Presto

March 21, 1925.
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-
mercial 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.
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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 noon every Thursday. News mat-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the
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Address all communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1925.
TIN PAN TROUBLES
For a time it did not seem possible that
radio could hurt the sale of popular songs. It
was natural to suppose that the same kind
of promotion that helped to win success for
the "hits" of long- ago would act similarly in
the day of the radio. And once it was cus-
tomary for publishers to pay the "negro min-
strels" well for singing the new songs as they
came from the press. A quarter-century or
more ago such minstrel singers as J. J. Kelly,
Billy Emerson, Frank Howard, Billy Manning
and their contemporaries made a great deal of
money by "plugging" the new songs. It
might be supposed that radio broadcasting to-
day would perform a like service for the new
songs of today.
But, after all the discussion for and against
the song-selling influence of radio, it has re-
mained for Mr. E. C. Mills, a New York music
publisher, to tell just why, or how, radio may
hurt the sale of popular songs. He puts it
thus :
If we could control completely the broadcasting of
our compositions we would endeavor to prevent this
saturating of the radio listeners with any particular
song. We would try to have it broadcast for a specified
period—perhaps a month—and then have it discontinued.
If it had won favor, people would purchase it. Under
present conditions a song is played or sung until it be-
comes a positive bore. Too much of anything becomes
decidedly distasteful, and this is especially true of a
piece of music.
That seems to be reasonable on the basis
that "too much of a good thing is too much."
Of old the song-singing, by the black-faced
warblers, was just enough to start a desire
on the part of the public for the pretty songs.
But radio, which may be turned on as easily
as an electric light, may easily create a surfeit
of the saccarine melody.
About the only way seems to be the addi-
tion of a few more laws to the countless more
or less dead ones already on the books. And
Mr. Lee De Forest's plan of restricting every-
thing radioistic that smacks of advertising
seems to pretty nearly fit the case of the song
hits. When song singing by radio can be made
to appear as advertising the song, and radio
advertising can be prohibited, the publishers
may find a means of protection.
But, probably, the truth is that most of the
song w r riters and publishers like it, and believe
that radio singing of their songs is not done
enough, instead of too much. Usually a singer
will not take hold of a song until it has gained
some popularity. Why not, then, fix it so that
no song can be broadcast after it has been
"out" more than, say, two weeks? Some such
plan would be better for the publishers than
the one of the association by which all broad-
casting, music rolls and records, would be de-
nied the right to touch a song until after it
had become so threadbare that no one would
want it in any form.
The "Clean Up and Paint Up Campaign Bu-
reau" of St. Louis, proposes to send to any
and all publications mats or electrotypes of
advertising designed to stimulate household-
ers to brighten up their property. Of course,
the disinterested parties are the paint makers.
Is there a tip here for the publicity bureau of
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce?
It must seem that it is as important to brush
up the intellectual and musical sunshine in the
homes as to make the doors and window-
cases shine.
* * *
A piano traveler who is usually accepted as
an authority in such matters, declares that
there are exactly fifty-six millionaires in the
piano industry and trade at this time. It isn't
many years ago that a late music trade paper
editor was combing the business to find more
than four of the music men of big wealth.
Now we know there is at least $56,000,000 be-
hind the piano in this country—and a great
deal more than that.
* * *
Radio has found its appropriate place in
trade. It belongs in the music stores, not as
a competitor of the piano, which it isn't, but
as a subsidiary or comrade and an addition to
the home equipment. Piano owners are the
logical radio prospects. Consequently the
established piano store is the ready-made
radio station.
* * *
Albany, once the center of piano making
energy and ambition, has dwindled until to-
day there is very little left of the old-time
glory, in which such men as James, Wendell,
Boardman, McCammon, Hidley, Holmstrom,
and many others had a share. It is very seldom
that one sees the name of the New York state
capital on a piano box of late years.
* * *
The Florida real estate boom is on in earn-
est. Many a placid little lake, beneath the dis-
mal Florida moss of the pine trees, will change
hands quickly and, if all the new land-and-
water owners in the Grapefruit State buy
pianos, there will be also a boom in a real
business down there.
* * *
A good illustration of what hard work, in-
telligently directed, may do in the piano in-
dustry is seen in the progress of the United
Piano Corporation. For assiduous effort, along,
creative lines, the efforts of Messrs. Williams
and Shale seem to set a fine example.
* * *
Tne main purpose of the man who opens a
music store is to sell the goods. He is directly
interested in the store, its capacity, location
and appearance because all these things are
important considerations upon which depend
the success and future growth of the business.
He is directly interested in advertising because
publicity is a means to the end—sales. He is
interested in the fitness of the sales force, for
on its ability depends the important incidents
of selling.
* * *
In many piano stores the old "prospect"
book has been accumulating dust through the
winter time. This is the season in which to
blow aw r ay the dust and copy the names and
tune of the gaswagon to get out after the
doubtful fellow citizens who want something
vital to their happiness and don't seem to
know it.
* * *
If your prospect is after a cheap piano be-
cause he has been reading the newspaper ad-
vertising, he will find surprise when you tell
him the price of a fine instrument. So much
the better. He will instantly have more re-
spect for the piano you recommend. And if
it is price that has brought him to your store
it will be no trouble at all to show him the
cheaper instrument.
* * *
Ability in a piano salesman is the power to
cause an effect in the prospective customer's
mind. And the extent of his ability is in the
degree of ease with which he changes the
guarded and argumentative attitude of mind
in the customer for the acquisitive one.
30 YEARS AGO IN THE TRADE
From the Files of Presto
(March 21, 1895.)
Mr. F. S. Cable left for San Francisco yesterday,
and Mr. H. M. Cable returned to New York yester-
day morning.
Fair Emma Eames is getting well,
And so is Mine. Drog.
And other joyful news to tell—
They've found Nor-di-ca's dog.
Pianists in Munich must close their windows while
they are performing. If they neglect to do so, a
policeman, or a neighbor, or a pedestrian steps in
and warns them.
Col. Ben Starr, of the Starr Piano Co., was a wit-
ness in a will case at Richmond last week. The suit
is one of more than common interest because at the
head of the contending lawyers are a congressman
and ex-President Harrison.
Mr. Still R. Harcourt has charge of the warerooms
of J. O. Twichell during the latter's absence in Cali-
fornia. Mr. Harcourt can show off a piano in a
manner to w r in the admiration of a deaf man and as
a salesman he is as successful as at song-writing, at
which he is an adept.
Mr. W. B. Price, who has for some time past
occupied a responsible position in the organ depart-
ment of the W. W. Kimball Co. house, severs his
connection with that establishment on April 1st, and
enters upon his new duties with the Chicago Cottage
Organ Co. about the middle y of April.
With a single exception w e believe that Mr. F. H.
Story is the youngest president of a great musical
than thirty years, is one of indomitable energy guided
by that keenness of perception which is the pre-
dominating characteristic of most successful men of
affairs.
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(From Presto, March 23, 1905.)
George Nembach has passed four decades in active
piano work and has directed the destinies of the
Steck piano since 1865.
It is again said that the aversion to the interior
player at Steinway Hall is rapidly disappearing. In
fact, it is openly talked that a Steiuway style will
soon appear in which a player will find lodgment.
Whether the piano industry is still in its infancy or
not, it is certain that the pianoplayer has only just
begun to increase and multiply. It is probable that
at this time no other specialty in the line of inven-
tion is receiving greater attention than the automatic
music makers.
Hundreds of Estey organs that were bought fifty
and more years ago are in daily use at the present
time, and the owners say that they are as good to-
day as when new. With fifty-eight years of honesty
and reliability as a guarantee the Estey organ and
piano should not lack for testimonials.
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