Presto

Presto Buyers 9 Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
TTieir Makers.
PRESTO
E,tmuuimd iu4.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
to cm.;
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
92.00 a Year
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1925
CHAMBER EVENTS
FOR EVERY DAY
Comprehensive Character of Joint Association
Seen in Numerous Activities of a Business
and Social Nature Throughout Week
of Convention.
INAUGRATES CONVENTION
Chamber Officially Begins Convention Activities with
Directors' Meeting Sunday and Ends Them
with Elections Thursday.
The events of the annual conventions of the music
trades associations for 1925 were formally begun
when the board of directors of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce held a meeting in Room C at
the Drake Hotel on Sunday at 7 p. m. Thereafter
throughout every day of the annual meeting the
joint body was in evidence in business and social
affairs. The first opening session of the Chamber
followed the noonday luncheon on Monday, at which
R. W. Lawrence, president of the Chamber, was the
principal speaker.
Mayor Dever, introduced by Otto Schulz, officially
welcomed the men of the music industry to Chicago.
Mr. Dever Speaks.
We regard this convention in Chicago as some-
thing unusual with us, even though we are a great
convention city, said Mayor Dever. It represents a
great industry, it represents more than that, it rep-
resents the brain work, the industry of men and
women who are functioning in a manner which must
of necessity, because of things you produce, make
good citizens for this nation, and to be engaged in
that work, to be producing all that there is of mor-
ality and all that there is of intelligence and all that
there is of beauty in connection with your great
enterprises must in addition to your monetary suc-
cess be a matter of great satisfaction to you and com-
fort to you.
With great sincerity we welcome you here to Chi-
cago. I hope the weather may be good, that your
time may be pleasant, and that out of this conven-
tion may come a purpose to bring your convention
back to Chicago every other year, Mr. President.
ADDRESS OF P R E S I D E N T R. W. LAWRENCE.
I realize that a considerable contract has been
placed upon my shoulders in attempting to give an
annual report of the manifold functions of a busi-
ness organization that represents every division of
this industry from the production to the merchan-
dising end and that spends, in the 365 days of the
year, functioning every moment of that time, the sum
of $100,000 in your interest.
I see here before me people who are supporters
of every activity of the Chamber, and then again I
see others that are so engrossed in their own affairs
that they are perfectly willing to let George do it
and who won't even read the literature that is sent
to them with respect to that which is being done for
them.
Power of Unity.
As each one of us realizes more and more the
power that lies in unity of purpose and effort, then
we can accomplish things beyond the mere spending
of money—results twice as effective as the results
I could relate to you if I had the time to give you
the detail of the various functionings of our bureaus.
This last year has seen one of the most marvelous
exemplifications of human ingenuity that recorded
history thus far can relate. I am referring to the
invention of the radio. Four hundred millions of
dollars of the money of the people of the United
States has been poured out of their pockets to ac-
quire the results that this marvelous invention brings
to every home.
A Lost Opportunity.
Here was a great opportunity for organization,
for organized effort, for proper merchandising. The
experience of every branch of our industry was at the
disposal of the men in that group, but they were not
organized to take advantage of it. They were not
interested in taking advantage of this experience of
other people or of other industries that had had
the test of time and had been through the fire.
What has been the result? Very few today can show
real profit, although the public has poured out $400,-
000,000. One of the greatest commercial opportu-
nities that was ever presented in America has been
wasted through lack of the ability of that group to
sense the fact that there is experience in commercial
dealing that can be brought to bear upon the solu-
tion of common problems.
The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce has
the ability in its organization, to marshal the facts,
bring to bear the expert knowledge and present your
side of the question. That is only one impending
menace. There are two or three that I might men-
tion.
The Ideal.
What I refer to relates merely to the material
side, the protective side, the ordinary conduct of your
business, but this industry, this organization,, would
be a poor thing if it was not possessed of ideals, if
it was not thinking and doing the things that will
leave this industry a better industry for those that
come after us.
There is no agency in America today that has the
record of accompjishment or has the potential power
to make America musical, greater than the National
Bureau for the Advancement of Music. During the
past year this bureau has vitalized, has helped, has
made possible, aggressive work on the part of 7,000
distinct organizations. It has caused these 7,000 and
more organizations to spend intelligently about twen-
ty-five times as much as we have provided in our
budget for the support of this bureau.
Is there any one of us here today who because of
the baffling conditions of the past year has lost faith
in music or in the industry which we serve? I don't
think there is such a one. It is time for us, how-
ever, to take stock of ourselves. The easy days of
inflation and of demand pursuing the man who had
goods to sell, are gone. We are in a highly com-
petitive era in everything that we do in this indus-
try; whether it be in the Chamber, whether it be
in a representative capacity or not, the acid test of
value received and of effort properly spent must be
applied. That is the standard. Those of you who
have been waiting in your stores for customers to
come in in response to your attractive ads. to take
these pianos off of your floor have got to wake up
and go out and see the people where they live if you
want to put pianos in the homes of America.
An Auspicious Time.
This has been a very, very delightful and
auspicious occasion. Where is there any other place
in America where, instead of holding a convention,
you hold a house party in a magnificent hotel?
Here we are to enjoy the good things that have
been so wonderfully provided for us by the Piano
Club. When we go back home, let's say, "those
guys that are working, in season and out, in these
trade organizations deserve all the support we give
them, plus!"
Noonday Luncheons.
The noonday luncheons were made occasions for
very interesting events by the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce. The luncheons were the
particular care of the Piano Club of Chicago, under
whose auspices the entertainment features were car-
ried out. The committee in charge of entertainment
was headed by Harry Bibb of the Brunswick-Balke-
Collender Co. At the Tuesday luncheon the awards
for the 1925 Retail Advertising Exhibits were an-
nounced and the trophies and honors presented to the
winners.
Southern Day.
The Southern Day luncheon on Wednesday was
followed by a brief session of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce at which addresses were made
by the presidents of the various member associations.
Thursday was a day filled with interest for the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce. At 10 a. m.
the delegates met in Room C of the Drake and elected
a new set of directors, a president and officers. At
the Eastern Day luncheon on Thursday the new pres-
ident of the Chamber was installed.
WILL TRAVEL FOR STRAUBE.
J. A. Bryan, Sr., who has recently been active in
Florida, has been engaged by the Straube Piano
Company, of Hammond, Ind., to travel for it in east-
ern territory. Mr. Bryan was at the convention,
where he assisted at the Straube booth, room 325,
where his fellow traveler, J. N. England, southern
representative, was also to be seen.
ANNOUNCE WINNERS IN
ADVERTISING EXHIBIT
Interesting List of Firms and Publicity Men
Made Known at Noonday Luncheon at
Drake on Tuesday.
The winners in the 1925 Retail Advertising Ex-
hibit were announced at the noonday luncheon on
Tuesday. The judges were F. J. Heppe, of C. J.
Heppe & Son; A. L. Walsh, of the Edison Co.; H. E.
Lawrence, of the Kohler Industries; A. J. Kendrick,
of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.; E. L. Hadley,
The Cable Co.; H. H. Roemer, Zenith Radio Corp.;
W. K. Lamport, the Straube Piano Co., and C. E.
Byrne, for the music trade. For the Advertising
Clubs of the World: Jesse H. Neal, John Clyde
Oswald and C. T. Fairbanks. The following are the
winners:
CLASS A — I N D E P E N D E N T
MUSIC
MER-
CHANTS.
1. Otto Grau Piano Co., Cincinnati, Ohio; Otto
Grau; Jos. A. Jacober, advertising man.
2. The Meiklejohn Co., Providence, R. I.; Andrew
Meiklejohn; Edward F. Walton, advertising man.
3. Barker Brothers, Los Angeles, Cal.; J. W.
Boothe; Don Hill, advertising man.
4. Tusting Piano Co., Ashbury Park, N. J.; R. A.
Tusting; Philip Tusting, advertising man.
5. C. J. Heppe & Son, Philadelphia, Pa.; F. J.
Heppe; Robt. C. Glenn, advertising man.
6. Bissell-Weisert Piano Co., Chicago, Illinois; Ar-
thur Bissell, Henry E. Weisert; Arthur Bissell, ad-
vertising man.
7. N. Stetson & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; W. G. S.
8. Dreher Piano Company, Cleveland, Ohio; Henry
Dreher; Robt. Jones, advertising man.
9. G. A. Barlow Sons Co., Trenton, N. J.; Fred-
erick Barlow; Davis & Schweitzer, advertising men.
10. C. C. Mellor Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.; H.
H. Fleer.
11. Platt Music Company, Los Angeles, Cal.; Ben-
jamin Platt; Robt. W. Cox, advertising man.
CLASS AA—GROUP STORES AND FACTORY
WAREROOMS.
1. The Aeolian Company, New York City; Wm. H.
Alfring; F. E. Dayton, advertsing man.
2. Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, Cal.; Fred
Sherman, L. S. Sherman, Phillip T. Clay; Neill C.
Wilson, advertising man.
3. Steinway & Son, New York City; Herman Irion.
4. Chickering & Sons, New York City; C. Alfred
Wagner, Geo. R. Mance.
5. Wm. Knabe & Company, New York City; R.
K. Paynter, B. Neuer; Albert J. Ford, advertising
man.
6. Wiley B. Allen Co., San Francisco, Cal.; Frank
Anrys, James J. Black; Walter H. Gardner, advertis-
ing man.
7. Chickering & Sons, Boston, Mass.; R. C. Hodg-
kinson.
8. Sohmer & Company, New York City; Harry J.
Sohmer; Alex. McDonald, advertising man.
9. W. W. Kimball Company, Chicago, 111.; E. B.
Bartlett, E. C. Smith; Emma Manning, advertising
woman.
10. Henry F. Miller Stores Company, Boston Mass.
R. D. Elliott, advertising man.
11. Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., Cincinnati, Ohio; Ru-
dolph H. Wurlitzer; Philip Reister, advertising man.
An interesting and highly instructive display of
the national advertising and tie-ups with the work
for the advancement of music was made at the Drake
Hotel under the direction of C. L. Dennis of the Mu-
sic Industries, Chamber of Commerce.
MARK CAMPBELL SWIFT TRAVELER.
Many who had read of Mark Campbell being in
Europe were surprised very pleasantly to see him in
Chicago at the convention. It is only a little over a
month ago that readers of Presto read an item from
our Paris, France, correspondent that Mr. Campbell
was in the great French metropolis. But like the
good little Brambach Grand that he manufactures,
Mr. Campbell can not be kept in any kind of ob-
scurity.
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/