy.
sS
*
*
There is a good line in the artistic advertisement of The Cable
Company, on another page this week. "Piano Selling Time Is Here"
is the line. And the only way to take advantage of piano selling time
is to have the pianos to sell. Place your orders now.
•i*
*i*
*P
A new opportunity for the trade seems to open up in the an-
nouncement of the Rex Piano Mfg. Co. in this issue of Presto. The
Rex line is a long one and the ambition of the industry is in keeping.
Opportunities are what the trade is reaching for just now.
* * *
A genius in San Francisco is making a business of giving advice
to prospective buyers of player-pianos. He delivers his expert counsel
to all who are in doubt, and makes his charge in proportion to the
price paid for the instrument. Something new every minute.
* * *
If a piano dealer can sell three instruments a week and has a
dozen in stock, he can do business for a full month and then stop
unless he has provided for new supplies. If he hasn't so provided,
what will he do when his dozen are gone? The warning of the Hallet
& Davis Piano Co. to "Get A Few Ahead" seems peculiarly wise just
now.
facturer, New York, and Mrs. Courtade and their
son, the latter, however, visiting here, but not guests
of the Kendall Place.
The reason for the chance assembly is that all
were seeking relaxation from arduous and perplex-
ing duties necessarily consequent to conditions ex-
isting in the piano industry during the past years,
and it appears that all were looking toward the same
"place," i. e., "The Kendall Place," at Stamford,
a pretty village on the western slope of the Catskill
Mountains, and a "place" where hospitality, good
"eats" and "nature beautiful" abound.
Of the latter I am sending you a few photos,
which but faintly show the rare beauties of this
beauty spot within easy reach of the noisy, crush-
ing city to which 1 expect to return before the first
of October. Sincerely,
WILLIAM TONK.
NEW OFFICERS OF
NEW ENGLAND ASSN.
George R. Mance of Chickering & Sons,
President of Body Which Met in
Boston Last Week.
The new officers of the New England Music
Trade Association, the reorganized association of
which the entire music interests of new England are
included, are: President, George R. Mance of
Chickering & Sons; first vice-president, Frank S.
Horning; second vice-president, W. S. Nutting of
Nashua, N. H.; secretary and treasurer, William F.
Merrill.
The elections took place at the convention in the
PERSONAL NOTES.
Adams House, Boston, last week. It was very
Earl Achenbach, advertising manager of the representative of the music interests of New Eng-
Packard Piano Company, Fort Wayne, Ind., was in land. For thirty years the Boston Music Trade
Chicago on Saturday of last week and made his Association confined itself largely to local mem-
headquarters at the Chicago Packard offices.
bership. But last Fall, at a meeting held at Young's
J. P. Seeburg, president of two Chicago piano Hotel, the organization was expanded to include
industries, recently returned from New York where piano manufacturers, and dealers, talking machine
he went to meet Mrs. Seeburg upon her return from dealers, music publishers and small instrument deal-
Europe.
ers, and others connected in any way with the music
Gordon Laughead will attend the banquet to be trade, throughout New England. This meeting last
given Geo. Pound at Marion, Indiana, on Wednes- week was the first activity of the new organization.
day, September 22nd, by the music dealers of
The general committee in charge of the conven-
Indiana.
tion includes George R. Mance of Chickering &
Sons, Alva W. Poole of the Poole Piano Company,
W. W. Radcliffe of the Hallet & Davis Company,
TOWN BACK OF HIM.
J. T. Sayward of the M. Steinert & Sons Company,
KENDALL, PLACE
Everybody in Centralia, 111., is taking a per- E. A. Cressey of the C. C Harvey Company and
Stamford-In-the-Catskills
sonal interest in Carl Dale, a youthful composer of D. D. Luxton of the Vose & Sons Piano Company.
that place who has just published a song called
but it is seldom an assembly of a number of persons, "Longing
for You." A singer in a vaudeville show
all engaged in the same industry happens by chance there
BUSY WISCONSIN INDUSTRY.
featuring the song with decided advantages
or coincidence. Such a gathering made up a group to the is box
Conrad Kreiter, president of the big Milwaukee
office
receipts.
Mr.
Dale's
loyal
fellow
at Kendall Place, Stamford-In-the-Catskills, New citizens fill the seats and lustfully demand repeated and Marinenette, Wis., was in Chicago on Wednes-
York, last week. The group consisted of Albert encores
day and, in a talk with a Presto representative, said
every performance.
Behning, secretary-treasurer of the New York Piano
that his industry had never before displayed such
Manufacturers' Association, and Mrs. Behning;
activity as at the present time. The factory at Mari-
WEEKLY MUSIC PAGE GROWING.
A. V. W. Setley, secretary Estey Piano Co., and
nette is going full tilt and the orders have come
Mrs. Setley; J. W. Ackerly, piano dealer of
The Walla Walla, Wash., Union is the latest news- in faster than they could be filled. Very few of the
Patchogue, L. I., and Mrs. Ackerly; Mrs. Ralph paper to adopt a weekly popular interest music piano manufacturers have built up so successful an
Janney, wife of Ralph Janney, of Janney & Bow- page. Early in the summer the Clark Music Com- industry, within the same space of time, as Mr.
man, Inc., piano dealers, Detroit, Mich., and William pany, of Walla Walla, got in touch with the Bureau Kreiter. He says also that his phonograph and
Tonk, of William Tonk & Bro., Inc., New York. in regard to a music page and withitsco-operation piano bench departments are filling orders as fast
Besides these were Jos. Courtade, piano case manu- succeeded in selling the idea to the unions.
as the factory can finish the goods.
Stamford-In-the Catskills, N. Y., Sept. 17, 1920.
Editor Presto:—Periodically we learn of a Con-
gress of Piano men, or of men in other industrial
pursuits, the meetings of which are prearranged;
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