Presto

P R E S T O
presto
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY.
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. D A N I E L L and F R A N K D. A B B O T T
want all other piano men to read and consider
that gentleman's views. The conventions
should mean more than they have to a greater
number of piano dealers. And if a law against
piano displays seems to keep down the at-
tendance, then all other considerations aside, California Music Merchants, North and South,
the law is a poor one. For in planning for a
Co-operate to Make First Official
meeting of business men, the merely ethical
State Gathering of Trade in July, a
side of things is secondary.
Glorious Precedent.
CONVENTION DATES
IN SAN FRANCISCO
Editors
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Post Office, Chicago, Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; , 6 months, . $1; Foreign,
_ . $4.
.
Payable in advance. No extra charge in United States
possessions, Cuba and Nc
Mexico. Rates for advertising on
application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen
in the smaller cities are the best occasional corre-
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
Forms close at nocn every Thursday. News mat-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon
preceding publication day. Want advs. for current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday nocn.
Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, MARCH 22. 1924.
CONVENTION PURPOSES
The ultimate end m- -purpose of a trade
convention is to further business. Perhaps
not directly, but by discussion of metho.'s,
eradication of errors, and refreshment by so-
cial amenities, and Hie i>atherin£ together of
good fellows.
And, if that is all so, why try to shut out
one of the best possible features of the an-
nual meetings of the piano men? There has
never been a more enthusiastic or enjoyable
convention than the one of last year in Chi-
cago. It has been said that there might have
been fewer "side show:-," which is true. But
that applied to the band contests and other
features not indigenous to a meet ing of bus-
iness men.
The band men have their own organizations
and conventions. But piano dealers who go
to the expense of the trip—often long dis-
tances and valuable time—want something
besides advice and ta!k about music and meth-
ods of trade reform. They are doing their
level best to make a living, and for a little
more. If .they can find stimulation in the
conventions, the reward of their effort in get-
ting there may be adequate.
And one purpose of that effort may be ful-
filled by the opportunity to see and hear as
many pianos as possible, and to listen to the
selling talks of the manufacturers and th:ir
representatives.
That part of the conventions may easily be
profitable to dealers. It must afford oppor-
tunities of comparison and contrasts. The
ideas to be assimilated at the exhibit of one
live piano display may exceed in practical
value, to the dealer, all the labored profundity
of the finest speech ever put over by the most
eloquent politician that ever ran for an of-
fice.
In this issue of Presto, Col. Hollenberg, one
of the most widely known piano merchants
and a veteran association advocate, gives his
views on the subject of displays at the con-
vention. On the whole, we believe that what
the gentleman from Arkansas says is right.
And because Col. Hollenberg says it, we
March 22, 1924.
A NEW MUSIC WAR
In view of the statement of the president of
the Chicago Federation of Musicians, there
seems to be reason in the assertion that radio
is something of a menace to music and the
musical instrument trade. It is stated authori-
tatively that the practical musicians of one
city alone last year lost over $100,000 through
the installation of radio sets in halls and
homes. As a result it is announced that the
popular orchestras and many soloists will be
prohibited from playing for the broadcast
stations.
If that condition applies to the musicians,
how does it happen that radio presents so little
interference with the material side of things,
as writers on the subject have made the trade
papers, and others, believe? If music in the
homes and halls has been stifled, and the ears
of the people have become so glued to the
head cups that they no longer care to make
music themselves, or go out to hear the art-
ists make it, what is the incentive to owner-
ship of t-he instruments of music?
The head of the musicians' federation says
that dance teachers, home entertainers and
lovers of all kinds of music, are watching the
daily radio programs and "tuning in" to
whatever purpose may please their fancy with
the least effort. How long before music
teaching itself will resort to the same "easy
method"?
We are taking lessons in politics and re-
ligion that way. Why not vocal lessons, and
even the piano—if we continue to feel that
the skill to create music is at all desirable as
an accomplishment or a source of education?
As was said a few weeks ago, if the music
dealers can add to their profits by selling radio
we see no good reason why they should not
do so. It is a question, however, as to whether
the time devoted to selling radio really pays,
when it is easily possible to put the same at-
tention into the sale of a piano, with many
times the return in profit.
We still believe that the wise way for the
music dealer is to add to his investment in
music and musical instruments and leave radio
to the electric shops and novelty stores.
DEALER INCREASES SPACE.
O. K. Fink, music dealer at 262 High street. Potts-
town, Pa., who recently tcok a lease on the store at
148 High street, will occupy it this week. Mr. Fink
has acquired three stories at the new location and has
made arrangements for enlarging the ground floor to
include the full length of the building. Through the
use of additional space he will be able to operate the
music department separate from the furniture and
photographic departments.
REMODELS OHIO STORE.
The Waits Music Co. recently remodeled the store
at 20 South Sandusky street, Delaware, O., opening
to the public a large phonograph department, featur-
ing the Starr, Edison and Columbia phonographs and
records. This growing concern also carries a splen-
did line of pianos and players.
HOLDS REMOVAL SALE.
Kranich & Bach, 215 S. Wabash avenue, Chicago, is
having a removal sale of pianos, being forced to move
because the building is to be torn down soon. The
new location has not yet been selected.
OLD HOPES REALIZED
Proposition to Hold Annual Music Trade Convention
in California One of Long Standing and
Discussion for Years.
The music merchants of California have set the date
for the trade convention and the location of the first
Pacific Coast gathering of the kind. The St. Francis
Hotel, San Francisco, is the place and the time is
from July 22 to 24, inclusive. Everything to make
the convention a successful and pleasant precedent
is now heing done by the trade associations in the
Xorth and the South.
George K. Hughes, president of the Music Trade
Association of Northern California and Shirley
Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., who recently
visited Los Angeles for consultation with the mem-
bers of the Southern California trade association, re-
port the warm co-operation of Southern California
in making the meeting at the St. Francis Hotel a
joyous success. Their return marked the beginning
of decisive plans for all phases of the convention.
Enjoyable Social Features.
There will be morning and afternoon sessions, mid-
day luncheons filling the intervals pleasantly. The
closing social event will be a dinner to be followed
by a dance. But the social feature of the California
trade convention will not be limited to those enumer-
ated. San Francisco offers excellent opportunities for
pleasureable events and the committee named by Mr.
Hughes is competent to realize on every advantage
presented.
California dealers art' delighted that what has been
a mere proposition for many years is now to be made
a reality. At the same time the California dealers
make clear that their eagerness for the convention in
San Francisco in July does not mean any diminution
of their loyalty to the National Association of Music
Merchants. And a great number arc quick to state
that they consider attendance at the national conven-
tion in New York in June a plain duty, but also a
great pleasure.
The Advantages of Meeting.
Apart from the decided advantages of an annual
opportunity to foregather at some convenient point in
the state, the California dealers have many problems
of a territorial nature highly important to themselves,
although not of absorbing interest to the trade in
other sections of the country. The California music
merchants will be delighted to welcome the men of
the trade from the eastern sections, and the cour-
tesies of the floor at meetings will be accorded to in-
vited or volunteer speakers from points outside
California.
CABLE=NELSON PROSPERITY
BASED ON IDEAL MARKETING
Factory Now Kept at About Its Capacity by Its
Regular Customers' Trade Alone.
The regular customers of the Cable-Nelson Piano
Company, Chicago, keep the factory at South Haven,
Mich., going to about its capacity. It has long been
a slogan at the Cable-Nelson Piano Company's offices
about their dealers, that "Once a Cable-Nelson cus-
tomer always a Cable-Nelson customer," and this has
held true for a great many years.
The company's new traveler, Mr. Burgess, is send-
ing in some good orders from the road.
After the world's war, in the era of greatest piano
prosperity, a policy strictly adhered to by this com-
pany was to care for its old customers. Outsiders
tried to put in orders, but it availed them naught,
for the company, always loyal to its regular custom-
ers, took care of them first.
CLIMATE AND COLLECTIONS.
A manager of a Minneapolis piano company in-
quired of one of his salesmen if Johnson intended pay-
ing his last payment on his piano. "Sure," said the
Norwegian, "Yohnson is going to pay and he is going
to finish up the deal in Yanuary." "What day?"
asked the manager. "I don't know, but he said it
would be a damn cold day. so I know it will be
Yanuary."
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