Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
The American Music Trade Weekly
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
C. A. OANIELL and FRANK O. 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 srcond-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the
Host Office. Chicago. Illinois, under Act of March 3. 1879.
Subscription, $2 a y«ar; 6 months, 91; 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.
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the
editorial or news columns of Presto-Times.
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of pro-
duction will be charged if of commercial character,
or other than strictly news interest.
When electrotypes are sent for publication it is
requested that their subjects and senders be carefully
indicated.
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 communications for the editorial or business
departments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Dearborn Street. Chicago. III.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1927.
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur-
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that
is not strictly news of importance can have
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they
concern the interests of manufacturers or
dealers such items will appear the week follow-
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the
current issue must reach the office not later
than Wednesday noon of each week.
"Formerly it was axiom that competition
was the life of trade. Under the methods of
the present day, it would seem to be more
appropriate to say that Advertising is the life
of trade."—President Calvin Coolidge.
A GOOD YEAR AHEAD
Say that over again. Get it well fixed in
your mind. Do that, and it is as certain to be
a good year for the piano trade as it is that
the sun will shine and the rain come down to
cool the summer air.
Conservative optimism is the keynote of
business forecasts for 1927 by the nation's
leading bankers and business men, according
to a summary of their opinions made public
by The Associated Press.
The Associated Press looks after conditions
of all kinds. It may not pay special atten-
tion to the piano business, or the music trade
in general. But whatever affects other indus-
tries and trades, influences also the things of
music. And, more than most lines of busi-
ness, results follow mental attitudes of the
men whose lives are devoted to the activities
pertaining to the arts and to the products of
a demand for things of refinement and intel-
lectual progress.
Last year at its start seemed rather gloomy
to the men of music. But it proved to be bet-
ter than an average year. Few of the piano
industries have displayed distress, or even
made loud complaints. Some have, of course,
shared in discouragement, but just why they
could hardly explain. Perhaps fixed distrust,
January 8, 1927.
turers to participate in the display of success-
ful styles of their instruments. Emphasis is
given to the fact that the feature is for the
benefit of the dealers, who like to contrast
the different designs. Very often they have
found the pictures of their favorite instru-
ments a help to closing sales. In some in-
stances Presto-Times has repeated the invita-
tion several times. And, in not a few instances,
there has come no acknowledgment, and no
offer to comply, and so take advantage of
one of the best publicity opportunities possible
in the piano business.
How is the condition to be accounted for ?
The offer, on the part of Presto-Times, is
made in good faith. It is wholly impartial.
It embraces all pianos and has no special ref-
erence to our advertisers—it is really open to
all in the interest of the retail trade and the
PIANO DESIGNS
salesmen.
We believe that the feature of successful
It will need no assurance that Presto-Times
piano models, in this issue of Presto-Times, Successful Styles feature really needs no more
more perfectly illustrates the true function of help than it gets. The large proportion of
a music trade paper than anything that has this week's pages given over to the piano
appeared in any similar publication in many models is sufficiently convincing to how the
years. The news of the trade is often inter- manufacturers regard the feature. But there
esting, but its presentation is sometimes more .are so many of them still missing that the
hurtful than useful. The other purposes of a doubt arises whether the piano industry, as a
trade paper are obvious and absolutely essen- whole, takes advantage of its opportunities
tial. But we do not believe that there has in the way by which most alert lines of busi-
ever before been so large an exposition of ness are characterized. What can be the
modern piano designs as this week's issue of matter ?
this trade paper affords.
So large a display of handsome, often ar-
IN THOSE DAYS
tistic and novel models, must have the effect
In
the
year
of the birth of one of the two
of stimulating sales—the first purpose of any
music
trade
papers
which, combined, consti-
trade paper, or almost any other class of pub-
tute
Presto-Times,
the
piano industry as we
lication. In some of the designs will be found
now
know
it
can
scarcely
be said to have ex-
ideas new, and often so graceful in details as
isted
at
all.
For
that
was
forty-five years
to command the admiration of the most cal-
ago.
The
square
piano
was
still
to be found
lous salesmen.
in
the
stores
and
the
upright
had
appeared
but
It need not be pointed out that in this
a
few
years
before,
and
was
just
growing
into
Presto-Times the dealers and salesmen have
, j j
an unprecedented opportunity for comparing favor.
In
fact,
it
may
be
said
that
in
1881
the
up-
their own favorites with others in the market.
right
piano
was
"discovered."
It
was
begin-
The exposition of piano styles is wholly a
trade feature, presented with no charge to the ning to receive a share of the publicity of the
manufacturers and with the sole thought of piano manufacturers. But that was not the
supplying the very aid that is often most rule. In the East the uprights whose adver-
tising had become noticeable included but a
needed in closing sales.
few. Henry F. Miller, Kranich & Bach, Mc-
Cammon, Chickering, and a few more. The
STRANGELY INDIFFERENT
Weber had also proclaimed the baby grand.
Are the piano manufacturers less alert than A few of the foremost manufacturers still
those in other industries in taking advantage openly declared against the upright and would
of opportunities to promote their own inter- not include it in their catalogues.
ests? We don't like to think so, but at long
In the West the only industry that largely
intervals there seems to be cause to suspect promoted the upright was the old Chase Piano
that it is so.
Co., of Richmond, Indiana. In Cincinnati there
A few years ago the publishers of Presto- was no piano industry but the Rudolph Wur-
Times controlled also a popular high-class litzer & Bro. house had already employed the
paper in another line of trade. A special edi- slogan: "Greatest Music House in the World"
tion of the paper, not unlike the Year Book and made conspicuous the "Celebrated Knabe
issue of Presto-Times, was annually put forth. Piano, the Mechanical Orguinette and Pelou-
And a feature of the special edition was a sec- bet & Co.'s Standard Organs." Today the
tion devoted to illustrations of especially ar- house of Wurlitzer is the largest manufac-
tistic products of the manufacturers in the in- turer of mechanical and theater organs in the
terests of which the publication was issued.
world.
When the announcement of the special fea-
At the time now in mind, the Steinway and
ture was sent out the response from the manu- Chickering pianos held precisely the positions
facturers was almost sufficient to submerge they maintain today. And in those days the
the paper, so far as printed space was con- other pianos conspicuous as rivals for leader-
cerned. It was necessary to restrict the num- ship in the public eye were the Weber, Knabe,
ber of illustrations permitted to each of the Decker, Henry F. Miller and Bourne pianos.
manufacturers.
The last named is now extinct. Perhaps the
And now the contrast that prompted the most liberally advertised of them all at that
question with which this editorial opens.
time was the Sohmer, and the most sensational
It is customary, every year, when Presto- in the price cutting and demand was the J. P.
Times Year Book issue is in preparation, to Hale.
send a special invitation to the piano manufac-
Very few, if any, of the pianos of those days
or the habit of fear, had something to do with
it.
No doubt the suggestion of something
needed to create an unusual demand for
pianos entered into the causes of such depres-
sion as may have existed. For if you tell your
neighbor that things are "dead," and he tells
his neighbor, and it spreads, things will not be
especially lively. Advertising is the greatest
force on earth. And to advertise the need of
advertising is not inspirational to any line of
business.
But, aside from all this, the new year prom-
ises well. It will be well if each individual
member of the trade starts in with the deter-
mination to make it so. Sage advice, but good
advice always.
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