Presto

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1881
Established
1884
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
10 Cents a Copy
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1928
$2 The Year
ILLINOIS DEALERS IN CONVENTION
0NE=DAY MEETING
AT PALMER HOUSE
Interesting Program of Events at Annual
Meeting of the Illinois Music Merchants'
Association Includes Instructive Talks
by Prominent Men of the Trade.
The Illinois Music Merchants' convention, held on
the third floor of the Palmer House, Chicago, on
Wednesday, set a new pace in rush convention work
in the United States, and while a thriller from start
to finish—Chicago prompt style—was very satisfac-
tory to the conventioners at the proceedings. The
idea of holding a one-day and do-it-all-in-two-ses-
HERMAN H. FLEER.
sions convention originated with H. H. Fleer, mana-
ger of the piano department at Lyon & Healy's, the
president of the association. It was voted to per-
petuate the plan next year.
The New Officers Are the Old Ones.
The following officers were all re-elected:
President—Herman H. Fleer, of Chicago.
Secretary—George W. Wiswell, of Joliet.
Treasurer—Lloyd Parker, of Harrisburg.
Vice-President—C. W. Weiler, of Quincy.
Second Vice-President—A. L. Bruner, of Rock
Island.
Address of Indiana President.
President Moores of the Indiana Music Merchants'
Association, who is doing music promotional work
entirely, when called upon set out with a funny
story about a reply a salesman got from a flapper he
had approached as a piano prospect. The girl said:
"I was educated in a high school, I take my exercise
on a golf course, am courted in an automobile, spend
my evenings at a bridge club, get my meals at a deli-
catessen and when I die I expect to be buried by an
undertaker—all I need is a garage."
Mr. Moores was afraid that apathetic dealers in
the piano business were taking the attitude of that
reckless flapper.
Mr. Moores said the national contest in playing the
piano was likely to become an international contest
in 1933 at the World's Fair in Chicago. He spoke
of four schools in Springfield, Mo., with 3,500 pupils,
mostly colored children, whose average had been 82
per cent in their studies, but whose average in other
studies after taking music lessons went up to 85
per cent.
Not a Musical Section.
Out of 3,500 inmates of the Springfield peniten-
tiary only 34 were found capable of going into brass
bands. Now out of the school children of Springfield,
90 per cent had taken music and Springfield's Boy
Scout band was famous. Not one of those many
children of that city had ever been before a municipal
judge for misdemeanor. A lot of poor people were
taking advantage of these music lessons. The speaker
related the experiences of Piano Dealer Wilking of
Indianapolis in getting started in music as a boy.
Mr. Wilking's father opposed music lessons for a
boy. He had seen boys playing the piano only in
pool rooms and dance halls. But the boy's mother
bought him a small piano and he had been playing
upon it for some weeks before his daddy discovered it
and there was h
to pay around there for awhile.
The joke was on the father, for that whole family
became musical, and all sorts of musical instruments
were used in the home.
Mr. Fleer Answers Questions.
In answer to questions asked, Mr. Fleer said that
"quality itself will find its price value." "A fictitional
price on a piano is a price that the dealer puts on it
that he never can sell it for."
One Price, So a Child Can Buy
Another question: ''Is it wise to put a price on a
piano in a store so the customer can see it?" was
answered by Mr. Fleer in these words: "Certainly.
We should make it safe for a child to go into a store
and buy a piano" He said the public had been sus-
picious, so much so that they had been in the habit
of bringing in a professional when selecting a piano.
That condition of feeling afraid that the dealer could
not be trusted must be done away with, and we'd
all have more trade and better trade.
Determining the Mark-Up.
The matter of the amount of mark-up over cost
and the allowances for trade-ins was discussed at
some intricacy. It had seemed difficult to get the
benefit of co-operation on this intimate and vital part
of the business, but those who took part in the rev-
elations and suggestions agreed that an understand-
ing could be reached in any town or city by the
dealers if they would only work together and keep
one another posted. In a large city volume of trade
counted for so much in paying for the display adver-
tising. In Chicago a full-page ad. in the Tribune
costs $1,900; that cost must be followed by a big
sale to cover.
Salesmen Without Confidence.
Mr. Fleer said that even most salesmen do not have
confidence in the prices that dealers put upon their
pianos; he did not blame them; the employers had
themselves to blame. The price asked is not the
price at which the piano is sold. This destroys the
confidence of the public.
Letter from C. J. Roberts.
A letter from C. J. Roberts of Baltimore, president
of the National Association of Music Merchants, was
read. Mr. Roberts hoped that the Illinois merchants
would continue to stress this year playerpiano tourna-
ments and group instruction in piano playing in the
schools. He said in the letter that he believed that
every city in the country would continue to support
him in this attitude. The Chicago program was a
magnificent one. He thought this should be a special
work of the Illinois association, the Chicago mer-
chants. The state members should join the national
association.
Corley Gibson's Address.
Corley Gibson, president of The Autopiano Com-
pany, New York, gave a very informative talk on
the present status of the piano business, especially
favorable to ways and means of promoting interest
in and sales of playerpianos.
Chasing Will-o'-the-Wisps
Mr. Gibson said that about three years ago when
he was coming back from California he stopped at
(Continued on page 12)
PRESIDENT FLEER'S
NOTABLE ADDRESS
Tells What Has Been Accomplished in Pro-
moting Group Piano Classes and Reviews
the Culmination of Trade Efforts for
Music Study in Schools.
I can not very well call my talk to you this
morning a report of the activities of the Illinois
Merchants' Association for there have been no activi-
ties during the past year, other than our interest in
the National Association and our continued efforts
for increasing the membership of our association and
my plea for continued co-operation among the
dealers in our trade.
Group Instruction in Chicago Schools.
I am very happy to say that we have some very
conclusive evidence of what can be accomplished
through co-operative efforts in our own industry,
especially in Chicago. We now have group piano in-
struction in the public schools. This has been
accomplished through the efforts of many individuals,
and many organizations.
Right here, I should like to call special attention to
the wonderful work of the National Bureau for the
Advancement of Music in connection with the con-
vention of the National Supervisors of Music held
here in Chicago at the Stevens Hotel last spring.
Mr. Tremaine was a very active man in the cause of
"Music in the Schools," and was instrumental in
securing the endorsement of the music supervisors
for the plan of group piano instruction in the public
schools. There isn't any doubt but that this endorse-
ment had its effect on the final adoption of group
piano instruction in the public schools of Chicago.
Due credit must also be given to the Piano and Or-
gan Association of Chicago, which collectively and
individually was active in the endeavor to put group
piano instruction in the schools.
Dr. J. Lewis Browne, who is the new director of
music of the Chicago schools, told me that he was
enthusiastic about the interest and results that we
will have through the group instruction method. In-
cidentally, Chicago is to be congratulated upon
having a man of the ability and knowledge of music
and the standing in the musical world that Dr.
Browne enjoys and who is also a composer of note.
Piano Playing Tournaments.
I should like also for a moment to touch on the
piano playing tournaments which we have held in
Chicago and urge all of you to do all that you pos-
sibly can in conducting piano playing tournaments in
your own respective towns and cities. There isn't
any doubt in my mind but that the movement of the
piano playing tournament, and group piano instruc-
tion in the schools are two of the most important
activities of a constructive nature we have ever had in
the piano industry and there isn't any town too
small, or any city too large, to conduct a piano play-
ing tournament. The cost of a piano playing tourna-
ment is very small in comparison to the good that
it does, not only to our industry, but to the public at
large and especially children and their families who
enter the contests.
The two piano playing tournaments which have
been held in Chicago in 1927 and in 1928 have called
the attention of the public in Chicago to the piano
industry as has never been done before.
Advertising.
To my mind, there has been more damage done and
the public's confidence shaken in piano values by
"price inducement advertising" than any other one
activity in the piano industry. You can talk about
your "trade-in" evil, "commission" evil, etc., but
fraudulent advertising and false "price-cutting" ad-
vertising is by far more detrimental than any one
other evil. There has been so much "was, and is
(Continued on page 16)
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