Presto

22
PRESTO
March 8, 1924.
the air in a dry kiln is a very important factor in the
artificial seasoning of wood. Without a controlled
WHO'RE YOUR PROSPECTS? movement
of air it is impossible to maintain the
Is Most Desirable Phase of Musical Merchan-
dise Business Obvious and Ways to Make
Customers Clear to You?
lUhere Supply
akuaijs meets
the Demand 7
Hardware, Felts, Cloths, Hammers, etc
for Pianos, Organs, Players, Talking
Machines, Special Stampings, Turn-
ings, etc., when you order from us.
The American Piano Supply Co., Inc.
No. 112 East 13th Street
NEW YORK CITY
SCHAFF
Piano String Co.
Manufacturers of
Piano Bass Strings
2009-2021 CLYBOURN AVENUE
Cor-er Lewis Street
CHICAGO
PERFECT PUNCHINGS
;AT
G E GOEPEL*Co
137 E A S T I3 T -* ST.
NE.WYORK
In the last analysis the making of sales is the most
important consideration for the musical merchandise
dealer. That involves the question of publicity, the
character of the prospect field selected and the es-
sentials in the line that will draw and keep the cus-
tomers from that field.
There are houses which go after the professional
trade in a forceful manner and there are houses
which make their loudest appeal to the amateur musi-
sian. Some of the biggest and most successful deal-
ers are in the latter class and for various convincing
reasons. In the field of music goods selling, the ama-
teur is largely in the majority. But in a great many
instances the amateur is one of the public con-
verted to the uses of some musical instrument
through the agencies of the music house. The pro-
fessional is, from "the nature of his calling, a buyer
of music goods. He is the potential customer of any
house. The amateur in a great many cases has to
be discovered. Anyway he or she has to be continu-
ally induced to make music goods purchases.
Of course any musical merchandise dealer giving spe-
cial force to his appeal to the amateur musician, does
not neglect the professional. He is too good a cus-
tomer to treat indifferently and he is invariably a
good booster for the dealer. But the professional
trade offers difficulties to some dealers and their
salesmen in that it requires in them a practical musi-
cal knowledge. In that way only a limited number
of stores, even in the larger centers, are equipped to
cater to the professional trade.
The necessities for having expert musicians doing
the actual selling is recognized in the Conn-Chicago
Co., Chicago, and other branches of C. G. Conn,
Ltd., in large cities throughout the country. But
in the average small city there are not enough pro-
fessionals to warrant organizing a sales force of ex-
pert knowledge. In the ordinary case where the trade
most sought is the amateur kind, salesmen are not
required to be able to play instruments but of course
they must master and be able to explain the merits
of the various things.
In most towns the school children of all ages are
live prospects. The dealer is doing good work in
music advancement when he helps establish a band
or orchestra in the schools. It does not always fol-
low that the dealer, helping to establish a band or
orchestra in the schools, actually makes a profit in
supplying the instruments. Sometimes the instru-
ments are bought from one dealer to the exclusion of
another who helped equally to foster the band or
orchestra movement. But the bands promote musi-
cal interest in the pupils generally and they carry
this interest to their homes. Encouraging music in
the school children is enlarging the number of future
prospects in all kinds of instruments and sheet music.
SMALL GOODS IN CINCINNATI.
The sale of band instruments is on the increase in
Cincinnati, Ohio, due in large measure to the number
of bands being organized in Cincinnati and the adja-
cent towns and villages in Ohio, Indiana and Ken-
tucky. Several of the band instrument dealers there
are interested in starting bands sponsored by their
firms, according to the report of dealers. Small in-
struments and novelties which are given good display
space in the windows of Cincinnati music dealers are
selling well. One of the local dealers remarked that
"our window talks for us.''
proper temperature and humidity uniform through a
kiln. Evaporation of moisture from the wood cools
and humidifies the atmosphere next to the wood. In
order that drying may progress it is continually
necessary to replace this cooled, moistened air with a
fresh supply of warmer air. This can be accom-
plished only by a good circulation which will remove
the moist cool air from the kiln or will return it to the
lumber after it has been warmed and dried."
MAHOGANY VARIETIES.
More than sixty different species of timber have
ben put on the market under the name of mahogany,
many if not all of these have been used in the manu-
facture of musical instruments, notably pianos. Not
all of these are true mahogany. Some of them closely
resemble mahogany and are related to it botanically.
Others have only a general resemblance to mahogany,
but may be mistaken for that choice veneer by per-
sons unfamiliar with its characteristics, according to
Arthur Koehler, specialist in wood structure, in an
interesting report on the identification of the true and
so-called mahoganies for the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture.
SMALL GOODS IN DETROIT.
The interest in band instruments and small goods
grows in Detroit, and there is a certainty that a num-
ber of Detroit's piano and talking machine retailers
will add a line of musical merchandise this spring.
The popular demand that has been felt for the small
instruments has caused the exclusive piano and phono-
graph dealers to make the decision to broaden their
markets this year with a line of small goods.
NEW DRUM IMPROVEMENT.
A patent has been granted to Robert C. Danly,
Chicago, for the invention of an improvement on a
snare drum. The invention covers a device for mov-
ing the snares of the drum in or out of active posi-
tion. The patent, which is No. 1,481,988, under date
of January 29, 1924, has been assigned in favor of
Ludwig & Ludwig, 1611 North Lincoln street.
RADIO SECURITIES ON CURB.
The New York Curb Exchange has admitted the
securities of the Radio Corporation of America, 500,-
000 shares of new preferred A stock of $50 par value
and 1,500,000 shares of new common A stock of no
par value, "when, as and if issued" under plan set
forth in notice sent to stockholders on Feb. 25.
NEW CONNECTICUT BRANCH.
James Donnelly, of South Norwalk, Conn., re-
cently opened a talking machine and record shop in
the Fine Arts Building on State street, Westport,
Conn. Miss Laura Sweeney has been made manager
of the new branch.
Paragon Foundries
Company
Manufacturers of
Paragon Piano Plates
Oregon, Illinois
AIR IN DRY KILN.
Technical Note, Number 199, recently issued by
the Forest Products Laboratory of the United States
Forest Service, in Madison, Wis., presents the fol-
lowing interesting information regarding the proper
circulation of air in dry kiln work: "Circulation of
HAMMACHER, SCHLEMMER & CO.
PIANO and PLAYER
HARDWARE, FELTS, TOOLS,
RUBBERIZED PLAYER FABRICS
New York, Since 1848
4th AVC and 13th St.
PRACTICAL PIANO MOVING SUPPLIES
INCREASE SELLING POWER
One-Man Steel Cable Hoist; Two-in-One
Loaders, Trucks, Covers, etc.
Gat Our Naw Clr< ulara and PrlcM
PIANO MOVERS SUPPLY COMPANY
LANCASTER, PA.
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