Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1928 2172

March 17, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
12
to sell more pianos in our country. The problem is
to increase the business as a whole.
There is much discussion on this question that the
Presto-Times is agitating. Just now comes a letter
to me from another prominent merchant and the gist
of that letter is, that he states that one of the weak-
nesses of the piano business is "incompetent, poorly
paid salesmen." He states that such salesmen are
dragging profits down, and slowing up business, and
he states positively that the cause is "the commission
plan" of employing men. He has tried both plans,
and has lately adopted the plan of a weekly definite
salary, and a monthly bonus. He has applied that
plan with the same salesmen, and immediate increased
results have been obtained.
Profitable Plan Necessary.
The way to "keep the piano merchants in the busi-
ness" is to have a plan of conducting it that will
make it profitable to the piano merchants. The way
to get more salesmen in the piano business is to have
a method of employing these salesmen that will make
it more profitable to them. The way to increase the
piano business is to make it profitable to both the mer-
chants and the salesmen. The "starvation commis-
sion plan" has been tried out, and the results of its
nefarious influence are before the industry today.
IF
We Make
Over One-half the
GRAND PLATES
Made by Plate
Manufacturers
There
Must Be
A Reason!
The
0. S. Kelly Co.
Springfield, Ohio, U. S. A.
Mr. George Dowling of the Cable Company was
right in his statement, let us go back to Solomonic
wisdom from the "Old Book": "The laborer is
worthy of his hire." Let us keep the piano merchant
in business. Let us keep the old factories humming
with plenty of orders. Let us inaugurate a method
of employing salesmen, that will fill up the depleted
rank of piano salesmen, and bring this grand old
industry to that high mark where it belongs.
Kill Starvation Commissions.
The starvation commission contract is responsible
for more dead timber and slow business than any
other one thing. It is a slimy snake that subtly crept
into the business of the manufacturers and the mer-
chant, and spread its poisonous virus right into the
vitals of the industry. If a nominal weekly salary
and a monthly bonus is found with the right kind of
salesmen to run near the figure of 8 per cent and 10
per cent, as suggested by the anonymous correspon-
dent, and probably that is enough, "so mote it be."
But let us lose sight of that one feature of the case
and put the business under the proper methods to
vitalize it.
For Instance—
Let's look a little bit farther than just the ques-
tion of 8 per cent and 10 per cent as the basis for
marketing goods. Most of the piano merchants are
themselves to blame for the deadened condition of
the trade. They foolishly adopted the starvation com-
mission plan during the war in boom days. The war
is over. Times have changed. Many of the piano
merchants are changing to fit the times. There are,
however, quite a few that are sitting in their stores
grumbling at the salesmen and hopelessly waiting
for "something to turn up," instead of changing their
methods, cutting out their old commission contracts,
and adopting a sensible policy that will "turn up
something," and not wait for "sumpin to turn up."
CONN ARTISTS IN CONCERT
Radio Events Conducted by J. F. Boyer Continue to
Hold Interest of Listeners.
The Conn Ltd. artists' concerts and tlks on musicl
instruments every Sunday afternoon over station
KYW, Chicago, continue to be of absorbing interest
to radio owners. Many of the instruments for band
and orchestra have so far been treated in a manner
in Mr. Boyer's lectures to enlighten his hearers on
their construction and characteristics.
Before the series is finished all will have been die-
scribed by him and their functions demonstrated by
the experts. Last Sunday the trumpet headed the list
of instruments and its place in the band and orchestra
and capabilities generally were told. The construc-
tion of the trumpet, how to learn to play it, production
of tone were told. Solos, quartets and instructive
numbers made up the program of musical enter-
tainment.
The C. G. Conn Ltd. brass quartet, made up of
Conn office and factory men, gave several fine selec-
tions. The Conn house can draw on its own employes
for any kind of performers and is able to get together
soloists, quartets of full band or orchestra on short
notice.
KREITER
The Leading and Most Popular
Pianos and Players
Grands, Players, Uprights and
Reproducing Pianos
The Results of Over Forty Years'
of Experience.
Kreiter Pianos Cover the Entire Line
and no Piano Dealer who tries these in-
struments would supplant them by any
others. A trial will convince.
Kreiter Mfg. Co., Inc.
310-312 W, Water St., Milwaukee, Wis.
Factory: Marinette, Wia.
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence from Reliable
Dealer8 invited
Factory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
The Heppe, Marcellua and Edouard Julos Piano
manufactured by the
HEPPE PIANO COMPANY
are the only pianos in the world with
Three Sounding Boards.
Patented in the United States, Great Britain,
France, Germany and Canada.
Liberal arrangements to responsible agents only.
Main Office, 1117 Chestnut St.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
IMPORTANT RADIO STATEMENT
Commander E. F. McDonald, President of Zenith
Corporation, Announces Important Facts.
Commander E. F. McDonald, president of .the
Zenith Radio Corporation, Chicago, announced this
week at the Vanderlfilt Hotel, New York, that his
company now owns and controls all patents covering
the new and revolutionary automatic broadcast re-
ceiver. Commander McDonald said:
"Despite all rumors to the contrary, I hereby con-
firm the fact that the Zenith Radio Corporation and
no other radio company has acquired complete control
of the H. N. Marvin Automatic Radio patents and
has also purchased the A. J. Vasselli automatic radio
patents.
"I believe that this automatic is the greatest devel-
opment since the advent of broadcasting. I had hoped
that there would be no further radical development or
changes in radio. This automatic development, how-
ever, is too great to be ignored.
It is hoped that Zenith can be in production of
these automatic radio sets by June; but the automatic
field, I believe, is entirely too large to be monopolized
by one company. It is the intention of the Zenith
Radio Corporation to license its competitors under
its automatic radio patents.
NEW AUTOMATIC MUSIC.
The Automatic Music Roll Company, 1510 Dayton
street, Chicago, has issued its April bulletin of rolls
for electric pianos. The new rolls are evidences of
the company's ability to pick the popular numbers
and group them in the most effective way. Many of
the tunes now heard on the best bands and orches-
tras are included in the new April rolls.
The LEADING LINE
WEAVER PIANOS
arand«, Upright* and Player*
Finest and most artistic
piano in design, tone and
construction that can be
made.
YORK PIANOS
Uprights ard Player Pianos
A high grade piano of great
value and with charming tone quality.
Livingston PUnos— Upright* an A popular piano at a popular price.
Over 70.000 instruments made by tbii company are sing-
Ing their own praises in all parts of the civilised world.
Write for catalogues and state on what terms you would
like to deal, and we will make yon a proposition if you arr
located in open territory.
WEAVER PIANO CO., Inc.
Factory: TORK, PA.
Established 1870
CHRISTMAN
UPRIGHTS, GRANDS, PLAYERS
AND REPRODUCING PIANOS
THE FAMOUS "STUDIO GRAND"
"The First Touch Tells"
(Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.)
The Original Home of Studio Pianos,
Upright, Players and Grands.
CHRISTMAN PIANO CO., Inc.
597 East 137th Street,
NEW YORK
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/
13
PRESTO-TIMES
March 17, 1928
NEWS OF TRADE IN
NEW YORK CITY
(Continued from page 3.)
liam Tonk & Bro., Inc. "I sent him a letter by air
mail and one by the regular train mail at the same
time, and he writes me that the two letters arrived
simultaneously, showing no advantage in time for the
letter that had made such good time through the
air; simply bottled up by slow local delivery."
Employment on Upward Trend.
At the Fortnightly Forum's dinner Sunday night
of this week in the Park Lane, Magnus W. Alexander,
president of the National Industrial Conference
Board, reported that employment conditions are im-
proving throughout the country and the advent of
spring will continue the upward trend. Other speak-
ers cited radio and aviation as about to open many
places for workmen.
As Ben Lifton Sees Things.
A call was made on Friday, during the height of a
big snowstorm, on Ben Lifton, head of The Lifton
Manufacturing Company, 40-46 West Twentieth
street. Mr. Lifton said he wasn't complaining, al-
though he thought business could stand a lot of im-
provement just now. The Lifton concern makes fine
leather goods and musical instrument cases. They
handle brief cases, music folios, portfolios, school bags
and stand cases and are makers of patented Koverite
cases.
New Yorkers Celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Today, March 17, being St. Patrick's Day, the vari-
ous Irish organizations of New York and the south-
ern part of Westchester county held a parade of about
25.000 persons as a main feature of the holiday pro-
gramme. In the reviewing stand were Joseph V.
McKec, president of the board of aldermen; Governor
Smith, Mayor Walker, Justices Vincent J. Darling
and Jeremiah Mahoney, Major Gen. Wm. N. Haskell
and Brigadier Gen. John J. Phelan, while from the
steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral the parade was re-
viewed by Bishop John J. Dunn and other members
of the clergy. Several piano salesmen were observed
in the line of march; others had served on committees.
Making Modernistic Pianos.
Pianos built to suit the studied design of a certain
room are among the thrills enjoyed by persons of
definite tastes here in New York. Furniture to match
the piano and the piano to match the furniture is
the idea. Pierre Chareau was among the designers of
furniture for a man's room, which is now on exhibi-
tion at Lord & Taylor's store, and piano designers
follow up by creating a design to suit. Even in the
dining room show is a sideboard in polished ebony
geometrically inlaid with ivory, a chair upholstered
in wool, another armchair in polished ebony and a
small silver chest lined with rosewood.
Piano Business Is Fair—W. B. Armstrong.
William B. Armstrong, upon whose door at suite
902, Central Mercantile Bank building, 535 Fifth ave-
nue, New York, appears nothing but his name and
the word "investments," is in a position to know just
how the cat jumps in the piano business if anybody
in America is. And he says that there is very little
wrong with the business. In other words he leaves
the interviewer to infer that men and methods have
more to do with the business than men are willing to
admit. He flouts the estimate that there were only
175,000 pianos made in 1927; he says there were far
more than 200,000 made.
The radio, he says, is not the piano's rival, or likely
to be its downfall; he fears no downfall; believes there
is no such fate in store for the king and master of
musical instruments. The principal rival of the piano,
he says, is not musical—it is the automobile, and its
main rivalry in diverting money from the piano trade
has been played during the last five years. Families
who could hardly afford to buy one auto, even on the
installment plan, now have two, some of them three
machines. The upkeep is many times the upkeep on a
piano, and it wears out faster than the piano.
Alpha or Omega View.
Commenting on the outlook for better business for
the rest of this year in pianos, Corley Gibson, presi-
dent of The Autopiano Company, New York, and
also president of Stultz & Bauer, said this week:
"Of course I think business is better and will be
better for 1928 than it was in 1927," and then smiling
enigmatically as if he were taking in the whole sweep
WESSELL, NICKEL & GROSS
Manufacturers of
of last year and the rest of this year in a perspective
vision, he concluded, "but you know that's the way
they all talk—at the beginning of the year they're
always sure it's going to beat the year just closed.
The end of the year sometimes changes the advance
estimates." Enough was gleaned from Mr. Gibson's
manner and from this picture behind his words to
indicate that he is sure of his ground and confident of
his dealers' success.
E. H. Vogel on Year's Outlook.
E. H. Vogel, advertising manager for the Kohler
Industries, New York, has wonderful advantages to
size up the whole piano situation in America for any
year, for he is in daily touch with the heads of a
powerful combination of piano factories located in the
metropolis, and he has their ear and their confidence.
These are men who have had every kind of experience
that goes with the widest knowledge of piano manu-
facturing and marketing, not only in this country but
covering the field of finding markets for pianos
abroad. And the foreign trade here on the eastern
seaboard is well worth the most careful cltivating. To
get down to brass tacks, Mr. Vogel was asked by
Presto-Times' New York correspondent on Tuesday
of this week what he thought of the outlook for the
rest of the year. He replied, "I think it is going to
be a very fair year. Business seems to be coming
back more and more."
Wanamaker Business Carries On.
The Wanamaker stores in New York and Phila-
delphia were closed Monday of this week on account
of the funeral of Rodman Wanamaker, merchant
prince. His merchandising included pianos, as the
trade everywhere is aware. "The policies of the
founder will be continued," said Grover A. Whalen,
general manager of the Wanamaker store in New
York, and he called attention to the words of John
Wanamaker engraved on the capstone of the Wana-
maker building in New York: "Let those who follow
me continue to build with the plumb of honor, the
level of truth and the square of integrity, education,
courtesy and mutuality."
The J. W. Rowlands Co., Lima, Ohio, furniture and
music house, recently opened its enlarged and refin-
ished store, where the remodeling has given the firm
one mor floor of space.
MOVING TRUCKS
for
PIANO ACTIONS
HIGHEST GRADE
ONE GRADE ONLY
PIANOS
The Wessell, Nickel & Gross action is a
guarantee of the grade of the instrument
in which it is found.
FACTORJES:
45th St., 10th Aw. & W 46th.
V/"fcU \£
I U1\1V.
Orthophonic Victrolas
Electric Refrigerators
OFFICE.
457 W. 45th Street
Write for catalog and prices for End Trucks, Sill
Trucks, Hoists, Covers and Special Straps.
JULIUS BRECKWOLDT & SON, INC.
DOLGEVILLE, N. Y.
Manufactured by
Self-Lifting PianoTruck Co,
Manufacturers of
FINDLAY, OHIO
Piano Backs, Boards, Bridges, Bars,
Traplevers and Mouldings
J BRECKWOI.DT, Pre».
W. A. BRECKWOLDT. Sec. & Treas.
THE O. S. KELLY CO.
Manufacturers
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
TELLS ALL ABOUT ALL PIANOS
of
High Grade
PIANO PLATES
SPRINGFIELD
XH E CO MSTOCK, C H E NET Y
IVORYTON, CONN •
-
-
OHIO
& CO.
IVORY CUTTERS SINCE 1834
MANUFACTURERS OF
Grand Keys, Actions and Hammers, Upright Keys
Actions and Hammer , Pipe Organ Keys
Piano Forte Ivory for the Trade
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/

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