16
September 8, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
concerned with the influence on the music business judgment, the chief source of increased business. In
and I imagine this would have quite a serious effect
considering that field we must recognize that we
on the pipe organ business, inasmuch as the movie have a double sales resistance. We have, first, a
(Continued from page 13.)
houses have been a large market for this class of
resistance to the cost of the merchandise. Band in-
111.; Jay Van Duseu, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Richard
instrument. At the same time, right now a good
struments are not cheap, considering everything.
Stross, Chicago; Glen Silberman. Muncie, Iiul.; Cteon many theaters are discharging their orchestras and are Then we have also the resistance due to the fact
Russell, Muncie, Ind.; Hugh N. Enyeart, Wabash, installing the Movietone. It seems incredible that
that after a customer has purchased a musical instru-
Ind.; B. D. Gilliiand, Warren, Ohio; \ v . L. Steven- this sort of canned music will supplant the real thing
ment he still has to learn to play it.
son; B. A. Rose, Minneapolis; H. A. Anderson, Min- and 1 do not believe it will, but nevertheless it is a
I do not know of any other thing which is of
neapolis.
disturbing factor and must be met.
general use for recreation purposes which we expect
With all these changes the people who do not the people to buy on a large scale which requires the
MR. GREENLEAF'S ADDRESS.
change their methods accordingly will soon disap- effort and expense and time to learn after they have
There is only one thing that I know of that is pear from the picture. The buggy business is a good bought it that a musical instrument does. We must
universally present and that is change. Most of
example of this and there are many others. I wonder meet these two factors. We must first sell the idea
these changes are unforeseen and unexpected. For what has become of the concerns that used to make of music to the parent and to the customer or child,
instance, nobody would have anticipated that wood
woolen underwear? A few years ago this was con- then we must see that they learn to play the instru-
could become a competitor of the cotton field. Now sidered a staple business. We have the same cold
ment. We must see that if facilities are not avail-
we have silk made from wood, which has of course weather, the same cold winters, but of course no one able, they will be provided. Bands without instruc-
very seriously affected the cotton market. Another wears woolen underwear.
tors break up. They might better not have been
industry which has been very seriously changed by
Rapid Changes.
sold. This problem is not going to be solved by
modern development is the coal business. As you
Sometimes these changes occur so rapidly there is ignoring it and any plans made for expanding busi-
know, coal has been supplanted by electricity and very little time to make necessary adjustments. The ness must include these factors, and, therefore, this
oil, so that many mines which heretofore have been question which confronts us today is whether the is the chief angle which we are going to discuss at
music store, as we know it, is going to continue to this convention.
function as it has in the past, whether it will adjust
I know, and it is a fact, that people outside of
itself to change in conditions or whether it will dis-
appear from the picture. We as manufacturers are the music business have been attracted by the
interested because this is our method of distribution; possibilities of several branches of the music business,
you, because it is your business. It is evident that and especially the band instrument phase, and I know
now we must change to meet conditions. At present that some of the best merchandising brains in the
I think it can hardly be said that music stores are country are studying this particular problem. It
successful. I do not believe that anyone would ven- behooves us to get this question settled, and unless
ture the statement that a music store is successful on we do, some day we are going to find that our prod-
the whole, and of course a great many of them are uct is being merchandised without the aid of music
distinct failures. W T e know in our business that the stores.
We will now open this convention with various dis-
decline in our volume comes from the decline in pur-
chases from dealers. Our direct sales are larger than cussions, all looking toward the solution of the prob-
last year, but the big slump has come from the deal- lem which I have mentioned.
ers. A spirit of optimism makes good business and
we are ready to recognize the value of the spirit,
GEMUNDER OLD VIOLINS.
but I do not believe in failing to see the facts as
August Gemiinder & Sons, Inc., New York, has
they exist and we have a situation which needs con-
issued a new catalog of old and used violins, and
sideration.
violoncellos in the varied collection at 119 West 42nd
Music Dealer's Job.
Now, what is the job of the music store as regards •street, New York. "Every violin is -m first-class
condition, and when we purchased these instruments
band instruments? To sell band instruments, of
course. But to whom? It is jitett to analyze the po- we were solely guided by the tone-value of each in-
tential market which exists for band instruments in dividual instrument, and not at all by the history or
which there are two chief factors: the professional supposed age of the respective instrument. If we,
musician is, of course, a substantial source of busi- however, can supply any history, it will give us
ness. At present, however, the professional situation pleasure to offer it, but we limit our activities exclu-
is unfavorable. A good many professional musicians sively to the field of musical value, and our prices
are out of work and under these conditions the pur- are based upon said value and its general condition,
chasing power of the professional musician is consid- and to a small extent upon the scarcity of old instru-
erably
reduced. Under these circumstances the great- ments of like line quality," is the statement.
C. D. GUEENLEAP.
est efforts will not produce results.
immensely prosperous are now practically idle and
The repair business at the present time is very
The Cable Piano Company, Chicago, is offering a
practically useless. I remember a few years ago
when Senator LaFollette made the prediction that good, indicating that the musician is getting his old limited number of slightly used Mason & Hamlin
because of the growth of the automobile business instruments repaired instead of buying new ones, pianos, referred to as "wonderfully constructed,
so we come to the second factor, which is the. superbly cased instruments of marvelous tone, in
gas would be sold at a dollar a gallon. The crack- and
largest potential field for our market and is, in my like-new condition, at reductions in price."
ing process has appeared and the yield of gas from
the same quantity of oil has vastly increased, with
the cost remaining practically stationary.
In the Music Industry.
The music industry has had its share of change with
other industries. Our industry has adopted talking
machines and radios, neither of which are strictly
musical instruments. Now we have the "Movietone."
It is not yet a serious factor; yet it is a potential
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factor and is exercising a considerable effect on the
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business. Time can only tell what the outcome will
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be. It probably may affect the moving picture indus-
try even more than the music business. I suppose
THE LARGEST EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PRINTER VEST OF NEW YORK AND
that a number of the expensive films which cost mil-
THE LARGEST ENGRAVING DEPARTMENT I N THE UNITED STATES.
lions of dollars are practically junk. At least, their
ESTABLISHED 1876
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lives, which it was expected would extend over a num-
ber of years, are very seriously curtailed.
THE OTTO
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Influences on Trade.
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CINCINNATI,
In the music business we are more particularly
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