August 1, 1925.
PRESTO
CRITICIZES DEALERS'
NATIONAL BODY
EEBURG
Rexford C. Hyre, of Ohio State Assn., Writes
"Constructive Criticism" in Which Music
Merchants' Methods of Organization Are
Condemned and Suggestions Offered.
PRESIDENT OF N. A. M. M. REPLIES
TYLE"L"
Says Criticism Is Not Official Pronouncement of
Ohio State Association, or Its Most Prominent
Members and Is in Poor Taste.
dred members in the national body there would be
eleven thousand and the direct appeal would reach
every crossroad.
The Secretary Episode.
Believing this lack of independence and of national
activity in behalf of the retailer's problems to be the
cause and reason for the slow growth and non-effec-
tiveness of the national organization, it is maintained
that the action in Chicago on June 10, 1925, abolish-
ing the paid executive secretary of the National Asso-
ciation of Music Merchants, was unwise and further
surrender of what little independence was left in the
national body.
Rather should the meeting have voted to increase
its own separate executive department and have, by
proper resolutions, given its executive officer some-
thing definite to do and accomplish during the com-
ing- association year. Almost uniformly the various
By HENRY E. WEISERT,
President, National Association of Music Merchants.
The KEY to
OSITIVE
ROFITS
MANUFACTURED ONLY BY
J. P. Seeburg
Piano Co.
"Leaders in the
Automatic Field"
1510 Dayton St.
Chicago
Address Department "E M
In the July bulletin, published by the Music Mer-
chants' Association of Ohio, and of which Rexford
C. Hyre is editor, is printed the following article
headed "National Activity":
It is proper and good business for the retail music
merchants of the United States, directly or through
their National Association of Music Merchants, by
means of the piano stamp or their annual dues, to
contribute to the general work performed by the
very efficient and capably managed bureaus of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce.
It is a move in the right direction for the National
Association of Music Merchants to take steps to
more closely affiliate the various local, state and dis-
trict retail music trade organizations with each other
and with the national body.
These moves show progress and a desire to unite
all retail music trade groups. What shall hereafter
be said, therefore, is in the nature of constructive
criticism and suggestion, coming as it does from one
more state organization that hopes for and desires
the unity of purpose and action that seemingly un-
derlies the resolutions passed at the 1925 Chicago
convention of the national body.
Speaks Right Out.
Speaking frankly, then, the retail music merchants
of Ohio, and the nation, have certain strictly exclu-
sive retail problems, wholly, directly, unrelated to any
or all of the activities of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce, composed as it is of piano manu-
facturers, organ builders, piano travelers, supply job-
bers, musical instrument and merchandise manufac-
turers, piano tuners, and technicians, etc. In other
words, each of the groups composing the Chamber of
Commerce have their individual problems, which they
meet, discuss and take action upon. In these matters
the respective associations unify the individual ideas
and expressions of their members by resolutions or
by actions. The Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce, of which all of these associations are a part,
is the sole and only agency, and rightly should be,
for conflicting desires, if any exist between member
bodies to be settled and amicably adjusted.
How N. A. of M. M. Fails.
The National Association of Music Merchants has,
of late years, failed to take a definite stand upon
many of the vital retail music trade problems. It has
met each year, discussed its woes, and gone home
without action or direct service to its members or the
retail music merchants of the country. Any organ-
ization to grow, and attract to it members, must be
able to show the prospect that it has done and is
doing something directly for him. This is axiomatic
in trade organization work and success. Direct and
positive effort and service must be apparent to the
dealer, whom one would interest.
National activity, then, except in a general indirect
way through the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, has been lacking on the part of the Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants for some
years. The small dealer (which comprises by far the
greater per cent of the retail trade) cares not about
the wonderful work of the Bureau for the Advance-
ment of Music, the Trade Service or Better Business
Bureau, etc. In fact, he advertises very little, cares
not about comparative figures and data, and fails
to appreciate the effective handling of the national
problems at Washington and elsewhere. What the
average retailer seeks is a depreciation schedule. He
wants a new deal on the phonograph. He desires to
handle a radio on a profitable basis. He wants to
secure financial help on a fair and equitable basis.
These and many other direct, personal problems
are the big things from the retail dealer's standpoint
and ones which he expects his own association of
fellow dealers to help him solve.
Read Riot Act.
The national organization should do these things.
It could do them. If it would unitedly present these
problems and desires to the proper source, using the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce as a clear-
ing house, much relief and many partial reforms, at
least, could be brought about.
With something accomplished for the retailer, the
national association could be sold to every retail
music merchant in the United States. It is the way
we have done in Ohio. In place of about eleven hun-
HENRY E. WEISERT,
1'resident National Association of Music Merchants.
local, state and district retail trade associations in the
country are accustomed to taking up their problems
existing between the members and with other ele-
ments outside and actually doing something. Their
results, where a matter can be handled locally, are
often most satisfactory. However, many problems
are national in scope and an appeal must be made to
the national organization for consideration and per-
haps action. It was, no doubt, because of this that
the various local, state and district bodies eagerly
accepted affiliation with the national organization
when it was offered two years ago.
However, the Chicago 1925 meeting, by its action
in abolishing its executive office, has removed the
very incentive that caused these local groups to seek
its paternal shelter. Happily, the new plan is only
for one year. If the mistake is not rectified, it will
mean the ultimate growth of the state and regional
organizations and the slow disintegration of the
father of us all."
P R E S I D E N T WEISERT'S COMMENT.
The above "constructive criticism" expresses very
plainly the opinion that the National Association of
Music Merchants is breaking down, and that its
recent action in having its secretarial work done
through the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
spells its utter collapse.
I don't believe this article should be taken too
seriously. There has been no meeting of the Ohio
association since the national convention and I am
inclined to think that this editorial represents the
personal opinion of the editor, who is no;t a piano
man but an attorney and the paid secretary of the
Ohio association.
Ohio Represented.
At the meeting of the National Executive Commit-
tee where this lamented action was taken, the Ohio
merchants were ably represented by Henry Dreher,
of Cleveland, and W. W. Smith, of Toledo. Both of
these gentlemen concurred in the action of the com-
mittee.
There is no question that the national association
is not functioning as it should, but no one is to blame
for that except the members themselves. To make
the organization strong and effective they must take
an active interest in it and not expect those whom
they choose as their officers to do all the work. No
music merchant should come into the national asso-
ciation with the idea of seeing how much he can get
out of it, but rather how much he can put into it.
(Continued on Page 9.)
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