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-
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.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4.
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
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
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 publication day. Want advs. for current
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday noon.
Address all communieatiuns for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.. 417 South
Dearborn
Street,
C h i c a g o , III.
SATURDAY, DKCKMBER 5. 1925
ADVERTISING MUSIC
When the several music trade associations
consolidated, and the plan of a larger scheme,
by which to develop the business by concen-
trated effort was proposed, the first thought
was to advertise music. By advertising music
in the abstract it was believed that the sub-
stantial side of music would be instantly vi-
talized to limitless magnitude. It didn't
work in the manner expected. The plan of
broadcast advertising of music did not greatly
augment the sale of the better things that
make music.
In some large cities the idea was carried so
far as to materialize in the shape of full page
advertisements in the focal newspapers, in
which the matchless influence of music, in
morals and domestic happiness, was exploited.
But that did not strike the public as a distinct
novelty, nor did it attract people to the music
stores. The idea was too vague. It was a
fine suggestion, but it is rare that a mere sug-
gestion sinks beneath the skin and impels
people to action.
. Soon it was discovered that, to reach the
people through advertising, something more
direct was necessary. The worth of music
alone, while beautifully suggestive of all that
is pure and lovely here and hereafter, did not
mean pianos, or even fiddles. It might mean
a drum here and there, or a mouth-harp some-
where, or anything noisy in most places. The
piano dealers who had contributed to combi-
nation display pages in the local papers did
not notice any particular trade impetus as a
result of the advertising. Something else
must be done. Then it was decided that ad-
vertising in any visiqnary or hazy music-love
manner would not do, and the dealers began
to tell about the pianos they had for sale, and
other things equally substantial. The result
was satisfactory ; the idea of advertising music
alone, in display type, has not since been pop-
ular. For music is its own best advertise-
ment and, if it's heard, whether in the form of
symphony or jazz, the advertising effect is
undeniable, and the demand will be for either
December 5, 1925.
classic music or jazz, in proportion to the ex-
tent of the effectual advertising by actual
performance.
And there is no line of merchandise that will
stand more advertising of the practical kind
than the things of music. If the things by
which music is produced are well advertised,
music itself will not fail of a hearing. And
that is the lesson of the propaganda of music
advertising which was tried and found want-
ing, because no one knew just what was
meant, and almost everybody waited for the
opening of the performance before fully com-
prehending what was meant by "advertising
music" with the design of increasing the prac-
tical results of the music business.
piano business may be pTaced to the credit of
such institutions as the Bankers' Security
Company, which originally, as the Commercial
Security Company, showed the retailers the
way to financing their business intelligently
upon a sound basis.
* * *
All the philosophy in the world could not
alter the fact that the installment business
has largely helped to make the piano trade.
The system may not fit all lines of business,
but in the piano business it is almost indis-
pensable.
* * *
Only three more weeks of this year. Per-
haps the holiday sales may be made to bring
old '25 up to a good average in the sum total
of
its piano deliveries. That's largely "up to
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS
you."
Two phases of educational music activities
* * *
are notable just now. One is the number of
Have
you
made
arrangements
for the New
small bands and orchestras that are being
Year,
with
a
view
to
diversifying
and
formed. Many of the organizations are con-
strengthening
your
line
of
pianos?
If
not,
nected with schools in cities of various sizes.
That means an increased demand for the you're late about it and should get busy.
brass and reed instruments of the portable
kind. The cornet players, the drum beaters,
the saxophone artists, and the players upon
other and all kinds of instruments, must have
From the Files of Presto
the means by which to create the more or less
harmonious sounds, and that means greater
(December 5, 1895.)
activity for the local music dealers.
A. J. Gery will give a complimentary auto-harp re-
The second notable phase in the present day cital at Lyon & Healy's warerooms, Friday, Decem-
music activities is in the spread of piano mu- ber 6, at 3 p. m.
Count Cavalli has been enlightening Louisville and
sic as an auxiliary to the school work. In a other Southwestern cities as to the beauties of the
large number of cities, classes in piano play- Blue Felt this week. He is expected back in New
York in a day or two.
ing have been formed, regular hours of study
We have already referred to the change in the
have been arranged and, often, prominent business until recently carried on by Poole & Stew-
of Boston, and to which the Poole Piano Co. has
men, who know all about the piano, as manu- art,
succeeded. Mr. Poole, who heads the new company,
facturers as well as teachers, have devoted stated the factory of the Poole Piano Co. is already
to its fullest capacity.
their skill to showing the youngsters what it taxed
A young English-trained pianist, Mr. Harold Bauer,
means to play the instrument. That, too, unknown to the German musical world, gave a con-
in Berlin Sing Akademie with the Philharmonic
means more activity in the local music stores. cert
Orchestra, when he played Beethoven's E flat major
Both of the special lines of music energy Concerto, Saint-Saens' G minor Concerto and Liszt's
Fantasie.
referred to are of the best possible kind. They Ungarische
The invention of E. H. White promises to revolu-
mean a better musical understanding, by the tionize business in self-playing pianos. Improvements
are still in progress on the Wilcox & White attach-
younger people, as to what the word music ment,
and now that the experimentary processes are
itself signifies. It brings into play practical past, the remarkable instrument is being placed on
market in quantities.
musicians at a period in their lives which is the Ivory
pianos are by no means uncommon, and the
susceptible to the kind of influence that music Dowager Countess, of Dudley, has a magnificent
specimen. Pianos of ivory are, I might say,
always suggests. It results in a deeper under- carved
made every year in numbers, but chiefly for Indian
standing, and consequently a better love of princesses and rich Spanish-Americans. Many pianos
of solid silver have been made; indeed, one was only
music than has been expected, heretofore.
recently completed -by a London firm for the Nizam
A recent writer says that "we ought to be of Hyderabad, and piano cases have at various times
made of bronze, a species of aluminum, glass,
the most musical people on earth, if expendi- been
porcelain and, in combination, mother-of-pearl.
tures determined precedence," and adds that
"one side of music can not be conducted on
what are considered business lines." That re-
20 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
fers to the artistic side, and it has been true
but, if the present day methods of teaching
(From Presto, December 7, 1905.)
music are good, as they seem, all sides of mu-
It is pretty generally admitted that when Mr. Chas.
sic can and will eventually be. conducted on H. Parsons speaks he says something. In this he is
unlike some of the trade papers, and this also makes
business lines.
30 YEARS AGO IN THE TRADE
Another illustration of ,the. workings of the
prevailing system of handling bankruptcy
cases is seen in the very cheering final report
of the referee in bankruptcy who has charge
of the affairs of the International Piano Co., of
Fall River, Mass. . The concern failed a good
many years ago and the incident had been
forgotten, even by the smaller creditors. And
now comes the comforting statement that the
receivers want double compensation and that
it will require everything in sight to satisfy
them. Fine, isn't it—for the creditors?
* * *
In the opinion of a prominent piano mer-
chant, one of the greatest helps to the existing
his latest talk of special interest because it is on trade
paper advertising. Mr. Parsons modestly denies that
he is a high-grade, full iron-frame and art-case "ad-
writer." But he admits that he "once in a while"
makes a hit and is thus "encouraged to try again."
The Year Book issue of Presto will appear the first
week in January next. It is not deemed necessary to
make a personal canvass of the piano manufacturers,
and it is respectfully requested that this notice be
considered an invitation to all who have not already
done so to secure representation in the work.
Several of the trade papers are preparing to treat
the piano manufacturers to Christmas numbers. It is
a fine idea. Piano men have need of Christmas num-
bers.
There is a piano industry in New York that boasts
it is selling large quantities of pianos on a $2 margin.
Where will that concern be when the year goes out?
The diminutive grands have not yet been suffi-
ciently reduced to permit of their going into the
Christmas stocking. But it's easy enough for Santa
Claus to put the price there.
Harger, of the Times, says he's worth $100,000 "by
the clock." Is that an insinuation that he's going on
a strike, or is it merely a case of tick?
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