Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
E.tabli.hed 1884. THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform B o o k -
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
JO Cent,; tt.00 a Year
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1924
DEALERS SEEM TO
WANT EXHIBITS
While, According to the Convention Directors,
the Piano Manufacturers Are Unfavorable
to the Displays at the Annual Meetings
Retailers Vote to the Contrary.
PROMINENT DEALERS' VIEWS
In Answer to Presto's Suggestion on the Subject, the
Proportion of "Ayes" to the "Nays" Is
as Ten to One.
The subject of exhibits at the conventions is stir-
ring considerable interest. On general principles it
must seem that the manufacturers are the ones to de-
cide the question. If all the manufacturers were
members of the association the matter would be easy
to settle by the dictum of the organization president
and the convention managers. But inasmuch as there
are "outsiders" in considerable numbers it seems im-
possible to pass a rule shutting out displays. It is, in
fact, easily possible for non-members to make their
exhibits, to the greater or less disadvantage of con-
tributing, active members, in whose interest the meet-
ings are held.
While this paper does not assume to secure a poll
of the trade in the matter, it is certain that whatever
plan may bring the largest attendance and help to
swell the membership of the piano merchants' asso-
ciation must be the best for the annual meetings. So
far as Presto's request for the opinion of its readers
goes, the proportion of retail piano dealers in favor
of displays is as about 10 to 1 in favor of them.
For and Against.
The negative side of the question, while represent-
ing only a small proportion of those who responded,
include some very prominent dealers, large and small,
such as E. H. Droop, of Washington; L. S. Parsons,
of Waterloo, Iowa: Fred Leithold, of LaCrosse, Wis.,
and others.
In the affirmative were such houses as those of
Parks, Hannibal, Mo.; Yates, Roanoke, Ala.; Beasley,
Texarkana; Jacobs, Ft. Wayne; Forbes, Birmingham;
Bates, Greeley, Colo.; Kramer, Allentown, and others
of similar activity. And among the communications
of some length from prominent piano men who tell
why they believe in displays at the conventions, the
following are good samples:
Col. Hollenberg's View.
Little Rock, Ark., March 7, 1924.
Editor Presto: I do not think there is any doubt
the exhibit of pianos, whether under one roof or
scattered, detracts from the work of the convention.
That very fact proves that the exhibit of pianos is of
great interest. Were it not so it would not detract
from the work of the convention or the attendance at
the meetings.
The ideal situation in my mind is that any display
of pianos should be held at the same place where the
convention is held, but that for the two days of the
convention it should be not only the understanding
hut should be made a fact that no pianos would be
exhibited or shown during those two days. Before
and after those two days the exhibit could be scat-
tered, or under* one roof, as the manufacturers pre-
ferred. I take it the exhibit of the pianos is the man-
ufacturers' proposition entirely, and therefore they
naturally have the right to exhibit them under one
roof, in one big display room, or in any manner they
see fit. But it is absolutely certain that the piano
dealers will visit those exhibits, for the simple reason
that it is the most interesting thing they have to deal
with.
To say that no pianos should be exhibited where
there are large gatherings, as a matter of fact several
hundred dealers present, is an absurdity in theory
and in fact. The most important thing in the minds
of the piano manufacturers is to meet with and talk
with and sell to dealers who are able to meet their
obligations. The most important thing in a piano
dealer's mind, and in his activities, is his ability to
examine, select and purchase that which he thinks
it is advisable for him to display in his territory.
That is the reason it is the absurd thing to pro-
hibit displays. It is absurd to think it possible for
manufacturers and dealers, in small numbers or large
numbers, meeting together at any time and any place,
without the subject matter of inspecting, selling and
buying pianos not to be uppermost in the minds of
TRADE PAPER TALKS
3—HIGH-BROW APPEALS TO THE "IN-
TELLECTUALS" VS. USEFUL SUG-
GESTIONS TO THE DEALERS.
There is a sort of false-pretense trade "jour-
nalism" which may be well calculated to mis-
lead investors in high-class advertising. It
presents itself in the kind of articles published.
It is manifested in "padding" the trade paper
with dry and irrelevant articles, bearing names
of public men, politicians, congressmen or gov-
ernment officials, who know little of specific
nature concerning the business, and who per-
mit the use of their names from the viewpoint
of self-aggrandizement.
The only purpose of such "padding" in a
trade paper is obvious to any man who stops
to think. It is solely to impress advertisers
with the "importance" of the trade paper itself.
It has no bearing upon the business of the ad-
vertisers, except possibly to divert interest
from the very purposes of the advertising
pages.
It is the cheapest kind of trade paper "bunk."
No business man of sense will applaud it, when
he knows how hard it is for him to snatch time
for perusal of the daily newspapers, in which
he can find the same kind of political "bull"
tucked away in some obscure corner. He
smiles derisively when he finds the same kind
of personal glorification, bearing the same poli-
tician's name displayed, with portrait, on the
first page of the trade paper.
That is not "trade paper stuff" at all. It
has no interest at all to the piano dealer, who
wants a trade paper for the direct help it may
be in his little—or big—business.
Any music trade paper that claims a circula-
tion, and prints that kind of false alarm stuff,
stands convicted of a contemptible species of
fraud.
Presto makes its appeal to the man who
makes his living by selling the things of music.
It is not a scientific publication. It is not a
"funny" paper. It is not trying to bind to-
gether as much waste paper every week as
possible. It is just "the American Music
Trade Weekly," and it is read carefully by a
larger number of the small piano dealers than
any other paper in its field.
If there is any to dispute this claim we will
ask him, her or it to step forward and have a
clean comparison of what we have both got.
Other proof equally convincing will be pre-
sented for several weeks to come.
both manufacturers and dealers. And it does not
finally make much difference what kind of rules and
regulations are put into effect, the necessity of the
situation will require visits to piano exhibits, or in-
spection, and will result in sales and purchases.
In my opinion this should be recognized and
adopted as a policy, because it gives, finally, the
greatest good to the greatest number, and there are
many other reasons in favor of this than the ideas
above stated, but it is unnecessary to mention them
at this time.
If my opinion is correct, then pianos and all com-
ponent parts should be exhibited at the places where
the convention is held and to avoid non-attendance
at the meetings the r displays of pianos should be
closed during the tw o days.
Yours very truly,
HOLLENBERG MUSIC COMPANY.
F. B. Hollenberg, President.
E. E. Forbes' Opinion.
Birmingham, Ala., March 7, 1924.
Editor Presto: I am in favor of display. I think
it makes it more attractive. Both the dealer and
the manufacturer are able to show their goods to the
people who visit there. It costs money for the deal-
ers to visit these conventions, and the display helps
to stir up interest in the musical industries.
I think the displays should be shown at a certain
hour, and the members forced to attend the business
sessions and other meetings of the convention.
1 am a member of the Furniture Dealers' Associa-
tion of our city, and I am enclosing a letter that 1
got from that organization. I am sure they find it
very profitable or they would not go to all this ex-
pense of putting up this building. 1 think the musical
industries could do the same thing, and make it
profitable.
I am enclosing you a check for $2, which pays also
for a Buyers' Guide, and shall appreciate it if you
will forward to us.
Yours respectfully,
E. E. FORBES.
Mr. Gressett's Plan.
Meridian, Miss., March 14, 1924.
Editor Presto: While it is of course of interest for
the visiting dealers to be able to see the new things,
the writer, who has attended some of the conventions,
notably the last one where displays were made, found
that the sessions of the convention were very poorly
attended on account of the time of the dealers being
taken up during convention hours in visiting the dis-
plays.
Once you get into the hands of the exhibitor, it's
hard to pull away. If these displays were so arranged
as to be closed during the sessions of the convention,
making this obligatory on the exhibitors, the two
could be worked very nicely together.
Yours very truly,
T H E A. GRESSETT MUSIC HOUSE.
J. B. Gressett.
Thinks Dealers Pay.
Sioux City, Iowa, March 11, 1924.
Editor Presto: It would seem to me that the
added expense incurred by the manufacturer in dis-
playing goods at conventions must be paid, in the end,
by the dealer. Pianos are too high, in my opinion.
Any movement that will tend to lower wholesale
prices should have the support of every dealer in the
country.
Enclosed please find check for $2 to cover sub-
scription to the Presto for one year.
Yours respectfully,
HARROD M. JONES.
Must Draw the Dealers.
Of course the only concern Presto can have in the
matter is to help fill the trade with the interest and
enthusiasm by which big things may be done. Un-
less the dealers are interested, there can be no large
gatherings. Anything that may help to create the
drawing interest must be what is wanted. Even if
the dealers who go to the convention cities do not
attend the business meetings regularly, they will be
there part of the time, and if interested they will
come again.
Certainly there have not been enough of the small
dealers in attendance at the conventions. There
should be fully twice as many in New York next June
as there were in the same city two years ago.
Some Will Exhibit.
There will be exhibits, whether or no. At Detroit
years ago, when the most stringent rules were en-
(Continued on page 7.)
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/