TO NEW YfiRK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
158645A
Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
ASTOR, LENOX. A N D
DA11ONK
Established 1884.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Pre* to Trade Lists
Three Uniform B o o k -
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
JO Cent,; $2.00 a Year
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1924
SHORT-LINE REVIEW OF THE OLD YEAR
Outstanding Events of 1923 in All Departments of the Music Industry
and Trade Told in Few Words.
This is the year they proposed to split into thirteen
months, of an equal number of days.
Five pay-days hath March, May, August and No-
vember. All the rest have only four, save December
alone, which brings also Christmas.
The dead old year saw the fine Mason & Hamlin
piano taken under the spreading wings of the Ameri-
can Piano Co., with the Chickering.
The outstanding feature of the old year was the
development of popular reproducing grands.
The biggest failure of 1923 was the collapse of the
Columbia Phonograph Co.
The Christmas cards sent by-the piano industry and
trade were handsomer than ever before. A commit-
tee of art critics would say that The Cable Company
card was most beautiful.
How many of the famous piano names can you pick
out of poetry? Next week's Presto will enable you
to give the answer.
The come-back of the "straight" piano was a fea-
ture of the last half of '23.
A newcomer in the old year which proved inter-
esting was the H. C. Bay Co.'s Baby Reproducing
Grand.
The announcement of Story & Clark Co.'s new es-
tablishment in New York was a good trade item of
the year.
More playerpianos were produced in 1923 than in
any previous twelve months since the world began.
A larger shortage of competent piano salesman ex-
isted at the close of 1923 than ever before in trade
history.
There were fewer failures in the music business in
1923 than before in ten years.
For the first time in all history 1923 saw a piano
manufacturer's salary the subject of federal inquiry
because it seemed too high!
More than 500 questions pertaining to pianos were
answered by Presto's "Where Doubts Are Dispelled"
during 1923.
Ciear-cut signs indicate that, notwithstanding this
a "presidential year," it will be a good one for
business.
If you are really posted in piano names, you can
earn either all or a share of $100 by picking out the
pianos named in the Presto rhymes next week.
It is the general belief in the trade that piano prices
will be higher this year.
Piano manufacturers have declared war against
the very long-time sales which troubled some of them
last year.
The old year closed with very small stocks ready
to ship in the piano factories.
French piano manufacturers are prosperous. No
unemployment exists there.
The liquidation, preparatory to closing its factory,
of one of the oldest Michigan piano industries marked
the last six months.
Boston boasts of two large new factories for a pair
of her old piano industries during 1923.
There were no very large fires in the piano indus-
try during the year.
The West gained one ambitious new piano indus-
try—the B. K. Settergren Company, of Bluffton,
Indiana.
An important event was the sale of the Cable-
Nelson Piano Co. to J. H. Parnham.
Plans of the magnificent new office and wareroom
building of Steinway & Sons, New York, formed an
interesting page in the reading of 1923.
A special feature of next week's Presto will be a
series of "poems" in which will be concealed the
names of a great many famous pianos. Manufac-
turers who recognize the names of their own instru-
ments are eligible.
*
This issue of Presto begins the fortieth year of the
American Music Trade Weekly..
Quite a mature
youngster, isn't it?
CONVENTION OF PACIFIC
COAST DEALERS PROPOSED
ness of the Edmund Gram, Inc., for 1923 was far
ahead of that of the preceding year, and even ex-
ceeded the record-breaking figures of 1919.
A feature of the holiday activities of the Flanner-
Ilafsoos Music Company, Milwaukee, was the broad
publicity given to the grands and reproducing grands
of C. Kurtzmann Co., Buffalo. The windows of the
handsome store at 417 Broadway and the warerooms
were vehicles for conveying the fact of Kurtzmann
piano desirability where an artistic instrument was
desired by the discriminating customer. The appeal
of the C. Kurtzmann grands and reproducing grands
directed to prospects of musical taste had a profitable
response, according to the report of the company.
The hopeful expectations of the Milwaukee dealers
generally for a good holiday business were fulfil'ed.
The business in all the piano houses on the Saturday
preceding Christmas exceeded that of any similar
clay recorded.
San Francisco, as Most Central Point, the Natural
Location, Say Promoters.
The music trade of the Pacific Coast may have a
territorial convention in San Francisco this year. The
movement, set on foot by the northern California
dealers, has rapidly gained in favor so that a possi-
bility has become a probability. San Francisco has
been considered by the proponents of the convention
on account of its central location in the line of the
coast.
The convention as proposed would be open to
every dealer who handles music goods, pianos, talk-
ing machines, band instruments, general musical mer-
chandise and sheet music either at wholesale or retail
and a large representation from California, Oregon
and Washington would be assured.
A CHEERFUL VIEW OF TRADE.
Both manufacturers and merchants, the Philadel-
phia Reserve Bank reports in its year-end bulletin,
"are for the most part entering the new year with
only moderate stocks of goods. The disposition to-
ward caution in buying continues, although in some
industries it is apparent that purchases for future
Holiday Sales in All Stores Exceeded Those of Any delivery are growing. The labor situation, too, is
satisfactory."
Previous Year on Record.
YEAR ENDS PLEASANTLY IN
MILWAUKEE STORES
The celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Ed-
mund Gram, Inc., Milwaukee, which owns high pres-
tige as "The House of Steinway," came to a close on
New Year's Eve. The events partook more of fea-
turing the high character of the pianos and player-
pianos carried than of a special sale. But there were
strong efforts made towards increasing the number of
holiday sales, and, according to the report of the com-
pany the efforts were highly successful. The busi-
LAST YEAR LEFT GOOD
PROFITS TO BUSINESS
Manufacturers Report a Satisfactory Year and
Many Retail Piano Dealers Also Realized
Good Results of Their Efforts.
Manufacturing, wholesale and retail business, as
well as the mail order houses, had a good year with
a larger volume of business, says the Chicago
Tribune.
Manufacturing alone, John M. Glenn of the Illi-
nois Manufacturers' Association estimates, was 50
per cent heavier in 1922, or $3,700,000,000, compared
with $3,657,000,000 in 1919. In Illinois alone the
aggregate was $5,500,000,000 with about the same per-
centage of gain as in the Chicago territory.
There were a few lines that showed a falling off,
but gains in others more than offset all losses. Im-
plement business came back in good shape after
being on the toboggan for several years and the steel
industry improved greatly.
In wholesale and retail trade there was an increase
of 10 per cent each over 1922, with a satisfactory con-
dition prevailing throughout the year. The only
drawback toward the last was the continued mild
weather, which prevented active consumption af
heavy winter goods.
Merchants worked on moderate stocks and bought
frequently throughout the year, taking advantage of
any weakness in prices to anticipate their require-
ments to a moderate extent.
Retailers' stocks throughout the country are in
good shape and the trade enters the new year both
in the merchandising and manufacturing lines with a
fair supply of orders on hand and a confidential feel-
ing that business will be good for the first half of
1924. As to the last half, there is uncertainty as
business interests are afraid that Congress may pass
acts that will be more injurious than helpful to all
interests.
Collections were satisfactory throughout the year.
THE MATHUSHEK MUSICALE.
A musicals was given last week to the employes
and their families at the factory warerooms of the
Mathushek Piano Mfg. Co., 132nd street and Alex-
ander avenue, New York. Mrs. Augusta Juch
Hickok, who sang several soprano selections, is a
niece of the famous Emma Juch.
One of the
Mathushek employes, Al. Losito, sang selections from
various operas. The musicale was by Walter Hassler,
a prominent New York music and vocal teacher. Be-
sides Mrs. Hickok and Mr. Losito, he was assisted by
Mrs. Walter Hassler and Miss Ethel Stevens.
NEW ERA OF PROSPERITY.
Bankers, railroad presidents, lawyers, real estate
operators and leaders in many industries were a unit
in approving the tax reductions proposed by Secre-
tary Mellon. Their consensus was that the new tax
plan would release vast sums now tied up in exempt
securties for the promotion of new enterprises; that
an equitable distribution of the tax burden would re-
sult; that living costs would be lowered; that a dollar
would be really worth a dollar, and that the door
would be opened to a new era of prosperity.
PATENT OFFICE ASSAILED.
That the U. S. Patent Office shows favoritism to
foreigners in the granting of patents by discriminat-
ing against citizens is one of the sensational charges
made by Senator Shipstead of Minnesota, in a reso-
lution introduced in the Senate recently. In asking
an investigation the senator from Minnesota charged
that a group of patent attorneys dictates the policy of
the Patent Office.
FIRE DAMAGES MUSIC STORE.
PIANO MAN HELPS.
Freeport, N. Y., had three fires within forty-eight
hours recently. One was at the Freeport Music Shop,
at the corner of Merrick road and Main street, which
was damaged to the extent of $1,000 by a fire said to
have been caused by the heavy rain rinding its way
into the switch box. One entire show window, sev-
eral talking machines, a piano and other musical in-
struments were destroyed.
Florence J. Heppe, of C. J. Heppe & Son, Phila-
delphia, was one of a committee of three, his asso-
ciates being Dr. Leopold Stokowski, director of the
Philadelphia Orchestra, and Herbert J. Tily, ap-
pointed by the Philadelphia Music League, to ar-
range for the singing of Christmas carols on City
Hall Plaza. A chorus of 1,000 led by Dr. Stokowski
was the chief feature of the entertainment.
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