Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1925 2012

February 14, 1925.
PROBLEMS OF
THE PLAYERPIANO
That of Increasing the Sales Is an Insistent
One in Which the Solution Is Aided
by a Look Back on Player
History.
METHODS NEED REFORM
Its Worth as a Musical Instrument Rather Than the
Economical Price Inducement Should Be
Stressed.
The problem of increasing sales is one that con-
fronts every industry but every piano man believes
there is special urgency in his case. The piano and
player are in the peculiar position of having strong
competitors among other commodities in the music
goods line. And today radio is frankly conceded to
belong to the family of music goods. The piano and
the playerpiano are considered to be competitors so
the element of competition largely enters the scheme
of things.
The playerpiano is considered more attractive than
the piano by many dealers in that the prospective
buyers may be found among people with no piano
playing ability. Anyone can play the playerpiano,
so the interest in the instrument may be said to be
general. On the other hand only a musical person
or a musical family are supposed to be possible buy-
ers of the straight piano. Musical in this sense means
the enjoyment of and appreciation for music, piano
music, not essentially the ability to play the piano.
The Other Side.
But the piano might also be said to be less attrac-
tive than the playerpiano in that it costs less money.
This phase of the situation, however, may be viewed
in a comparative way. For the past ten years the
percentages of playerpiano production have been
steadily increasing in the aggregate of productions in
piano factories. Today the playerpiano divides inter-
est with the grand piano, which shows a steady
Jfj|| Onduring"
THE
11
PRESTO
^Hardman
The ZHardman £ine
is a complete line
It comprises a range of artisti-
cally worthy instruments to
please practically every purse:
The Hardman, official piano of
the Metropolitan Opera House;
the Harrington and the Hensel
Pianos in which is found that in-
builtdurabilitythatcharacterizes
all Hardman-made instruments;
the wonderful Hardman Repro-
ducing Piano; the Hardman
Autotone (the perfect player-
piano); and the popular Playo-
tone.
Jiardmanpeck &Co.
growth in favor. The playerpiano in all its forms is
an instrument with a future, the importance of
which depends upon the retail piano trade and the
music roll manufacturers.
Rut while the sales of playerpianos have been
steadily increasing the straight piano has preserved
a very satisfactory character of stability. And a mat-
ter of concern to the makers and sellers of player-
pianos are the reasons why the output of straight
pianos is so astonishingly stable. In view of the in-
crease in population the player sales should, consid-
ering the activity of the manufacturers, the dealers
and the roll manufacturers, sell more readily.
Review of History.
Enlightenment on any condition may be gained
by looking back along the years. That is one of the
great values of history. The great initial work of
introducing and promoting the playerpiano was per-
formed by the manufacturers. Perhaps the captious
might roll them of the credit by attributing selfish-
ness to their actions. But they worked well to make
the playerpiano as perfect as it was possible for them
to do and when they turned over the product to the
dealers it was as something with considerable possi-
bilities for sales.
But the results of the first ten or twelve years
were disappointing both in methods and results in
sales. And the results in sales may have been in-
fluenced by the methods. Instead of continuing the
campaign of clean exploitation started by the manu-
facturers, the dealers substituted a campaign of
bargain making. Not how worthy, but how cheap
was the war cry. Soon the quality idea was sub-
merged and the minimum price one flaunted. It is
only within recent years that the playerpiano was
really sold on the quality basis.
The Mistake of Dealers.
But the playerpiano in the early years never had a
proper show. True figures show that the result of
the dealers' methods of bargain price inducement
resulted in boosting the sales and increasing the pro-
duction of the factories. It is also a fact that the
novelty of the playerpiano wore off in time and the
price inducements failed to evoke the old eagerness
to buy. And as the volume of sales slackened the
dealers resorted to the old schemes to stimulate sales
long familiar to the selling of the straight pianos.
But as the schemes were all based on the stimulation
of alluring low prices they were demoralizing to the
instrument itself. People naturally began to think
of the playerpiano in terms of money instead of terms
of j-.rtistic worth.
The Reasons.
The analysts of the trade may find a reason in that
for the failure of playerpiano sales to keep pace in
ratio increase with the growth of the population.
The first five years or so following its first presenta-
tion by the manufacturers the playerpiano had ear-
nest exploitation, during which the instrument ac-
quired what prestige as a musical instrument it has
enjoyed during the subsequent years. Then came the
era of ballyhoo selling.
A frank review of the playerpiano's history sug-
gests a reform. If the playerpiano is to be properly
treated as a worthy commodity there must be a
return to the clean, ambitious ways of the early days
of playerpiano exploitation. There is a plain lesson
in the events. The salvation of the playerpiano busi-
ness is in a return to old principles of presenting the
instrument for its musical values not for its eco-
nomical sale features.
I. N. RICE TO SELL "BAUER."
It must interest piano dealers throughout the West
to know that I. N. Rice, popular traveler, has added
the instruments of Julius Bauer & Co., of Chicago, to
the line for which he is wholesale representative. Mr.
Rice has been very successful in introducing fine in-
struments to leading piano houses between Chicago
and the Pacific Coast, and no one will doubt his suc-
cess with the splendid Bauer line. Dealers who se-
cure it will be fortunate. Mr. Rice left Chicago west-
ward bound on Wednesday.
MOVES IN BEACON, N. Y.
New quarters are being selected by the Winterroth
Piano Co., Beacon, N. Y., which took over the busi-
ness of the Beacon Music Shop last December. The
store is under the management of Jack Altmann.
The old quarters at 459 Main street, Beacon, have
proved inadequate to the rapid increase of business at
this store, forcing a change to larger showrooms. A
full line of pianos and players is carried.
OPENS IN CORTLAND, N. Y.
A formal opening was held in Cortland, N. Y., last
week by the Hyde Music Co., of 9 Clinton avenue,
and visitors viewed the new warerooms during the
day and evening. A musical program included Stan-
ton'? orgrestra and Lloyd L. Walsh, baritone. The
new quarters include a piano and two talking machine
display rooms, and a large radio department.
"Built on Family Pride"
Doll & Sons
Represent the Artistic
in Piano and Player Piano
Construction
JACOB DOLL & SONS
STODART
WELLSMORE
Jacob Doll & Sons, Inc.
Southern Boulevard, E. 133rd St.
E. 134th St. and Cypress Ave.
NEW YORK
Becker Bros.
Manufacturer* of
HIGH GRADE PIANOS
and PLAYER PIANOS
Factory and Warerooms
767-769 Tenth Avenue, New York
STR1CH ft ZEIDLER,
GRAND, UPRIGHT and PLAYER
AND
HOMER PIANOS
740*742 East 136th Street
NEW YORK
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
GRANDS and UPRIGHTS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essential* of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
Tbla Trad* Mark Is oast
la the plat* and also ap-
pears upon th* fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all Inhincers
will be prosecuted. Beware
of Imitation* suoh as Schu-
mann £ Company. Schu-
mann * Son, and also
Shuman, as all stencil
shops, dealers and users of
pianos bearing a name In
Imitation of th* name
Schumann with th* Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of th* law.
New Catalogue on Bequest.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATRE, President
Rockford, I1L
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/
12
February 14, 1925.
P R E S T O
years. That is the consideration of the prospective
customers of the future when selling to the customer
of today. In selling rolls and records, for instance,
the general idea was to consider only the immediate
purchaser, the one paying for the goods. Only the
original dealers and salesmen thought about those
for whom the father or mother buys. The keen
That Desirable Quality in the Piano Dealer original ones gave a thought to the prospective cus-
tomers of five years hence or even more remote
Enters Into the Action of All the
days to come. The growing children were left out
Methods in Every Phase of
of consideration by the thoughtless ones who had
His Business.
no understanding of Shakespeare's expression, "The
child is father to the man."
Otherwise Seen.
Originality in the music dealer is in keeping him-
self informed on music ideals, principles and prac-
It Means an Understanding of the Requirements of
tices and in keeping in touch with the musical move-
ments in his community. His greatest interest, of
the Present on the Part of the
course, is in the selling of his instruments, but with
Dealer.
a keen regard for the manner in which they are sold.
And no matter how new and modern his methods
By H U L B E R T T. JONES.
may be, he realizes there is nothing original in
In this day of keen competition, the first essential honesty.
to success in the piano business is originality. There
But a dealer may be original even when he is
are other requisite qualities of course, such as hard
work, tenacity and an aggressiveness that never confronted with the complex problems of overhead
decreases in the dull periods. But originality covers and mark-up. As his object is to expand not curtail
a multitude of requirements and enters into every his business, he is careful to make his piano prices
phase of the piano dealer's work. One, infers the just. A dealer may be original in adopting a better
ability to work hard and to stick to it day in and accounting system. It is a fact that better account-
day out in the man who would succeed, but the ing systems are needed by many dealers who think
quality that makes a man superior to his competitors they are quite up-to-date. Until that is done the
is originality. It is the power that makes him ignore problem of prices cannot be wisely solved. It re-
quires more capital to run even a small retail busi-
precedents when their effects are of doubtful value.
ness than it ever did before; all the expenses are
A new plan of store building, a fresh scheme of
higher and the profits of the pianos, relatively speak-
wareroom decoration and furnishing, an artistically ing, have remained the same. In a great number of
novel method of displaying the pianos, a new trick in
cases a proper system of accounting which correctly
advertising may give the happy possessor of the points out the true condition of the overhead may
new ideas a temporary advantage over his fellows lead the dealer away from failure. The desire to
in the trade that is worth so many dollars in business
know where you're at is one of the oldest; taking
and so many degrees in prestige.
] a way to find it out is original.
Its Value.
The valuable, original idea just now is a proof of
an understanding of the times. Its utilization shows
the ability to move with and keep pace with an
energetic but changeful era. That seems obvious,
but the fact is strangely ignored. The usual thing
Former Prominent Piano Man and President of Na-
is to continue along the ruts of least resistance,
doing today what was done last year and five years
tional Association Made Cleveland Manager.
ago utterly regardless of the lessening influence of
Dan
J. Nolan has returned to the serenities of the
the acts in the scheme of success.
Originality is in sensing the changing tastes and in music business, after several years of excitement sell-
acting accordingly. By the time his competitors have ing Cadillac cars. Mr. Nolan is glad of the change
caught up the original dealer has achieved success and frankly admits he missed the genialities of the
from his novel methods. He has accumulated a new piano folk during his association with the gaswagon
asset—a higher estimation in the minds of his cus- crowd. Last week he began his new duties as gen-
tomers and prospective customers. It is understood eral manager of the Cleveland branch of the Rudolph
Wurlitzer Co , a position which gives him charge of
of course that the original thoughts must be rational
to have any potency for beneficial and lasting effects. the northern part of Ohio. W. J. Ennis, whom he
Originality should be part of the valiant effort to rise succeeds, has been transferred to the Syracuse, N. Y.,
branch.
to higher levels of business.
Six years ago, while manager of the May Co.,
Applied Originality.
Cleveland, and at the same time president of the
It is to the credit of the music trade that an orig- National Association of Music Merchants Mr. Nolan
inal sales thought has been put in force for several was made manager of the Cleveland Cadillac Co.
He now looks forward with pleasure to resuming
activities with the local, state and national associa-
tions of the music trade.
TRADE VALUE
OF ORIGINALITY
ITS ADVANTAGE
DAN J. NOLAN AGAIN
ACTIVE IN MUSIC TRADE
There's Money
for the Dealer in
Automatic Pianos
Fine Electric Self-Players of eye-
catching design and perfect perform-
ance. Also
-
COIN OPERATED
for places of entertainment, Theatres,
Movies, Ice Cream Parlors, Etc., Etc.
The best line including the famous
"PIAN-O-GRAND"
"BANJ-O-GRAND"
and "HARP-O-GRAND"
Wide-awake Piano D e a l e r s find
them easy sellers in every community.
Send for illustrated
descriptive circulars.
Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co.
1731 Beimont Ave.,
CHICAGO
CHANGE IN BELOIT, WIS.
J. C. Hook has purchased the Beloit, Wis., store
formerly .known* as Hook Brothers Piano Co., and
formerly part of the Hook Brothers organization of
Madison and Beloit, Wis. Mr. Hook is now sole
owner of the Beloit store, which is under his per-
sonal management. It will be known as Hook's
Music Store and will carry a complete stock of
pianos, musical merchandise, sheet music, phono-
graphs and records.
THE
W. P. HAINES & COMPANY
PIANOS
THE PIANOS OF QUALITY
Three Generations of Piano Makers
All Styles—Ready Sellers
Attractive Prices
GRANDS
REPRODUCING GRANDS
UPRIGHTS and PLAYERS
AVAILABLE TERRITORY OPEN
W. P. HAINES & CO., Inc.
138th St. and Walton Ave.
New York City
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence from Reliable
Dealers Invited
Facfory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
KREITER
The Leading and Most Popular
Pianos and Players
Grands, Players, Uprights and
Reproducing Pianos
The Results of Over Forty Years'
of Experience.
Kreiter Pianos Cover the Entire Line
and no Piano Dealer who tries these in-
struments would supplant them by any
others. A trial will convince.
Kreiter Mfg. Co,, Inc.
310-312 W. Water St., Milwaukee, Wis.
Factory: Marinette, Wis.
CANVASSES THEATER TRADE.
The Frank R. Davis Piano Co., Alton, 111., actively
pursues the prospective buyers of automatic pianos,
orchestrions and organs, at the same time keen to
observe the opportunity for the sale of grand pianos.
Last week the firm sold two grand pianos to W. M.
Sauvage for the Hippodrome and for the Grand
theater.
MAKING WESTERN TRIP.
W. R. McAllister, who is making a western trip
in the interests of the Premier Grand Piano Corpora-
tion, of New York, was a Chicago visitor the early
part of this week. He was the guest of Matt Ken-
nedy, Chicago representative, at the Piano Club noon-
day luncheon last Monday.
ADVERTISES SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
C. C. Christensen, the Niles, Mich., dealer, adver-
tises his service department and guarantees expert
repair work on pianos, players and phonographs.
Mr. Christensen employs an efficient tuner and is
building up a profitable tuning connection over a
wide territory.
The Lyon & Healy
Reproducing Piano
A moderate priced reproducing piano,
beautiful in design and rich in tone.
Write for our new explanatory Chart,
the most complete and simple treat-
ment of the reproducing action.
Wabash at Jackson - - - Chicago
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/

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