Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1928
$2 The Year
AMFRIfAN PIANO f(VS PI ANS REDUCED FARES TO
A1Y1LK1LAN r i A H U t U a TLAJN^
STILL DOUBTFUL
IN SEVERAL PLACES
Disposing of the Company's Lines in the Vari-
ous Cities of the Country Is Matter That
Concerns a Great Many People
in the Trade.
THE CHICAGO LOCATION
Four-Story Building on Wabash Avenue Which May
Be Secured Would Possibly Be Replaced
by Skyscraper and Tower.
The placing of the various instruments in the line
of the American Piano Company in the prominent
cities, of such keen interest to the trade, has about
been completed and, although the disposing of the line
in its entirety in a few cities has not yet been officially
announced, the anticipations of the observant ones
are taken as correct.
Talk about the American Piano Company line
changes is naturally linked with surmises and assur-
ances of the selection of other representative pianos
to till the lines of dealers from which the American
Piano Company pianos will be or already have been
taken. It is an eloquent acknowledgment of their
merit and ability to fill the requirements of artistic
high-grade pianos where the particular instruments
are named in that respect.
IN MILWAUKEE
For the first time in Milwaukee, Wis., the Mason &
Hamlin, Knabe and Chickering pianos are shown
under one roof. The American Piano Company has
continued the Knabe and Chickering franchise with
the Kesselman-O'Driscoll Co., and added the Mason
& Hamlin. The progressive dealers acknowledge the
advantage in broad plans for achieving sales.
The Kesselman-O'Driscoll Co. announces the ar-
rangement as "a remarkable advance" and adds: "It
permits the prospective piano purchaser to look over
the three pianos on a single floor, instead of darting
from store to store with less chances for fair com-
parison."
IN PORTLAND, ORE.
The Johnson Piano Company of Portland, Ore.,
has closed its doors after twelve years of apparently
successful business. G. F. Johnson, the head of the
firm, is one of Portland's most respected citizens and
for years has been the Portland representative of the
Chickering Ampico, and has featured it on every
occasion and was always prominent in all music and
civic affairs. Mr. Johnson was the president of the
Oregon Music Trades Association for the past sev-
eral years. His many friends both in and out of the
trade express keen interest in his future associations
in the piano business.
THE DETROIT SITUATION
In Detroit the American Piano Company situation
is not so clear. In fact, it might be called hazy at
this writing. Janney-Bowman, Inc., may be counted
out of the field and the J. L. Hudson Co. is about
to run a sale at the old location. The Hudson Music
Store, of course, figures in any Detroit conversation
associated with the American Piano Company's piano
representations. The Hudson Music Store, which has
had the Chickering for many 'years, is operated sep-
arately from the J. D. Hudson Company, and it is
now believed in the trade that the music section will
not be included in the big department store when it
occupies its new building now approaching construc-
tion.
E. P. Andrew Active.
E. P. Andrew, the manager of the Hudson Music
Company, it is said, has the desire as well as the
ability to handle the line of pianos of the American
Piano Company in Detroit, where the company has
decided to open its own store, showing the full line.
Mr. Andrew went to New York for a personal inter-
view with the management of the American Piano
Company and it is said he came back with a tentative
proposition giving him the whole nine lines. Other
considerations, some financial, however, were involved,
and when Mr. Andrew put it up to the J. L. Hudson
Company, it said "No." Mr. Andrew and the Hudson
Music Company have been actively associated with
the Chickering piano for so long the disposition of
the piano interests the piano folk of the city.
IN SAN FRANCISCO
It already has been announced that Kohler & Chase
will have the Mason & Hamlin, Knabe and Chicker-
ing in San Francisco and in Northern and Central
California. It is now definitely known that Lee S.
Roberts is going out of the business and the Chick-
ering Warerooms at 230 Post street, which he estab-
lished three years ago, will be discontinued. In fact
all of its affairs terminated February 28 except the
closing of the books and the renting of the stores.
J. R. Hartpence is in charge and in the closing of the
affairs he is being assisted by Mr. Roberts and Louis
Dederick.
None of Mr. Dederick's plans are finally fixed and
although he has come to love the Pacific Coast, it is
among the possibilities he may return east. He is
an experienced piano man whose associations have
always been with pianos of a high grade character,
for many years with the Weber, and then with the
Chickering.
IN BALTIMORE
The Victrola & Radio Studio, as the new musical
instrument store of The Hamilton Co., 309 North
Charles street, Baltimore, Md., is known, has been
formally opened. The changed store marks a distinct
addition to the exclusive Victrola and radio business
of the Monumental city.
The formal opening of the Victrola & Radio Studio
also marks the formal passing out of the piano busi-
ness of one of Baltimore's well known and popular
piano concerns, the Hamilton Company, which was
the retail distributor in the Baltimore territory of
Chickering, Marshall-Wendell and Brewster pianos.
The company had been located for a number of years
at 420 North Howard street, where it occupied the
large and substantial four story and basement build-
ing. A few years ago this location was forsaken for
others at 309 North Charles street, where it occupied
equally substantial quarters but in the most exclu-
sive retail section of Baltimore.
IN CHICAGO
The location of the x\merican Piano Co. ia Chi-
cago, up to this time, a matter of considerable doubt,
is yet not quite settled for official announcement.
Real estate agents acting for the company have been
negotiating for a building on Wabash avenue in
which, however, important alterations will be neces-
sary before it could become the future home of the
Chickering, Knabe and the other lines of the com-
pany. All the rumors and expectations about the
lease or purchase by the American Piano Co. of sky-
scrapers owned and occupied by piano concerns are
off. The four-story building adjoining the Steger
Building on the north, formerly occupied by the
Davidson Talking Machine Shop, is the building in
question. While the location is right in the center of
Piano Row, very extensive reconstruction plans would
be necessities before becoming a location for the line.
As Presto-Times understands it, the plans of the
American Piano Co. include a new skyscraper of
TRADE C0NVENTI0N
Arrangement Now Perfected with Trunk Lines
of United States and Canada Whereby Spe-
cial Round-Trip Advantages Have Been
Secured for Members.
Arrangements have been made with the passenger
departments of the Trunk Line Association and the
various passenger associations covering this entire
country and Canada whereby members of the Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants and also mem-
bers of the various other associations affiliated with
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce may ob-
tain the benefit of reduced railway fares in attending
the convention to be held at the hotel Commodore,
New York City, the week beginning June 4. The
special rate for round-trip fares will be one and one-
half times the regular one-way fare.
Care in Purchasing.
Members should be very careful in purchasing their
tickets to New York to request at the time of mak-
ing the purchase from the ticket agent, a certificate,
and they should be careful not to make the mistake
of asking for a receipt. The certificate must be vali-
dated at the association registration desk of the
Commodore Hotel June 5, 6 or 7. They cannot be
validated later than the 7th. These certificates will be
issued on tickets going to New York on any date
between May 31 and June 6, and will be good for
return via the same route used on the way to New
York up to and includin-g June. 13.
Tickets should be purchased by members thirty
minutes before the departure of the train on which
they will begin their journey.
Something to Remember.
Certificates are not kept at all stations. If you
inquire at your home station, you can ascertain
whether certificates and through tickets can be ob-
tained to place of meeting. If not obtainable at your
home station, the agent will inform you at what sta-
tion they can be obtained. You can in such case
purchase a local ticket to the station which has cer-
tificates in stock, where you can purchase a through
ticket and at the same time ask for and obtain a cer-
tificate to place of meeting.
Return tickets issued at the reduced fares will not
be good on any limited train on which such reduced
fare transportation is not honored.
No refund of fare will be made on account of fail-
ure to obtain proper certificate when purchasing going
tickets, nor on account of failure to present validated
certificate when purchasing return ticket.
suitable size and ambitious requirements in keeping
with the extent of the line and the character of
the pianos.
The Chickering in Chicago
The changes in the locations of the pianos of the
American Piano Company in Chicago will have re-
sults with disagreeable aspects for some. The Bis-
sell-Weisert Co., which has been a successful dis-
tributor of the Chickering piano ever since it was
formed, has a very laige and complete stock of the
Chickering models in uprights and grands. It is
understood in the trade in Chicago that the company
will hold this fine array of Chickerings and offer the
pianos for sale by spirited publicity methods and
with material reductions that will prove alluring.
In fact, a series of circulars announcing the sale are
now being distributed.
IN INDIANAPOLIS
As to the future of the American Piano Company's
line in Indianapolis nothing at this writing can be
said. The delay is probably due to the illness of
William Christcna" of the Christena-Teague Piano
Company, who is confined at home and unable to
be interviewed. One of the representatives of the
American Piano Company who was in that city for
several days recently and left for Cincinnati expect-
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