Presto

PRESTO
presto
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY.
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
Editors
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
merclal Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," 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, f4.
Payable In advance. No extra charge in United States
possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on
application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
cf 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.
Form? close at noon 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 publicat : on day. Want advs. for current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday noon.
Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, JUNK 7. 1924.
THEY WANT SHOWS
make added demands upon the time of the
very men who are usually most busy.
It seems to us that if any such proposition
is presented it would be well to consider split-
ting the conventions so as to permit of one
meeting comprising the piano men-*-manufac-
turers and dealers—and the other meeting em-
bracing the small goods, sheet music, band in-
strument and other interests of that sort. The
piano supply men might also go in with the
piano convention.
Some such plan would at least lighten the
overcrowded programs and permit of more
concentrated attention to the affairs which,
while pertaining to the music trade, are not
so closely related.
And the exhibits might be, as now, an annex
to the piano convention, for the piano dealers
—the buyers of the pianos—are especially in-
terested in that meeting. In London they hold
annually a "British Industries Fair," which is
not a part directly of the conventions. At
the last Fair there were forty piano displays
and eleven of phonographs.
Of course it is not new that the conventions
have been getting rather unwieldy. As the
various branches of the industry develop it
becomes of increasing importance to the entire
music business. And as each division requires
special legislation, and takes special shape and
direction, it requires more time in the annual
deliberations.
A prominent piano dealer has suggested
that perhaps two annual meetings, instead
of one, might relieve the pressure. But that
would mean redoubling the time demanded of
individuals and otherwise adding to personal
sacrifices in a common cause. Some other
wav must seem better.
June 7, 1924.
WORK OF BUREAU OF
MUSIC ADVANCEMENT
Able Report of Director C. M. Tremaine Tells
of Increasing Activities in
Field of Music.
The great extent and value of the work of the
National Bureau for the Advancement of Music was
shown in the exhaustive report by its director, C. M.
Tremaine. In conducting the activities of the bureau
for the past year Mr. Tremaine had the aid of the
following advisory committee:
Hermann Irion, chairman; C. C. Birchard, E. F.
Bitner, A. M. Farrier, M. V. DeForeest, C. D. Green-
leaf, E. Paul Hamilton. F. B. T. Hollenberg, John
S. MacDonald. Jerome F. Murphy, Richard W. Law-
rence, John H. Paruham, Joseph Priaulx, David A.
Smith, C. A. Wagner, Robert Watkin.
The work of the bureau has expanded to a great
extent during the year, according to Mr. Tremaine,
who says:
"The Music Memory Contest has now become so
completely standardized that there is very liAtle
Plainly the dealers want the piano manufac-
turers to display the goods at the conventions.
It appears to be more acceptable to have the
individual shows arranged in hotel rooms, and
if the headquarters and hotels can accommo-
date enough displays to keep the entire inter-
est together so much the better. That seems
to be the opinion of many of the retailers who
THE BELLEVUE BLAZE
have expressed themselves to Presto in one
All who know Mr. Henry G. Johnson, and
form or another.
any who may not know him but realize the
Naturally, when the displays arc in New
York the manufacturers in that city may not efforts he has put into the creation of the
feel so much concerned about special exhibits great popular piano industry at Bellevue,
HERMAN IKION.
as the manufacturers whose factories or ware- Iowa, will sympathize with him. The burn-
rooms are in distant places. When the con- ing of the big factory, from which a great to report concerning it except its steady" growth,
vention is in Chicago, naturally also, the east- stream of popular priced instruments has been both in new cities and in annual repetitions where it
ern manufacturers may feel a similar interest flowing, must prove a heavy blow to the am- has already been introduced. Although it has not
possible as yet to compile statistics, it is con-
in displays. It is all a matter of business. bitious gentleman. It must mean at least a been
servative to estimate that the number of cities, towns
stoppage
of
unusual
activities
and
the
over-
Competition is not moribund in the piano busi-
and counties in which the plan has been adopted
ness. Most of the piano manufacturers are coming of new difficulties at a time when throughout the school system has increased from a
total of 669 on May 1, 1923, to over 1,050, an in-
enterprising and awake to opportunities. conditions are not especially propitious.
crease of 50 per cent.
Mr. Johnson is one of the kind of men the
There's nothing secret about it.
"In an effort to put the school band contests
piano
industry needs. His ambitions, from initiated by the National Association of Band Instru-
So that, as long as the conventions are held
ment Manufacturers on a basis where they would
alternately, in New York and Chicago, it is the commercial point of view, are of the kind have more prestige in the educational world and
that
send
the
blood
of
business
coursing
probable that there will be displays at the
which would lead to better development of the bands
hotels. Special expositions are out of the eagerly through the arteries of trade. The in the schools the bureau undertook to organize these
in co-operation with the Music Supervisors'
question. That has been demonstrated—that piano business is largely a matter of persist- contents
National Conference."
ent
and
ceaseless
energy.
Stop
moving
and
is, unless a very large investment is to be
The report showed the success of the movement
made. But if the displays are to be done trade slows up. Get very busy and business to promote contests for high school students, Sunday
away with, the better way may be to return goes right along under almost any conditions. school hymn and other contests. This year the
extended, its co-operation with the National
to the old system of holding the meetings in Mr. Johnson believed in activity. He kept bureau
Federation of Music Clubs.
going.
out-of-the-way places where there may be op-
The first observance of National Music Week was
Presto extends sympathy to Mr. Johnson even more successful than the committee had dared
portunities for discussion and rest, but no
and hopes to see him get going again very to hope. Thus far 450 cities have sent in reports
piano factories.
soon. So large a factory as the one destroyed of local observances on a city-wide scale, and there
was more limited participation in from 500 to 60')
cannot be started by merely pushing a but- other places.
GETTING HEAVY
ton. It must be planned and built. What-
There has been suggestion that the business ever the energetic piano maker of Bellevue
STARR GRANDS DESCRIBED.
ends of the annual conventions are getting may decide to do, it is more than probable
Fifteen models of grands, uprights and playerpianos
heavy. The interests are involved and the that he will recover from the effects of his dis- made by the Starr Piano Co., Richmond, Ind., arc
time is too short to permit of full considera- aster. And meantime a good many retail shown in clean halftone cuts in a new catalog which
an effective selling aid to Starr dealers. The
tion of all the problems presented by the many piano dealers will miss the popular priced sup- provides
booklet admirably presents the dealers' arguments for
branches of the Music Industries Chamber plies and lose money while waiting, for in- the instruments to the prospective buyers. The Starr
of Commerce. Someone at New York this struments of the kind Mr. Johnson produced Concert Grand, Starr Parlor Grand, Starr Minum
Grand and Style B, Princess model, the other small
week suggested that two meetings a year are not coming through in quantities sufficient grand
of the line, are illustrated, and the array is one
would be better than one. But that would to meet the demand.
to secure the keen interests of the musical family.
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