PRESTO-TIMES
WISCONSIN MUSIC
TRADE ASS'N MEETS
Second Convention of Wisconsin Association
of Music Merchants in Attendance and
Enthusiasm Shows Prominence in
Roster of State Organizations.
OFFICER^REELECTED
W. Otto Miessner and Associates in the Official
Groups Again Chosen to Direct Its Affairs
for Another Term.
The Wisconsin Association of Music Merchants
met in -its second annual convention on Tuesday and
Wednesday of this week at the Hotel Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, The convention was remarkable for the
great number of representative music dealers who
attended, nearly every town and city in the state
being represented,.
W. Otto Miessner, president of the association,
who presided, made . an opening address which
briefly told of the achievements of the association
in its -first' year of effort. It was a record of which
the association should be proud, he said.
Mr. Miessner gave in the opening address an out-
line of the progress made by the Melody Way plan
of piano teaching, designed by Mr. Miessner and
The Luncheon.
Matt J. Kennedy, Chicago, former president of the
Piano Club, addressed the delegates and their wives
at luncheon on the recreation of the American home.
It was a talk filled with facts that fittingly illustrated
his subject. The promoters of the Radio Show being
held in Milwaukee presented tickets to the music
trade folk present att the luncheon.
Mr. Kennedy also explained the "Kennedy Way" of
creating interest in the piano in the home and told
in detail about the Miller-Kennedy service.
There were fifty guests at the Tuesday luncheon,
with a considerable number from out of town poitns,
including Madison, Kenosha, Racine, Oshkosh, La
Crosse and other cities.
The Radio Topic.
The talks on radio and its effects on the music
business were good and reasonable, the theory in
general being that radio, which is only a reproducing
of the music of musical instruments ought to help
their sale.
"Radio will not supplant the study of music for
self-expression and enjoyment but will encourage it.
With the widespread use of the radio we can expect
a great revival in the study of piano, violin and other
instruments used in the home."
That is the opinion of Mr. Dennis, who expressed
his views on the influence of radio.
"I believe that radio will effect a rehabilitation of
the home. It has been decried as partly responsible
for the jazz age, but it will nevertheless bring about
a reaction, and creative music in the home will be
stimulated," said Mr. Dennis.
"Unless we are a nation of morons we cannot hear
the remarkable music that radio now affords without
feeling an incentive to emulate the artists.
"The simplified methods now available for music
study will join with the interest aroused by radio
to advance the study. The piano is the basic home
instrument, and through recent advances made in
the group study method widespread results are
already in evidence."
Mr. Dennis told of the bureau for the development
of music, organized by the national association. It
plans to hold state and national piano playing con-
tests to stimu'ate interest in music, he said.
The Closing Day.
The convention closed at 12 o'clock Wednesday,
after the addresses of T. M. Pletcher and Henry
Weisert, both of which brought out separate con-
victions. Mr. Pletcher at state conventions hereto-
fore has brought out the same proposition as his
talk here, but he always has new suggestions and
different angles of presenting his plea to dealers to
bring up-to-date methods into piano dealing. If the
legitimate, the straight piano business lags, he says,
sugar it up with some other closely allied line—the
radio .being the one best adapted to his needs today,
as the phonograph was in the palmy days of that
iilstrument.
Important Resolution.
"Ill advised" and so-called "fake" advertising occu-
pied a good deal of attention, the subject having
been brought up by Mr. Forbes of Madison. A reso-
\V. OTTO MIESSNER.
lution was adopted which will be sent to all Wis-
sponsored by the Journal. Since the Journal's use consin dealers, whether members of the association
of the plan, it has been adopted by 33 daily news- or not and to many other dealers throughout the
papers in the United States and three in Canada, Mr. country denouncing this kind of piano advertising.
Miessner said, and by 300 public schools. Charts
A Joint Affair.
and pages from newspapers were shown to the dele-
The
music
merchants'
convention was somewhat of
gates illustrating the progress of the movement.
a joint affair with the Wisconsin State Radio Expo-
C. L. Dennis of New York, executive secretary of
the National Association of Music Merchants, and sition. In fact, the program book called the "Broad-
formerly of Milwaukee, praised the Wisconsin asso- caster" and used by both associations, was headed
ciation as the first and leading state organization of "Radio Music Exposition." One of the board of
directors of the Radio Association was H. M. Steussy,
music merchants.
"Before the Wisconsin association was started one an officer of the Kessellman-O'Driscoll Music House,
year ago, we had only a loosely connected national who is also the secretary-treasurer-elect of the mer-
organization. Now we have completely reorganized chants' association of Wisconsin. Mr. Steussy was
in state units and the association is accomplishing also chairman of the entertainment committee of the
Radio Show which put on, as the piano men well
something toward its purpose—to protect the interests
good entertainment, a special
of retail music retailers and to promote an interest know, a "cracking"
feature of which w r as the Chicago Piano Club mem-
in music in the home," he said.
ber, Axel Christensen. In fact, as a Milwaukee
NEW OFFICERS.
daily paper says:
The election resulted in the re-election of the pres-
"The monster entertainment program lived up to
ident and all the vice-presidents, as follows:
all
advance notices and gave a little more for good
President, W. Otto Miessner; 1st vice-president,
Hugh Randall; 2nd vice-president, F. B. Hook; 3rd measure.
"Broadcasting from the crystal studio in the center
vice-president, Fred Leithall; 4th vice-president, Carl
Seeger; 5th vice-president, Mr. Wilson; secretary- of the main arena practically was continuous, with
popular radio artists passing in review before the
treasurer, H. M. Steussy.
microphone.
All of the executive committee were re-elected ex-
"Axel Christensen, prominent W H T artist and the
cept Mr. Steussy, whose place as director was taken
man
who plays the piano like a duet, headlined the
by Mr. Reinwald of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.
An incident of the election was the attempt of Mr. opening performance of the show. He occupied the
Miessner to avoid renomination. He said he could position of honor on the program until the middle
not accept as he was so little in Milwaukee or even of the week, when the Salerno brothers of WGN
in the state of Wisconsin. But he finally accepted, took his place."
The Exhibits.
his decision evoking prolonged applause.
The exposition of the radio show itself took on
Members of the board of directors are: Erich
Hafsoos, Edward Herzog, Paul F. Netzow, Herman the appearance, in a great measure, of a music trade
Noll, Joseph Roussellot and H. C. Reinwald, all of exposition. Pianos, nearly all of them grands, were
Milwaukee.
(Continued on page 9)
October 8, 1927
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