Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1923 1918

PRESTO
April 28, 1923
pianos you feel interested in, and when you get to the Drake, try to
follow your program. Of course, you will want to give some atten-
tion to the instruments you already represent. You will probably
find them at the Drake. And you will want to investigate the recent
innovations, as the little uprights, the very small grands, and other
novelties in the playerpiano line^—for there are some new ideas here,
also.
A complete list of the exhibits will appear in Presto of May 26,
which will be in the dealers' hands just before starting time. With
the names of exhibitors, the room numbers at the Drake, or else-
where, will be given. Such particulars will be added to the list as
will be helpful to visitors, and it need not be difficult to comply with
the suggestions -of Presidents Chickering and Butler without miss-
ing any of the shows in which dealers may be interested.
A little system applied to the convention may go a long ways
to make the first week in June, in Chicago, both interesting and in-
structive as well as profitable.
WHERE TROUBLE LIVES
Evidently, as never before, the people of Germany find comfort
in music. One of the most remarkable illustrations of persistency
under adverse circumstances, and of a determined cleaving to sources
of solace, may be seen in the almost dogged forward movement of
the German piano industry. Of course, the people of Beethoven, Mo-
zart and the rest, have always held the foremost place among the
makers of music.
Before the war, German pianos had pushed their way into all
lands and were defying competition from the standpoint of price.
When the war had begun, and the makers in the musical instrument
factories had thrown down their tools for the deadly implements of
destruction, the German trade papers continued to discuss acoustics
and methods of piano manufacture and sale. Mingled with the in-
dustrial notes, were poems of the trade, and death notices of the
fallen.
When the great day of defeat came, the German music trade
papers still came out, still discussing methods of production and
selling, and moved along as calmly as if the nation had not been rent
asunder and an entirely new order of things, political and industrial,
inaugurated. More surprising still, the day of comparative peace
had hardly dawned before the music trade papers of Germany began
to expand, the number of piano factories increased, and the advertis-
ing pages indicated more enterprise and more aggressive ambitions
than ever before.
Today, the leading German music trade paper carries a marvelous
array of piano announcements. The issue of Zeitschrift fiir Instru-
SOME VERY LATE OPENINGS
IN THE RETAIL MUSIC TRADE
A Few of the New Ventures in the Best Business in
the World.
Sullivan Bros., Binghamton, N. Y., moved last week
to larger quarters.
Herman Lemler, the Bourbon, Ind., music dealer,
has moved his business to a new building recently
purchased by him.
Bestor Bros., Madison, Wis., has moved its musi-
cal instrument business from 110-112 South Pinckney
street to 120 West Mifflin street.
Myers & Mooney is the name of a new business
in Columbus, O., composed of Glenn L. Myers and
P. F. Mooney. The firm will carry music goods and
radio sets and supplies.
Floyd T. Sherwin has opened a music store in
Canton, N. Y.
A branch of the Story & Clark Piano Co. will be
opened next week in Paterson, N. J., under the man-
agement of Thomas G. Stratham.
The Clarksburg Music Co., Clarksburg, W. Va.,
recently purchased the Bofifa Music Store in that city.
Preparations for a formal opening of the Sedalia,
Mo., branch of the Martin Piano Co., Springfield,
Mo., are now being made.
The Mount Pleasant Music Shop, Washington, D.
C. was recently opened at Fourteenth street and Park
Road.
H. E. Davies & Son is the name of a new music
business in Reno, Nev.
McVcil & Co., 630 E. Main street, Stockton, Cal.,
has remodeled and enlarged its store.
Richard Brase opened a music store in Grand
Island, Neb., this week.
Clarence Sisco has succeeded Munn & Sisco in
Sturges, Ky.
The Conrad Music House, Fremont, Neb., has pur-
mentenbau for March 15 had forty-eight solid pages of musical in-
strument advertising—a remarkable showing. And many of the
advertisements displayed a rare order of enterprise and intelligence
in the preparation of copy. There is nothing in the trade that is not
advertised, and the number of player music roll industries that make
themselves known is something of a revelation when compared with
the methods of the American music roll industries.
But the Leipsig music trade paper at last raises a cry of distress.
It announces that, owing to the continued rise of the dollar in Ger-
many it is absolutely necessary to advance the price of the "Zeit-
schrift fiir Instrumentenbau." And the increase in the cost of paper
and printing ran the price of the Leipsic trade paper up to 200 marks,
and for three months' delivery—April to June—600 marks. To cer-
tain countries the price is 2,000 marks monthly until further notice.
What would the American trade paper subscribers say were cir-
cumstances to force such a condition upon the press of their own in-
dustries ? But the Germans must have music at any price.
A musicians' union's "boss" is doing his level best to ruin the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The perforrners, in love with their
work and satisfied with their wages, are told that they can't per-
form unless they get an increase of pay which they say they don't
w r ant! A pretty situation, and the kind that is rapidly breaking down
the unions. It won't take long to cause the real workers—musicians
or bricklayers—to kick their unions off the earth if such things con-
tinue.
* * *
The Rev. Geo. Houghton, who died in New York recently, made
fame by throwing open his church to members of the stage and con-
cert room at a time when "play-actors" were under a ban. The
song, "Little Church Around the Corner," was inspired by the clergy-
man's liberality in religion, and it sang him into fame. The song,
written by D. C. Addison, first appeared in 1878 and is still often sung.
* * *
New York factory wages are highest in history—higher than
two years ago by considerable. And, according to an item in this
issue, the "improvement is especially noticeable in the piano fac-
tories." Is it to be expected that piano prices will go up or down?
* * *
There is again talk of a large trade paper syndicate in which
music journals may take prominent part. But the talk has become
too familiar to excite much interest.
* * *
It's now only five weeks to the day of the big Chicago conven-
tion. Are you all set and ready? Or are you going to let the oppor-
tunity of your life pass unprofited?
chased the stock and good will of the Fremont Music
Shop in that city.
The Austin Music Shop, Waxahachie, Tex., has
been purchased by the Walter Piano Co., Hillsboro,
Tex.
A general music store has been opened in Mon-
rovia, Cal., by C. P. Mack. •
H. B. Herr recently opened a music store at 10
West King street, Lancaster, Pa.
REMARKABLE RECOVERY
OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Last Three Months Have Shown a Phenomenal
Revival in Nearly All Lines of Business.
GIVE LONG TERMS ON PIANOS.
The piano trade has shared in the almost phenome-
nal revival which has come to nearly all lines of trade.
The demand for pianos has depleted the factory
reserves and the industries are in many instances
running overtime. On this subject a recent issue of
the New York Times said:
"Not often in this country's history has so remark-
able a recovery as that of the last three months
occurred at that season of the year. The usual experi-
ence is for a decrease in activity after the 'Christmas
trade' has been completed. Merchants and manufac-
turers rest on their oars, so to speak, and wait for
later months to determine the course of the year's
business. 'So far has this year to date departed from
the tradition that, as shown by recent statements,
not only have all branches of production, trade and
consumption increased as compared with any part
of 1922, but the month of March or the beginning of
April saw the country's output of iron and steel ex-
ceeding all precedent in our history, building con-
struction at a high monthly record, purchase of cot-
ton by our textile mills and volume of their produc-
tion similarly beyond all previous monthly figures,
and freight transported over the railways greater in
quantity than it had ever before been in the busy
Autumn months of a few recent years'."
It is estimated that about 75 per cent of the pianos
sold in Cuba at the present time are paid for on a
monthly instalment plan. In some cases the instal-
ment payments are made over a period as great as
thirty-six months. This necessarily involves a con-
siderable capital outlay on the part of the piano
merchants, as they are unable to obtain correspond-
ing credit terms from their foreign suppliers.
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Music Co., purchasers of
the Lehman Music Co., East St. Louis, 111., held a
formal opening on Saturday, April 14. The entire
stock of the Lehman Co. had been disposed of dur-
ing the clean-up sale which this company had been
conducting.
NEW YORK ASSN. ELECTS.
John V. Stephens, of the Mathushek Piano Mfg.
Co., was elected president of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association at meeting held last week.
Harry J. Sohmer was re-elected first vice-president;
Eugene Schmidt was elected second vice-president,
and Albert Behning elected secretary and treasurer.
The following were chosen as the new executive
committee: Walter Nepperla^ Louis S. Roemer, H. B.
Tremaine and Campbell Lorini.
AFTER MISLEADING ADS.
Rigid state censorship on the advertising of retail
and wholesale merchants and advertising generally is
aimed at in a bill introduced into the Wisconsin
Legislature by Assemblyman J. Timmerman. The
bill is very drastic and leaves no loophole for the
artist in misleading advertising. It is said that mem-
bers of the assembly have received it favorably and
the probabilities are that the bill will be passed.
HOLDS FORMAL OPENING.
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
April 28, 1923
INTEREST IN TRADE CONVENTION GROWS
PLANS DEVELOPING
FOR ALL EVENTS
Business, Social and Exhibition Features of
Annual Meeting at Drake Hotel, Chicago,
June 4, to Provide Events for
Alluring Program.
Convention events up to this time looked forward
to in the aggregate, are now appearing in detail as
big individual events, and the facts contributary to
making each one a successful part of a perfect whole
are being disseminated as convention news. The
business and social features heretofore merged in
the consideration of members of the various associa-
tions are now assuming a distinctiveness that daily
makes them more alluring.
That the Prosperity Music Trade Convention of
1923 is assured of success as far as attendance goes
may be learned by a glance at the report of the hotel
committee in this issue. The calls for rooms at all
the big hostelries anywhere near the Drake are as
urgent as the requisitions for accommodation at the
headquarters hotel itself. Dealers and manufacturers
whose purpose it is to attend the convention should
take the advice of the committee and wire for hotel
accommodation at the earliest possible date.
The Business Sessions.
The heads of the various trade associations are
not forgetting the primary purposes of the annual
meeting of the organizations as President C. C.
Chickering of the National Piano Manufacturers As-
sociation and President J. Edwin Butler of the
National Association of Music Merchants pointed
out last week the business of the conventions should
be considered the most important part of them; ex-
hibits and social affairs incidental to the proceedings.
That thought is one which prompts Secretary Matt
J. Kennedy of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants to devote his time and thought to make the
business features of the conventions of a highly suc-
cessful kind. The meetings w T ill prove a valuable
post-graduate course for music dealers and salesmen.
For instance the salesmanship session in which
the A. W. Shaw Co., publisher of "System" is co-oper-
ating with the convention committee will be of obvi-
ous value to everybody in the trade. The names of
Thos. H. Fletcher and Charles E. Byrne associated
with the program of the Advertising session are
assurances that the hours will be valuable ones. C.
Alfred Wagner is another prominent man in the trade
who will direct a session devoted to vital problems
of the piano business.
From the opening of the business session of the
National Association of Music Merchants by Richard
W. Lawrence, president of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce to the last action of the asso-
ciation the hours will be tilled with interesting and
instructive incidents. A fuller program of events
will be printed next week. Everything in the pro-
gram of the business session will be conducive to a
wider knowledge of the music business, buying, sell-
ing, demonstrating and presenting the publicity facts.
The Social Features.
Of course trie social features cannot be disregarded.
Indeed they are dovetailed to the more sedate busi-
ness ones in a pleasant way. The noonday luncheons
promoted by the Piano Club of Chicago can be
placed in both the business and social or sociable
category. The Drake Hotel people have instructions
to prepare for 1,000 persons at the first luncheon on
June 4.
No ban on commercialism has interfered with
preparations for the numerous exhibits of pianos and
other musical goods at the Drake and elsewhere
during convention week. It is certain that even the
long list of exhibits printed in Presto last week will
be added to considerably before the opening day of
the convention.
The Band Tournament.
The band tournament planned for convention week
promises to be the greatest event of its kind ever
promoted. The progress of the plans was recounted
this week at the luncheon of the Piano Club of Chi-
cago by Pat Henry, whose energetic work for the
tournament is an assurance of a big success.
Efforts for the success of the band tournament
during the coming convention were stimulated by the
speech of Brig. Gen. McCloskey, U. S. A., chief of
staff at the local army headquarters, who reported
the interest of the R. O. T. C. in' the Chicago schools
in the band tournament. The Thursday of conven-
tion week, band tournament day, would be a Chicago
holiday whether or not the municipal authorities de-
clared it so. "There will be so much music in the
air everybody will want to lay off and enjoy it," he
said.
C. C. Conway, vice-president of the Hallet & Davis
Piano Co., Boston, came to the luncheon meeting as
a guest and left a member in good standing. In a
short and witty speech Mr. Conway said that Chi-
cago was already "sold" on the music trade conven-
tion at the Drake Hotel in June. "Even at this early
date," he said, "it looked as if the meeting this year
will make all the old conventions look sick. Chicago
is going to skin the daylights out of New York in
convention reputation and I'm glad of it, because you
know I'm a Chicago product."
ALL WILL COME TO
THE CONVENTION
Evansville, Indiana, Dealers Are Planning to
Be in Chicago in Full Force During
the Week of June 4-9.
H. F. Riechert, manager of the N. W. Bryant
Piano Company, 226 Main street, Evansville, Ind.,
says he is between two fires. He wants to attend the
big national Prosperity Convention in Chicago in
June, and at the same time wants to attend the annual
meeting of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine to be held at the same time in Wash-
ington, D. C. He says he may engage an aeroplane
and manage to attend both meetings for a while at
least.
W. J. Stahlschmidt and Harry W. Voss, of the
Stahlschmidt Piano Company, 618 Main street, Evans-
ville, are planning to attend the big conventions in
Chicago during the first week in June. The Harding
& Miller Music Company, 524-526, Evansville, will
send three representatives to the Chicago conventions,
in the persons of A. A. Klamer, L. O. Dunkin and
Albert P. Schutter.
W. F. Schwentker, piano and musical instrument
dealer at 720 Mary street, Evansville, boasts that he
has never missed a single meeting of the national
•association since it was organized about fifteen years
ago and he says he can not stay away from the big
conventions to be held in June of this year and that
his son, James M. Schwentker and Arthur J. Willem,
who are associated in business with him, also will
attend. Mr. Schwentker lays claim to being the
oldest member of the national association in the city
of Evansville and he does not believe there are many
dealers in southern Indiana who can beat his record.
He has been engaged in business in Evansville for
more than a quarter of a century.
GEORGE E. ROBERTS TO
ADDRESS CONVENTION
Great Authority on Economic and Financial Matters
Principal Speaker at Opening Session.
George E. Roberts, vice-president of the National
City Bank of New York and a widely known expert
on economic and financial matters, has been secured
by the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce as
the principal speaker at the opening session of the
convention on Monday, June 4. Immediately follow-
ing the noon-day luncheon on that date Richard W.
Lawrence, president of the Chamber, will present his
annual message to the music industry, and Mr. Rob-
erts will address the convention on economic subjects
of interest and importance.
Mr. Roberts' career as a banker and financial writer
has fitted him to be one of the foremost experts on
these subjects in the country today. When editor of
the Fort Dodge, Iowa, "Messenger" he published, in
1896, a pamphlet refuting the pernicious doctrine
of the free coinage of silver, which was circulated by
the million and probably did more than any other
individual influence to turn the scales in the bitterly
fought political campaign of that year and secured
the selection of William McKinley on a sound-money
platform.
Mr. Roberts served as director of the United States
Mint under Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft
and Wilson, with an intervening period of three
years, from 1907 to 1910, as president of the Commer-
cial National Bank of Chicago. He came to the
National City Bank of New York in 1914 as assistant
to the president, an office especially created to make
available to tjie bank and the country his peculiar
abilities along financial lines. For several years now
he has been a vice-president of the bank and the
editor of its Monthly Bulletin, a recognized authority
on economic and financial matters.
HOTEL CONVENTION
COMMITTEE REPORT
Those Intending Being Part of the Joyous
Throng at Annual Trade Meeting Should
Secure Accommodation at Earliest
Possible Date.
The hotel committee of the Prosperity Convention
of the National Music Trades presents a partial list
of Chicago's hotels available for those attending the
big gathering at the Drake Hotel June 4 to 7. A
considerable part of the hotel accommodation in and
near the Drake Hotel has been engaged but the fol-
lowing is an accurate list of rooms and suites still
available:
North Side Hotels.
Hotel Drake—A few suites, single rooms connect-
ing with bath $10.00 a day; rooms with bath, one or
two persons, $10, $12 and $14. Very heavy reserva-
tions have taken all other available rooms here.
Hotel Ambassador—New, half mile from the
Drake. A few rooms single, with bath, $3.50, $4 and
$5; two persons, room with bath, $5 and $6; suites,
parlor, alcove, bedroom and bath, $6, $7 and $8;
suites—two connecting rooms with bath, three and
four persons, $10 and $12; suites—parlor, bedroom
and bath, $10 and $12.
Hotel Plaza—Three-quarter mile from Drake, fac-
ing Lincoln Park. Single rooms with bath, $2, $3
and $3.50—$1 extra per person; suites, two bedrooms
and connecting bath, three persons $6.00 and four
persons $7.00.
New Webster Hotel—Mile and a half from the
Drake, convenient to bus lines. Room with bath,
single, $4, $5 and $6; room with bath, double, $5, $6
and $7.
New Parkway Hotel—Mile and a half from the
Drake, convenient to bus lines. Room with bath,
single, $4, $5 and $6; room with bath, double, $5, $6
and $7.
Edgewater Beach Hotel—New, four miles north,
convenient bus transportation. Reservations up to
May 15th, $5.00 single, $7.00 double.
Sheridan Plaza Hotel—4605 Sheridan Road. Sin-
gle $4, $5 and $6; double $5, $6 and $7.
Somerset Hotel—5009 Sheridan Road. Single with
bath $4, $5 and $6; double with bath $5, $6 and $7.
These hotels are all new and modern on the North
Side—convenient—10c bus fare practically from door
to door, and the farthest not over twenty minutes
ride.
Loop and South Side.
In the loop rooms are available at the Sherman,
Morrison, Congress, LaSalle from $3.50 up, single;
$5 and up, double. At the Blackstone, $5 and up.
On the South Side the committee recommends the
Cooper Carlton, single rooms with bath $3.00, single;
$4 double, and up. Chicago Beach approximately
the same. Both of these are convenient transporta-
tion on the I. C. Suburban. They are ideally located
and splendidly furnished.
The committee also has a list of twenty-five other
hotels available for overflow at a reasonable rate.
The Hotel Bureau of the Association of Commerce
is co-operating with the Hotel Committee of the
Convention. The latter will maintain a desk in the
lobby of the Drake and can assure anyone of com-
forable quarters within half an hour after their
arrival, no matter how great the demand for accom-
modation. This advice is good: "However, we urge
early reservations, either through this office or direct.
Advise the hotel of the rate wanted, number of per-
sons in party and date of arrival. Your reserva-
tions will be accorded prompt attention. Thanking
you for exploiting this information in your own
inimitable way."
ELECTION IN PITTSBURGH, PA.
At a meeting preceded by a dinner at the Lincoln
Club, Pittsburgh, Pa., recently Arthur O. Lechner
was elected president of the Piano Merchants' Asso-
ciation of Pittsburgh.
Jacob Schoenberger was
elected vice-president, Len L. Sykes, secretary, and
C. L. Lawson, treasurer. The following directors
were named: Theodore Hoffman, E. B. Heyser,
L. C. Diercks, J. C. Volkwein and B. McConnell.
Byron H. Collins, retail sales manager for Steinway
& Sons, New York, was recently elected president of
the School Board of Palisades Park, N. J., where Mr.
Collins resides.
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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