20
PRESTO
January 19, 1924.
SMALL GOODS AND SUPPLIES
THE SUBSIDIZING EVIL
National Band Instrument Manufacturers'
Association Creates Code of Ethics to
Discourage Widespread Practices.
The subsidizing of professional musicians has been
condemned by the National Association of Band
Instrument Manufacturers and a code of ethics
adopted to which all the members have agreed. The
agreement lucidly points out the various ways in
which an agreeable professional or a member of the
town band may be "sweetened." The prominent
professional musician or the leader of the town band
or any other band is naturally supposed to be well-
informed about and have excellent opportunities to
deliver judgment on the merits of band instruments.
With a secret inducement of any kind the musician
with an easy conscience may create a false and mis-
leading impression about an instrument or a line of
instruments, is the belief of the national association.
The association frankly states that certain advertis-
ing abuses arise from the subsidizing of musicians
by manufacturers and dealers. This, it is said, has
tended to develop unfair competition, unfair price
discrimination and unethical practices generally.
Such a condition of affairs is believed to be detri-
mental to the best interests of both the trade and
the industry.
The listing of the many ways in which the subsi-
dizing may be accomplished is interesting. One way
is giving or loaning instruments to bands, orchestras
or individuals. Sometimes even the subsidy has
taken the form of a salary paid musicians to induce
them to use certain instruments, but in addition to
these direct means there are indirect ways of arriv-
ing at the desired end. Preferential discounts, special
instruments at regular prices, plating, engraving and
ornamenting without charge, are inducements for the
favor of the musician.
A fictitious value placed on the traded-in instru-
ment is a common form of subsidizing according to
the beliefs of the association members. This con-
stitutes price discrimination, highly unfair to the
customer who has no instrument to exchange or
who exchanges at a fair valuation. Allowing more
than the trade-in is worth is contrary to the code of
the National Association of Band Instrument Manu-
facturers in that it leads to that other abuse—the
quoting of fictitiously high prices and making false
reductions on new instruments when no used instru-
ment is taken in exchange. In short the subsidizing
evil in all its forms creates confusion in the trade
and industry and encourages practice detrimental to
the buying public are beliefs expressed in the new
association Code of Ethics.
three Lithuanian, six Polish and six Spanish rolls are
included in the February offerings.
The Concert Series Rolls for February are as fol-
lows:
Impromptu, Op. 142, No. 4 (F minor), Franz
Schubert (Eugen d'Albert); Gavotte, W. Sapellnikoff
played by the composer); Scheherezade, Symphonic
Suite, second movement, N. Rimsky-Korsakoff (Mar-
guerite Volavy and Phil Ohman); Reflects Dans
L'Eau (Reflections in the Water), Claude Debussy
(Marguerite Volavy); Liebesfreud (Love's Joy), Fritz
Kreisler (Katherine Gutchell); Morning Study, Ru-
dolf Friml (played by the Composer); Wedding of
the Winds, valse, John T. Hall (Richard Merton);
Lullaby (from "Erminie"), Ed. Jakobowski (Howard
Brockway).
CLAIM OF T H E SAXOPHONE.
Customers retain their saxophones longer than any
other instrument in the brass family," said C. C.
Ward, Boston representative of the line of band in-
struments of C. G. Conn, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind., this
week. "The ease with which anyone may learn to
play seems to be the greatest factor in the popularity
of the saxophone. Another advantage for the saxo-
phone beginner is that constant practice is not neces-
sary. The saxophone study may be resumed after
weeks of absence with almost the same deftness and
results as when played from day to day."
BAND INSTRUMENT HOUSE MOVES.
The new warerooms of E. Paul Jones in Des
Moines, la., are upstairs at 807^ Walnut street and
the old liveliness seems to characterize the business
there. The new location is an advantage in that it
reduces the overhead and this fact provides a good
argument for the dealer. "Smaller expenses mean
lower prices for the customer," is a statement potent
for sales results in band instruments.
NEW LANDAY STORE.
The new musical merchandise store of Landay
Bros., Inc., New York, to be opened in the Marbridge
Building, Herald Square, will be modeled after the
other eight stores maintained by the company in the
Metropolitan district in the matter of arranging the
departments. In addition to the New York stores
the company has stores in Newark, N. J., and
Bridgeport, Conn.
NEW ASSOCIATION PLANS
Musical Merchandise Dealers and Jobbers of
New York Take Steps to Form New Local
Trade Association.
At a meeting following a luncheon at Keene's Chop
House, New York, last week preliminary steps lead-
ing to the formation of an association of musical mer-
chandise merchants and jobbers were taken. The
objects of the association will be to inculcate the
taste for music in the schools and to stimulate the
band and orchestra spirit generally. A committee to
formulate plans and draw up a code of ethics was
appointed consisting of Henry Gerson, George M.
Bundy, J. C. Freeman, Fred Gretch and H. L. Hunt.
The proceedings were opened by Alfred L. Smith,
general manager of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, and George M. Bundy was elected tern-
porary chairman.
Among those present were:
Henry Gerson, of the Carl Fischer Music House;
George M. Bundy and Carl Cameron, president and
general manager respectively of the H. & A. Selmer,
Inc.; James Ryan and J. C. Freeman, of the Wur-
litzer Co.; A. Halpin and C. E. Andre, of Perlberg
& Halpin; William J. Haussler, of C. Bruno & Son,
Inc.; Fred Gretch, head of the Fred Gretch Mfg. Co.;
A. W. Vauble, representing the New York Band In-
strument Co.; H. L. Hunt, of Charles L. Ditson Co.;
William W. Fort, of the King-Slater Co.; Harry New-
corn, M. J. Kalashen and Max and James Landay, of
Landay Bros.
PHONOGRAPHS IN MEXICO.
The American talking machine is supreme in
Mexico according to U. S. Consul James B. Stewart
in Tampico who says that 90 per cent of the talking
machines sold in the neighboring republic are made
in America. Mr. Stewart adds that the few German
and Spanish made phonographs entering the market
do not offer any serious competition to the machines
from this side of the line. On the contrary, dealers
admit that in the comparison of the European and
American products the cheaper European talking
machines only tend to increase the favor for the latter.
E. P. Cooper, Covington, Ky., dealer, has added a
talking machine department.
SLINGERLAND
May Bell
NEW Q R S MUSIC CO. ROLLS
February Bulletin Filled With Attractive Numbers in
Word Rolls, Foreign and Concert Series.
The new word rolls for February printed in the
bulletin just issued are as follows, the name of the
recording artist being printed in parenthesis:
Arizona Stars, waltz, Little-Rupp (Osborne and
Howe); Cindy (It Am Wedding Time), fox trot, Al
Bernard (Pete Wendling); I Love You, Hawaii,
Hawaiian marimba waltz, Costello-Cortez (Scott and
Watters); I've Got a Song for Sale, fox trot, Jack
Nelson (J. Russell Robinson); Linger Awhile, fox
trot, Owens-Rose (Arden and Kortlander); Lone-
some Cinderella (From "Ziegfeld Follies 1923-24"),
fox trot, Brown-Hanley (Victor Arden); Lovey
Came Back, fox trot, Lewis-Young-Handman (Pete
Wendling); More, fox trot and one-step, Silver-
Mitchell-Pollack (Arden and Kortlander); Noreen,
marimba waltz, Hughes-Monahan (Osborne and
Howe); Rose of Old Madrid, fox trot, Percy O.
Brewer (Herbert Clair); Sobbin' Blues, fox trot,
Kassel-Berton ("Sid" Laney); So This Is Love (from
"Little Miss Bluebeard"), waltz, E. Ray Goetz (Phil
Ohman), Stay Home, Little Girl, Stay Home, mar-
imba waltx, Brown-Hanley (Scott and Watters);
That Bran' New Gal o' Mine, fox trot, Van-Schanck-
Davis-Akst (Pete Wendling); The Waltz of Long
Ago (from "Music Box Revue 1923-24"), waltz, Irv-
ing Berlin (Phil Ohman); When Lights Are Low,
waltz, Kahn-Koehler-Fiorito (Scott and Watters).
The new foreign rolls for February are numerous
and provide the dealers with effective aids in their
roll activities in a broad field. Three Bohemian, three
German, three Hungarian, eight Italian, two Jewish,
Slingerland Banjos
are sold the country over because
they are Highest quality and sold
at a reasonable price.
Over 40 Styles of Banjos, Banjo Mandolins, Tenor Banjos
and Banjo Ukuleles, to select from.
Write for Catalogue
SLINGERLAND BANJO CO.
1815 Orchard Street
CHICAGO
FAIRBANKS
THE FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
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