Presto

Issue: 1923 1917

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American Pianos
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform Book-
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
/• c.n,., *IM « r ^
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1923
MANY PIANO DISPLAYS
FOR TRADE CONVENTION
Number and Variety Assured in Exhibits of
Music Goods Generally at Drake
Hotel in. June.
The ancient fight against "commercialism" in con-
nection with the music trade convention has not been
heard of this year. Plans for the big week in June,
with headquarters at the Hotel Drake, Chicago, are
going forward in such manner as to promise the
greatest event of the kind in history. And a very
important feature will be the aggregation of piano
and other displays which will be clustered beneath
the roof of the Drake.
There will be a larger variety of displays than ever
before in the record of the music trade conventions.
As it looks now, it is doubtful if the exposition of
several years back at the Chicago Colisseum carried
as many displays as will be seen next June by visi-
tors to the Chicago convention. One phase of this
part of the event is that a number of enterprising
piano industries have deferred their plans so long
that every inch of available space has already been
spoken for, and the Drake management will be
obliged to turn away some important applicants for
display space.
On Monday of this week a Presto representative
was told by the hotel management that only two
rooms remained, and they were gobbled up before
Tuesday night. Following is a list of the exhibitors
who have secured display space at the Drake Hotel:
Auto Pneumatic Action Co., Apollo Piano Co.,
Baldwin Piano Co., Brambach Piano Co., Bush &
Gerts Piano Co., Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.,
Bush & Lane Piano Co., H. C. Bay Co., Consoli-
dated Talking Machine Co., De Kalb Piano Co.,
Estey Piano Co., Jesse French & Sons Piano Co.,
General Phonograph Co., Gulbransen-Dickinson Co.,
Holland Piano Mfg. Co., Hallett & Davis Piano Co.,
Henry G. Johnson Piano Co., C. Kurtzmann & Co.,
W. W. Kimball Co., Kohler & Campbell, Inc., Lud-
wig & Co., Lyon & Healy, Lauter Co., Motor Player
Corpn., Mansfield Piano Co., Mayer Bros. & Bram-
ley, Inc., Miessner Piano Co., A. McPhail Piano Co.,
Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co., Packard Piano Co.,
Premier Grand Piano Corpn., Standard Pneumatic
Action Co., B. Shoninger Co., J. P. Seeburg Piano
Co., Starr Piano Co., M. Schulz Co., Schumann Piano
Co., Frederick P. Stieff, Inc., Straube Piano Co.,
Story & Clark Piano Co., H. G. Saal & Co., Simplex
Player Action Co., Sigler Player Action Co., Steger
& Sons Piano Mfg. Co., Slingerland Mfg. Co., S.
Simon, Schubert Piano Co., Spector Piano Co.,
Thompson-U'Nette Piano Co., Tonk Mfg. Co., United
States Music Co., United Piano Corporation.
F"rom that showing alone any experienced piano
man may see the importance of the approaching con-
vention in the matter of "commercialism," for all of
the displays will be on hand with a view to business.
Every display will be in charge of experts in sales-
manship, whose personal acquaintance with the deal-
ers will insure the rest of the proposition. And it
will at once be noticed that a proportion of large,
or really enterprising, piano industries are in line for
special displays.
PIANO TUNERS' ASSOCIATION
BIG BANQUET TUESDAY
Annual Round-up, at Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Was
Event of the Week.
The banquet of the National Association of Piano
Tuners, Chicago Division, at the Hotel LaSalle, on
Tuesday evening, was one of the largest gatherings
of the locai organization. There were about one
hundred active tuners present, and the speaking was
lively and instructive. W. Braid White gave one of
his chararacteristically happy addresses, and the offi-
cials of the association were equally felicitous.
The "surprise" of the evening, which had been
intimated in advance, was the presentation of a grand
piano, which was gracefully wound up and presented
to the holder of the proper coupon, who proved to
be S. H. Kellogg, of the Chicago division of the
association. It will be preserved as a souvenir of a
most enjoyable occasion.
As toastmaster, President Deutschman was in
good form. The reports presented by Secretary Mc-
Clellan show that the association is moving forward
rapidly and is now a strong aggregation of the world's
best harmonizers. A good showing of tuners from Wednesday's Meeting of Chicago Piano and
other cities than Chicago were present, Milwaukee,
Organ Association Attended by Chamber
Aurora, Joliet, Kewanee and other places being rep-
of Commerce Officials.
resented.
A meeting and luncheon of the Chicago Piano &
Organ Association was held Wednesday at 12:30
p. m., at the Palmer House, for the purpose of con-
sidering new applications for membership, as well as
the disposition of various matters. There was a full
(A New One Every Week.)
attendance and, naturally, preparations for the ap-
proaching June convention were generally discussed.
By The Presto Poick.
Among the visitors from out of town were George
W. Pound and Alfred Smith of the Music Industries
IN THE PIANO STORE.
Chamber of Commerce, who gave snappy two-minute
There, row on row, and stately, the gleaming cases talks. The principal business of the meeting was to
elect several new members and to listen to talks on
shine,
the matter of encouragement to be given by the as-
Reflecting all about them like mirrors superfine,
sociation toward helping to make successful the
Repeating every object completely, near and far,
In splendid duplication, as clear as evening star,— Band Contest and other features of the June conven-
tion.
A magical procession of beauty, in whose glow
President W. E. Guylee, of the Chicago Associa-
Stand graceful Grands and Uprights, in stately row
tion,
introduced the subject of the convention plans,
on row.
and introduced, first, Mr. James Bristol, president of
the Chicago Piano Club and chairman of the Promo-
The glory of the forests, the lustre of the sun,
tion Committee for the convention. This part of the
The rippling genuflections where limpid waters run;
More beautiful than poppy fields, or grasses bluely work the Piano Club has undertaken to take care of.
The other speaker was Chairman Patrick Henry,
green,
is bending his best efforts to make the Band
That bend in perfect glory where Summer's winds who
Contest
a success. Mr. Henry told of the require-
careen,
ments of his committee for help of volunteers to aid
To fill the soul with longing as music, soft and low, in
big job on hand. He touched upon the need
Rolls out from mines melodic that stand there row for the
caring for the bands, as they arrive in the city,
their transportation from depots to the Municipal
What wonder that they falter who come there with Pier, where they are to be housed during their stay
in the city, and told of advantages of having these
desire
To choose some matchless beauty of which they ne'er men and boys come to the city. He expects there
will be 3,000 of them.
may tire.
If the plan goes through, as arranged, it will be
What wonder that the sight and sound enmesh the
one of the biggest affairs ever held in Chicago in any
judgments till
But vascillating doubt remains to dominate the will, enterprise of musical nature.
Mr. Henry said that it is expected that one day of
And challenges decision, and pulls it to and fro,
When instruments of beauty stand waiting row on convention week, probably Thursday, June 7, will be
a holiday with closed shops throughout the city part
row.
of the day. It was urged, and seemed to be assented
to by most of the members present, that the Piano
OLD EVANSVILLE HOUSE.
& Organ Association should back and "father" the
Albert G. Barclay, head of the G. W. Warren Band project to the limit. Among other features it is
Music Company, at Evansville, Ind., who recently planned that pictures of the bands be put on movie
moved his store from 124 Main street to a building screens and otherwise exploited and perpetuated.
on Main street next to the Western Union Telegraph
The Piano and Organ convention committee for
Company's office, is one of the oldest music dealers receiving the bands, as they arrive in Chicago will be
in Evansville. The company was named for G. W. the Ways and Means Committee of the Piano &
Warren, who has been long dead and who for many Organ Association, consisting of: E. B. Bartlett,
years was leader of the famous Warren band at chairman; C. S. Williams, W. H. Wade, Harry
Evansville that captured prizes in many of the lead- Schaaf and Otto Schulz.
ing cities of the United States.
If the earnestness and enthusiasm of Wednesday's
meeting may be accepted as a sign, the Band feature .
of the convention, and indeed the entire week of the
FROM COLUMBUS, OHIO.
big event next June, will be filled with interest which
Chas. E. Bard, president of the Expression Piano will do a great deal to spread the fame of Chicago
Player Co., Columbus, Ohio, was in Chicago early as a "music center," and to acquaint the world of the
this week looking after lumber supplies for his in- far-reaching influence of the American music indus-
dustry. Mr. Bard was accompanied by his wife, who tries and trade as concentrated in the Music Indus-
is also active in the management of the Expression tries Chamber of Commerce and the allied associa-
action industry. In fact, Mr. Bard says that the suc- tions represented by that organization.
cess of his company must be largely given to Mrs.
The following new members of the Association
Bard, who devotes her time to the office work and were elected members at the meeting: W. S. Cheney,
is as well posted in affairs of the business as any- of the P. & O. Supply Co.; Mr. Weiser, of Weiser
one connected with the factory.
& Sons; F. P. Bassett, of M. Schulz Co.; C. E. Platte,
of Standard Felt Co.; T. M. Pletcher and A. N.
Page, of the Q R S Company.
MENNEN CASE APPEALED.
The Federal Trade Commission has appealed from
the decision of U. S. Circuit Court to the United
ADVERTISING AND THE RETAILER.
States Supreme Court in the so-called Mennen Co.
"To win two satisfied customers where only one
case. In its decision the lower court held that a
buyer bought before necessitates the ju-
manufacturer had the right to make different prices disgusted
dicious use of commercial advertising. Moreover, to
to wholesalers and large buying groups like chain achieve
this purpose requires that people do not con-
store organizations.
fuse mere publicity and educational work with actual
commercial advertising. Publicity is talking about
selling. Commercial advertising is one way, and one
BUSINESS STATISTICS GUIDE.
An offer of weekly business statistics compiled by of the most effective and cheapest ways of actually
the U. S. Department of Commerce is contained in selling.
the Service Bulletin No. 17, sent out by the Trade
Service Bureau of the Music Industries Chamber of
The Kesselman-O'Driscoll Co., Milwaukee, has in-
Commerce. It is furnished to business men without stalled a powerful radio broadcasting station, known
charge.
as WCAY.
DISCUSSED PLANS FOR
BIG JUNE CONVENTION
WAREROOM WARBLES
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
The American Music Trade Weekly
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-
BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL.
Editors
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234. Private Phones to all De-
partments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office,
under Act of March 3, 1879.
Chicago. Illinois.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4. Payable In advance. No extra
charge in United States possessions. Cuba and Mexico.
Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTO
PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
Advertising Rates:—Five dollars per inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.
Complete schedule of rates for standing cards and special displays will be furnished
on request. The Presto does not sell its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted for
articles of descriptive character or other matter appearing in the news columns. Busi-
ness notices will be Indicated by the word "advertisement" In accordance with the
Act of August 24, 1912.
Photographs of general trade interest are always welcome, and when used. If of
special concern, a charge will be made to cover cost of the engravings.
Rates for advertising in Presto Year Book Issue and Export Supplements of
Presto will be made known upon application. Presto Year Book and Export issues
have the most extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical in-
strument 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.
Presto Buyers' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Pianos and
Player-Pianos, it analyzes all instruments, classifies them, gives accurate estimates
of their value and contains a directory of their manufacturers.
Items of news and other matter of general interest to the music trades are in-
rtted and when accepted will be paid for. All communications should be addressed to
Presto Publishing Co., 407 So. Dearborn Street. Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1923
PRESTO CORRESPONDENCE
IT IS NOT CUSTOMARY WITH THIS PAPER TO PUBLISH REGU-
LAR CORRESPONDENCE FROM ANY POINTS. WE, HOWEVER,
HAVE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVES IN NEW YORK, BOSTON,
SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, CINCINNATI, INDIANAPOLIS, MIL-
WAUKEE AND OTHER LEADING MUSIC TRADE CENTERS, WHO
KEEP THIS PAPER INFORMED OF TRADE EVENTS AS THEY HAP-
PEN. AND PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE REAL NEWS
OF THE TRADE FROM WHATEVER SOURCES ANYWHERE AND
MATTER FROM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS, IF USED, WILL BE
PAID FOR AT SPACE RATES. USUALLY P;[ANO MERCHANTS OR
SALESMEN IN THE SMALLER CITIES, ARE THE BEST OCCA-
SIONAL CORRESPONDENTS, AND THEIR ASSISTANCE IS INVITED.
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Forms close promptly at noon every Thursday. News matter for
publication should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the same
day. Advertising copy should be in hand before Tuesday, five p. m.,
to insure preferred position. Full page display copy should be in
hand by Monday noon preceding publication day. Want advs. for cur-
rent week, to insure classification, must be at office of publication not
later than Wednesday noon.
CONVENTION DISPLAYS
There seems to be more interest in piano displays in connection
with the approaching convention than ever before. It is in keeping
with the strange human characteristic which causes us to want what
he haven't got, and to consider lightly that which we have.
When a big piano exhibit was planned, as a part of the annual
convention, the opposition was large. When it was decided that too
much "commercialism" would be bad for the trade and industry, there
arose a demand for the exposition. And on the four occasions when
exhibitions were made, the interest was inadequate to draw at-
tendances sufficiently large.
This year there will be no regularly organized exposition. But
there will, nevertheless, be more instruments displayed than ever be-
fore at any of the conventions. Two months in advance of the begin-
ning of the meeting at the Drake, in Chicago, Presto had received a
score or more of letters asking about the possibilities of making
special displays. The Association executives issued particulars of the
plans for exhibitors, and the hotels announced that special.provision
would be made for space. The response was such that reservations
came in in such numbers that most of the desirable show rooms have
been spoken for. And arrangements are still being made, some man-
ufacturers who have never before participated in the convention ef-
forts being first in the liberality of their preparations.
So that the dealers who come to the June convention will not lack
opportunities for examining the instruments in which they may be in-
April 21, 1923
terested, or in which their local competitors find their strength. It
will be a convention in which "commercialism" will have a good share.
The "business end" of it will not be hidden. There will be a great deal
of buying and selling, and the things which so deeply concerned the
convention leaders of old will be for And the last sentence suggests the change which has come over
the piano trade since the first convention twenty-six years ago. At
that time the uppermost topics had to do with the ethics of the busi-
ness. It was to denounce the "stencil," to curb "unfair advertising,"
to kill the "coupon," and to find some way by which to save members
from the pitfall of poor credit. Now it is how to sell more pianos and
get the money for them as quickly as possible.
It is, in other words, "business," good business and more of it. It
is how to make great old pianos greater, and newer pianos better
known ; how to meet the needs of the dealers, and how to hold the
most educational and most domesticated of all instruments in the
place it has won during the near-century since it began in America.
There are conditions, almost vital to individual piano industries,
to be considered. And the large number of special exhibits next June
will afford the opportunities.
RADIO ROYALTIES
Just now there is a good deal of newspaper excitement over the
rights and wrongs of the tax placed upon radio broadcasting of copy-
righted popular music. In this issue of Presto will be found an edi-
torial from the New York Times, in which an attempt is made to
analyze the complicated situation. As is usual in such matters, the
dispute is between the association, or combination, that controls a
good share of the popular music copyrights, and the broadcasting sta-
tions. The public has little to do with it and nothing at all to say by
way of what may be its rights.
The condition is similar to the one presented a few years back
when the "composers" organized and demanded that they be paid
for all public performances of the children of their inspiration, labor,
genius, or skill, in adapting old musical ideas to new settings. The
courts sustained the association and it was believed that the result
would mean the shattering of popular music.
But no such result followed, though there did come the combina-
tion of publishers by which the aspirations of aspiring music makers
were nipped in the bud. And today the radio opens up the old dispute
still more widely, but with quite different aspects.
It will be noticed that the New York Times editorial likens the
broadcasters to phonograph records for which the consumers must
pay, whereas the radio exacts nothing for its transmission beyond the
initial cost of the receiving set. The comparison seems far-fetched.
In the case of the phonograph record the "consumer" makes his own
selection. He buys what he wants and enjoys its performance at will.
The radio brings to him whatever the sending station chooses, and
often the "music" is not acceptable to the "consumer" who waits long
for the "bed-time story," the political harangue, or the tiresome ser-
mon to subside. As often as otherwise, not a sound or song comes to
his waiting ears that is really welcome or refreshing. Does he care to
be taxed for the possession of his radio set, as is proposed by the
copyright-controlling association of publishers and composers?
Perhaps the ablest writer on the subject of popular songs, and
their effect upon the public intelligence, is Mr. T. Rogers Lyons who,
in Musical Times, has denounced what he calls the "strangle-hold"
which has been put upon the music-loving public. That gentleman is
an advocate of the "independent" publishers and composers, and he
proposes that the/public performers and radio stations let the "con-
sumer" have music that is not controlled by the "trust."
The plan seems to be about the only one by which the radio
lovers can hear popular music without submitting to a tax for some-
thing they may not want. Furthermore, under existing publishing
conditions, it is the only plan by which aspiring independent song
writers and publishers can be insured a wide-spread hearing of their
offerings. It is Mr. Lyons' suggestion that publishers outside the
association print upon their copyrights a notice that they are tax free,
and may be sung or performed at all times at the will of the singer or
program maker.
It is a somewhat singular condition that a few years ago it was
customary with the publishers to pay liberally to have their copyrights
used in the concert rooms. Balladists, negro minstrels, and other
"artists," were engaged at considerable cost to help introduce the
latest songs. Today the singers and managers are penalized for pre-
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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