Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1923 1906

PRESTO
February 3, 1923
Hugo. And "all life needs for life is possibility to will," says Tenny-
son. It is the will to find "prospects" that creates the demand for
pianos. Without the will there would be comparatively few pianos
sold. That is why the pianos that sell easily are the products of
manufacturers possessed of the wisdom to advertise. That is why
the pianos that possess name-value are the ones the dealers want.
For pianos of that kind are easily made to stimulate the desire of
possession.
All intelligent people, and most of the other kind, as well, realize
that they want music. But even that realization is not, in itself,
enough. They must be told that the kind of music they want is that
which they can make for themselves. They must have a hand in it.
And the piano, or the player-piano, is the instrument that affords the
greatest range of possibilities, at the least expenditure of effort, for
the best results.
There was never a better year in which to stimulate the piano
demand than the one now entering upon its second month. Piano
dealers and salesmen have their opportunity, and if they will get after
the possibilities of business they will produce results. The piano
manufacturers know this. They are stirring up their factories, and
the piano shortage is fast disappearing. The prices are low enough.
The foolish reluctance to pay $10, or so, more for the piano the
dealers most want is not serious. The dealers who thus put the
brakes upon their own business will be the losers. The other kind
will create the demand and do the delivering with no least hindrance
to sales in the slight increase of first cost.
MUSIC AND MOVIES
There are few towns too small to have a piano dealer. And no
town that has a piano dealer is without at least one movie theater.
No movie theater is complete without a good instrument of music.
And it is a question whether or not the small town piano dealers real-
ize that every picture show is a potential prospect for an automatic
piano.
When the movies first broke forth, the automatic piano was a
crude affair. Its monotonous banging and droning had a tendency
rather to drive people away than to draw them into the little theaters.
Today some of the theater pianos and organs are as good as a full
orchestra for the purposes of accompanying the thrill of the eye with
a thrill of the ear. They are perfectly fitted for the movie shows. But
do the local dealers consider this source of profit? Or do they per-
mit the shows to suffer the banging of indifferent piano players with
no variety of effects, and no special adaptability of music to the
pictures ?
This is something well worth the piano dealers' attention, es-
pecially in the smaller communities. W r e have, known instances in
which movie shows have been within a block of good piano stores
and yet not a word said to the film-man, by the piano man, about a
suitable instrument. This condition is inexcusable, when such per-
fect music-makers as are produced by the J. P. Seeburg Piano Co.,
the Operators' Piano Co., the Nelson-Wiggin Co., and others, may be
had promptly and economically.
Selling theater pianos is largely a matter of studying the field of
opportunity. It is suggestion that often does the business. And no
MORE ADVERTISING AID
FOR GULBRANSEN DEALERS
Four Appliances for Modern Publicity Meth-
ods Announced by Gulbransen-
Dickinson Co.
Four new advertising features announced by the
Gulbransen-Dickinson Co., Chicago, for use by deal-
ers in the Gulbranseu playerpiano are an electric
flasher, a horizontal electric sign, a vertical electric
sign and Movie Film No. 3.
The electric flasher registers the name of the dealer
and the Gulbransen in a way that attracts every
passerby. Total height of the display, \6yi inches;
width, IOV2 inches. Frame and base very attractively
finished in dull gold.
The light in back of the highly colored slide flashes
on and off. Nothing to get out of order; nothing to
adjust. Simply place it in your window and connect
with an electric light socket. Uses ordinary bulbs.
Movie Film No. 3 is a new photographic film, short
enough to be run in practically any theater. Extra
long trailer for dealer's name. Film, with dealer's
trailer, measures only 65 to 70 feet long, but in short,
snappy fashion, gives an impressive message to the-
live piano salesman should find it possible to pass a movie theater
without buying admission, if only to see how the music goes, so as to
help out the management with a suggestion. And the time to offer
the suggestion is about the time the opening announcement is made.
The movie industry and music go hand in hand. Music is half the
show. And it is essential that the instrument be adequate, (let after
the picture shows just as soon as the film begins to flash.
However careful the most careful may be, still error will creep
in. And so a reportorial slip in last week's Presto elected Mr. Chas.
W. Schild, secretary and assistant-treasurer of The Cable Company.
But the directors of the great Chicago industry elected Mr. Geo. W.
Eddy to the responsibilities named. Mr. Schild is the assistant sec-
retary and assistant treasurer. And so it's a case, on Presto's part,
of "beg your pardon."
* * *
Boston will have two notable celebrations this year. The
Chickering piano will attain to its centenary in April, and the Vose
piano will reach its seventy-fifth birthday. Both industries have
added luster to the Hub, and both have added to the opportunities and
progress of the piano trade and the whole piano world.
* * *
It is always interesting to read the wise statements of the pro-
found politicians and official leaders. But usually the daily news-
papers have a monopoly on that kind of intellectual fodder, and the
trade papers are better when they treat of the things of trade—the
piano trade. Such a paper is Presto.
* * *
There will be no music show in connection with the annual con-
vention in Chicago next June. But there will be the customary num-
ber of special exhibits in the rooms of the Drake Hotel, and other
convenient places. There will be plenty to interest every piano man
present.
* * *
The automobile business boasts of 63,000 dealers in this country.
There are about 13,000 piano dealers. About 60,000 people are killed
by motor cars every year. We heard of but two being killed by
pianos last year, and they were piano movers.
* * *
Good salesmanship is not shown by quantities in the selling. In
the piano business salesmanship is evidenced by the quality of the
instruments sold, and the other considerations by which the sales-
man becomes profitable to his employer.
* * *
Pianos are somewhat scarce, and there is no excuse for slashing
prices anywhere, of any grade, at any time. Value your property
proportionate to your effort, and get your profit or keep your goods.
* * *
The man who thinks he can sell pianos is on the way to pro-
ficiency as a salesman. The man who thinks he can, and can, is a
post-graduate piano salesman.
* * *
There are more than 11,000,000 automobiles in use in this country.
How many pianos are there?
ater audiences. It tells about the "3 tests" of the
(iulbransen, demonstrating "one-finger pedaling,"
"your touch," and the "Instruction Rolls."
The two electric signs are made by the wonderful
"Flexlume" process. All letters and the reproduction
of the Baby are of highly raised Oplex glass. The
signs can be seen for a much greater distance than
the ordinary bulb sign, are much more economical as
to number of bulbs required and current used, easier
to keep clean and neater in appearance.
BLIND TUNER NOW LAWYER.
E. A. Lindblom, a blind piano tuner whose abilities
have long been appreciated by Salina, Kans., dealers
and piano owners, has been admitted to the Kansas
bar. Mr. Lindblom is now engaged in formulating
legislation for the benefit of the blind and has or-
ganized a Salina unit of the Kansas State Association
for the Improvement of the Blind.
OPENS IN PETALUMA, CAL.
F. La Violette is in charge of the Piano Shoppe,
which has been opened in the McNear building oppo-
site the City Hall, Petaluma, Cal. The line of instru-
ments carried by the Wiley B. Allen Co., San Fran-
cisco, is represented in the new store in this famous
center of the chicken and egg producing industry.
PIANO CLUB OF CHICAGO
HEARS FAMOUS AUTHOR
Edwin Balmer, Concisely and Cleverly Told How He
Wrote His Delightful Books.
The Piano Club of Chicago, at the weekly luncheon
this week had Edwin Balmer, author, Evanston, 111.,
as guest and speaker. Those who had read Mr.
Balmer's delightful books knew what a treat was in
store for them on Monday, so the big attendance at
the luncheon was explained. The fine sense of humor
that is shown in his writings and the humanness of
his characters make his readers want to know him
personally, and this opportunity of so doing was one
that members of the Piano Club of Chicago could not
miss. As a speaker Mr. Balmer combined wit and
wisdom with the Piano Club's motto, "Make it short
and snappy." He talked on the ways in which books
are written, published and sold. It was a most in-
teresting sidelight on story-writing.
And a headliner number for the music of the day
was Harold Leonard and his Red Jacket Orchestra,
the latest music sensation of the day.
The store of the Duesler Music Co., Fort Wayne,
Ind., was recently remodeled.
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
NUTSHELL HISTORY
FOR MUSIC TRADE
Rotaridn Asks for Much Piano and Sheet
Music Information, Which Is Here Given
by the Conductor of Presto's "Doubts
Dispelled" Column.
A bulletin from the service bureau of the Music In-
dustries Chamber of Commerce says that "a Ro-
tarian, and former president of his club," asked for
the following:
1. Name and date of first real piano factory.
2. Date of beginning of retail music business.
3. Firm and date of first retail music business in
America.
4. Maker and date of first upright piano.
5. Date of first general publication of printed sheet
music.
6. Date of new process of printing sheet music.
7. Number of people employed in entire music in-
dustry in America.
8. Number pianos produced annually in America.
In Europe.
9. Approximate number pianos annually exported
and to what countries.
10. Percent of labor cost in manufacture of a pir.no.
11. Approximate number piano factories in
America.
12. Approximate number retail music dealers in
America.
13. Any further information.
Everyday Interest Topics.
The Bureau was able to submit "some sort of an
answer on each of the foregoing points, insofar as the
information was available," says the bulletin.
It would have added not a little to general trade in-
terest had the bulletin permitted Presto to reproduce
the "sort of answer" which was given to the ques-
tions. It is of daily occurrence that Presto receives
questions touching upon one or more of the topics,
or others similar or associated with them. And all
of the data suggested has been covered in the "Where
Doubts Are Dispelled" columns of this paper, in the
years that have gone since that feature was estab-
lished.
But the subjects about which the Rotarian asked
are always of interest to members of the trade.
Space devoted to their discussion is never lost. And,
in the order given the questions by the Service Bu-
reau, the following answers are probably as correct
as history can establish them.
Briefly Answered.
1. All writers on the piano agree that Cristofori was
the inventor of the piano. But he did not have a
factory. Christoph Sehroter began to build pianos
in 1717, at Vienna; he made a small factory. Gott-
fried Silbermann, of Frieberg, followed, and he seems
to have really started the piano on its triumphant
commercial way. In his shop originated both the
English and German schools of piano manufacture.
But the first really great piano factory was estab-
lished in the United States many years later.
2. The music business dates back to the fifteenth
century. In the days of Samuel Pepys there were
good "music shoppes" as that worthy speaks of going
to them. Presto has a book which was published
nearly three hundred years ago, the engravings in
which exceed in beauty anything modern. Every
note is cut in steel and the "harmonizing" is delight-
ful. Handel contributed original songs.
3. The retail business in this country began when
the original John Jacob Astor brought over several
of his father's pianos and opened a store for their
sale, in exchange for wild animal skins. This was in
New York about 1783.
4. The first upright is accredited to Johann
Schmidt, of Saltzburg, Austria. It appeared in 1780.
When Sheet Music Started.
5. Presto has a book of "sheet music" which was
published in 1760 though that was not the first. It is
printed from steel engraved plates and is a work of
typographic art. The pictures are delicate and ar-
tistic. It is "harmonized" for two voices and flute.
It contains original songs by Cary and Arne.
6. The "new process" of music printing began in
this country about 1871. It was to transfer the im-
pressions made by the "punched" plate, of composi-
tion, to the lithographer's stone. It became general,
in Boston, New York and Cincinnati, about the year
1876. The late John Church was the first to introduce
it in the West.
7. According to latest government statistics, in 1919
there were 39,931 workers engaged in the manufac-
ture of pianos, organs and musical instruments' sup-
plies in the United States.
8. The largest year in piano manufacture in the
United States, the output approximated 300,000. The
smallest in this century was 1921, of about 125,000.
February 3, 1923
Last year the output was about 190,000. In Europe
the present output is about 120,000, England leading,
although before the war Germany was the principal
producer.
(A New One Every Week.)
Piano Information.
By The Presto Poick.
9. American pianos are being exported to the num-
ber of approximately 20,000 annually, perhaps a little
less at this time. There are American piano industries
the production of which has been fifty per cent ex-
port trade. Australia, England, France and the
South American countries have been buyers of Amer-
ican pianos, and still are, Mexico being a good cus-
tomer at this time. Some of our piano industries
maintain regular salesmen, and agents, in Australia;
the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co. has a resident rep-
resentative in Melbourne, Steinway & Sons have
regular establishments in London, Paris and other
foreign music centers, as well as in Mexico.
10. About seventy-five per cent; some say even
more.
11. At this time there are 197 piano factories in this
country, not counting several annexes, or special
plants, of the larger industries.
12. There are approximately 12,000 established
music dealers, including piano and small goods stores,
in this country.
THE COUS CURE.
13. The "further information" would fill a book as
big as the Bible. What more do you wannaknow?
If mind can work such wondrous spell
O'er all that's solid matter,
And cure our ills, as we hear tell,—
And all that sort of chatter-—
Why don't we also try to cure
What ails our fortune-getter
And say, like Coue—why, for sure— \
"Day by day, in every way, the biz gets better'n
Chicago House Has Loss Similar to One in the New
better!"
York Branch Recently.
A Guadaynini violin, made in Italy in 1751, and If we can make lame people walk,
valued at $8,000, was stolen Wednesday of this week
And blind ones see so clearly,
from the Wurlitzer Music Company, 329 South Wa- It may be well to try to talk
bash avenue, Chicago.
Our trade to life, or nearly,
Benjamin Katz, manager of the old violin depart- For surely there's no reason why
ment, was approached by a man who asked for a
Some little word or letter
demonstration of some of the instruments. Several May not cure trade if we but try—
were tried. While Katz was in a vault, replacing a
"Day by day, in every way, the biz gets better'n
violin, the man disappeared with the Guadagnini.
better!"
The violin formerly was the property of Leonard,
a famous teacher of Paris, according to Mr. Katz. If we can fix our broken bones,
•It is so well known as to make disposal almost im-
And soften all our bruises,
possible, he says.
By saying things to stop our groans,
The incident is almost a duplicate of a theft re-
He must be dumb who loses!
ported by the Wurlitzer house in New York a few For what's to stop our winning game—
weeks ago. The old violin thieves seem to have fixed
What fate can halt or fetter
upon the Wurlitzer houses as five sources of supplies. The man who fears not to acclaim,
"Day by day, in every way, the biz gets better'n
better"?
WAREROOM WARBLES
RARE OLD VIOLIN STOLEN
FROM WURLITZER STORE
JOINS FRIEDRICH FIRM.
Ernest E. Smith, of Pittsburgh, formerly of Grand
Rapids, Michigan, with 25 years' experience in the
music business, has been secured as manager of the
piano and phonograph departments of the Friedrich
Music House, of the latter city, according to an an-
nouncement by Julius A. J. Friedrich, Sr. Mr. Smith
for several years was district manager for the W. F.
Frederick Piano Company of Pittsburgh. Prior to
that he was in business in Grand Rapids for several
years. Hugo Friedrich will devote all of his time to
the general direction of the Grand Rapids firm's
policies and the handling of the financial end of the
business. Julius A. J. Friedrich, Jr., will continue to
manage the sheet music and small instruments
departments.
It's all so easy, after all,
If we're but human parrots,
And know the countersign and call
And can tell beans from carrots!
There's nothing left at all to do,
If you are a go-getter,
But just to work like h—11 and coo—
"Day by day, in every way, the biz gets better'n
better!"
"DANNY" LUXTON'S ENTHUSIASM.
D. D. Luxton, of the Vose & Sons Piano Co.,
Boston, was in Chicago last week, and it was good
to hear him tell of the plans of the famous old Bos-
ton piano industry and the new factory, which was
COLUMBIA MAY SELL DICTAPHONE. pictured in last week's Presto. "We are arranging
for a celebration," said Mr. Luxton, "and it will show
The Columbia Graphophone Company is negotiat- again that Boston is the source of fine piano produc-
ing for the sale of its dictaphone business, according tion as never before." Mr. Luxton says that the area
to reports circulated in the financial district recently. of artistic pianos is here to stay for a while. Busi-
The amount involved in the transaction is said to be ness with the Vose is good and growing better every
$1,000,000. A new company is to be formed to take day.
over the manufacture of this product. According to
the report, this company having the exclusive rights
for the sale of the product in the United States and
WILL BUSH HERE FOR MEETING.
Canada.
W. L. Bush, of Dallas, Texas, president of Bush &
Gerts Piano Co., Chicago, as well as of the retail
concern of Bush & Gerts of Texas, was in Chicago
GENNETT RECORDS.
The Gennett records, made by the Phonograph for a few days late last week, and will be here again
Division of the Starr Piano Co., at Richmond, Ind., Tuesday of next week to attend the annual meeting
are having a great sale. They are clear-curve discs and election of officers. Mr. Bush arrived in Chicago
and the list includes a vast selection, to which addi- last Saturday, and left Monday for New York, Bos-
tions are constantly being made. Dealers will find ton, and Baltimore. He will return to Chicago on
it profitable to get the lists of Gennett records, Monday, Feb. 5.
where they will find many good ones not to be found
elsewhere.
PRICES IN VENEZUELA.
The prices of musical instruments in Venezuela run
PIANO STORE IN MERCED, CAL.
considerably higher than for similar articles in the
Lyle P. Conner, of San Francisco, has opened a United States, due principally to the high tariff rates,
music store in Merced, Cal., and the new enterprise which are assessed on the gross weight. The tariff
will be known as the Merced Music Co. Mr. Conner rate, including surtax, on phonographs is $17.13 pe-
was for nine years traveling sales manager for the hundred pounds; on musical instruments, $17.13 p*<
Baldwin Piano Co. out of San Francisco. The pianos hundred pounds; on sheet music, $1.37 per hundred
to be carried will include the Baldwin, Ellington, pounds; on organs, $10.28; on perforated music rolls,
Hamilton, Howard, Monarch, Winton and St. Regis. $10.28; and on pianos, $3.43 per hundred pounds.
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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