Presto

November 3, 1928
F R E S T O-T I M E S
10
trade, much of the player business would be done
again.
Corley Gibson is correct when he states that "dem-
onstration will bring back the player piano." The
grinding out of jazz music in a mechanical way by
the average salesman has done more to retard the
progress of the player business than any other one
Let the piano manufacturers or the whole-
"Thirty Years Ago" Incidents Reprinted in factor.
sale travelers visit twenty-five piano stores and ascer-
Presto-Times Each Week Provide Valuable
tain how few of the salesmen know how to demon-
strate a player.
Comparisons Between Men and Events
The Salary Question.
Then and Now That Might Inspire.
There is another very great weakness in the sell-
By ELMON ARMSTRONG.
ing arena of the piano business. That is the failure
In reading the Presto-Times' "Thirty Years Ago," on the part of the dealers to employ their salesmen
I saw a number of familiar names and references to on the basis of a weekly nominal salary with a
monthly bonus for business. Just after the war when
what some of the "old timers," members of the "old business was good in every line, the commission
guard" were doing in the trade in those days. Is plan was inaugurated. It worked all right in those
there not a lesson to be learned in contemplating the prosperous days, but it doesn't work now. Condi-
creative efforts of such men as H. D. Cable, W. W. tions are different. A change has come about, and a
Kimball, E. S. Conway, Charles Kohler, C. A. Smith,
change in the plan of marketing is absolutely neces-
sary.
J. V. Steger, William Steinway, Jesse French and
others. They had vision. They had creative genius.
The "starvation commission" arrangement has put
They overcame obstacles. Their record shows that
a damper upon the energies and the capabilities of
they produced great results in the musical arena.
salesmen in the piano industry. It has weakened
the wholesale man's efforts. It has lessened the out-
It might inspire some of the men in the industry
today to give serious consideration to what these men put of the factories. It has brought gloom and dis-
achieved. It might be very helpful to the piano indus- couragement into the sales organizations of the piano
merchants. It has driven salesmen into other lines of
try. Charles and Albert Jacob are still alive. They
are both men of vision and courage. They have cre- business and weakened the selling forces. Mr. C. A.
Gulbransen was right when, more than a year ago, he
ative genius. It might inspire some of the trade to
see what they have accomplished, and are still accom- called the trade's attention to the fact that it needed
100,000 new salesmen added to the selling forces in
plishing.
the piano field.
There are very few of the piano manufacturers
Favors Commission Plan.
who are indulging today in what was in those days
called "making dealers." In those days these men
This theoretical talk of cooperation that is indulged
gave encouragement to salesmen to go in business. in so much at the national and state conventions, is
They gave them real cooperation. Using common mere dream dust so long as the present commission
parlance, they "backed them up" financially. Many of
plan of employing salesmen is in use. The commis-
the piano concerns today all over this nation are the sion plan puts the salesman to working for himself.
results of what these men did. It may be that there is The weekly salary plan, with a monthly bonus,
too much high ideals and dream-dust theory being changes the situation. That plan puts the salesman
applied to the piano business that has not and does to working for the institution. Salesmen are the
soldiers that win the battles of commerce. The
not get results.
salaried plan that I have outlined puts the salesman
Recalls H. D. Cable.
under the control of his employer. It enables the
In the last issue of your paper, referring to things employer to direct htm in his work. It gives the em-
that occurred thirty years ago, there is a statement
ployer the right to require so many hours steady
that the Cable Piano Company had increased its organ
work each day. It gives the salesman encourage-
business until they were selling sixty organs a day. ment, confidence and inspires him with energy and
I remember a remark that was made by H. D. Cable stimulates business. Slowly but surely the piano
while this was being done, and at the same time he merchants are beginning to realize this, and in almost
was developing a very active policy in the sale of
every instance where they make the change to this
pianos. One pessimistic philosopher in the trade better plan of employing salesmen, there is an im-
made the casual query to H. D. Cable: "How are provement in their business.
you going to finance all this business?" He replied
with firmness: "This bunch of good traveling men
that we are paying big salaries will produce the busi-
CHANGE OF NAME.
ness and get me plenty of returns from the trade to
The following announcement was printed last week
finance this business. We will have no trouble in
in the Lawrenceville, 111., papers: "The Oldendorf
financing it when the sales organization gives us Music House will pass out of existence next Saturday
returns that will enable me to finance this active and and will be succeeded by the Oschwald Music House.
growing business."
Invoicing was started Tuesday and will be completed
These items in your paper of thirty years ago have the last of the week. In the meantime, if you are in
more than a business lesson for us. They bring back a hurry for that radio, piano or other musical instru-
ment, the invoicing will be delayed long enough to
thoughts of the long ago. This brings to my mind
a quotation: "Oh, memory, tbou hast power to supply your wants. There will be no change in the
carry us back into the fairyland of vanished years, management, but in the future it will be known as the
but all thy thoughts are phantoms, and all of thy faces Oschwald Music House, the only exclusive music
and forms are dreams, for thou canst not bring to us house in Lawrence County.
again the real."
OLD TRADE ITEMS
VIVID REMINDERS
Discusses Player Business.
The piano is the basic instrument of the music in-
dustry. If we should take the pianos out of the
industry the great stores would all vanish, and we
would mere'y have shops. Can any contemplate the
loss of the player business without arriving at the
sound conclusion that the trade as a whole is largely
at fault? There was a time when it represented 52
per cent of the piano business of this country. The
player is still good, it is still desired, and if the piano
merchants and salesmen would go at the selling of
player pianos with that enthusiasm, that confidence
and that determination that was once evinced in the
W. H. BARNES BUILDS ORGANS.
William H. Barnes, who received his A. B. degree
from Harvard in 1914 and is now state president of
the Illinois Council of the National Association of
Organists, designed and built a new $20,0C0 organ
which has just been dedicated in the First Baptist
Church of Evanston, 111., where he is church organist
and choir director. Designing organs has always fas-
c nated him. His first one, now greatly enlarged, is
installed in his home at 1510 Forest avenue, Evauston
He also designed the organ for the First Baptist
Church of Wilmette where he was organist for two
years.
NOW DEMONSTRATING
THE NEW CHORALCELO
An Instrument with Volume and with Versatility of
Musical Performance.
The Aromora Choralcelo is now being manufac-
tured at Chicago, and demonstrations of it are of
daily occurrence at 120 North Green street, seventh
floor, where a Presto-Times representative saw and
heard it on Monday of this week. The demonstra-
tion was by W. L, Flint, electrical engineer and
superintendent of the factory. His son, L. A. Flint,
is also connected with the factory. The president
of the company is Carl Matson and his brother, E. R.
Matson, is one of its officers.
The claims of the manufacturers are that in the
Aromora Choralcelo there are four fundamental types
of musical instruments, having four characteristics of
tone which are always associated with them. These
are two qualities of reed tone, one of which is bril-
liant, the other hollow and nasal; then the whistle
in which category belong the flute of the orchestra
and all the flute pipes of the organ; then the tones
of the stretched string mounted on a sound-board,
which may be struck, plucked or bowed.
In its latest description of the instrument the com-
pany says:
"The instrument is played from a console resem-
bling that of a pipe organ. There is a piano on the
lower manual which may be played with the Choral-
ce'o when desired in certain passages.
"'The stop control is greatly simplified as compared
to the pipe organ. In the organ a large number of
stops have to be often drawn together to obtain loud
effects. In the Choralcelo it is not necessary to use
more than one stop at a time on each manual."
NEW INCORPORATIONS
IN MUSIC GOODS TRADE
New and Old Concerns Secure Charters in Various
Places.
Elmer-Merwin Distributing Corporation, Bridge-
ton, N. J., deal in musical instruments. $25,000.
Ledbetter Music Publisher, Inc., Wilmington, Del.,
$50,000.
W. A. Fischer Phonograph, Manhattan, New York,
$60,000.
Pacific Pathe Record Corporation, Dover, Del.,
manufacture talking machines, $100,000.
The Brunswick Music Shop, 434 South Third street,
Baltimore, Md., with 500 shares no par value.
Harris Freedman, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y., to conduct a
music business with 100 shares of no par value.
The Supreme Radio & Phonograph Co., 880
Amsterdam avenue, New York;- phonographs and
radios: $20,000.
RECEIVER MAKES REPORT.
Paul J. Walburg, receiver of the McFarland Music
Company, Hamilton, Ohio, reported in Common
Pleas Court this week receipt of $693.55 from sales,
$598.33 on accounts, a total of $1,291.88 and expendi-
tures left a balance of $316.37. There are accounts,
collection of which is doubtful, $1,700.32 and install-
ment notes, $793.35. Walburg reported claims filed
against the company total $11,266.02. Among the
claims is that of A. W. McFarland for $3,279.83 and
that of K. B. Allen for $3,137 ;61.
TRADE IN HIGH-GRADE SCHILLERS.
Edgar B. Jones, president of the Schiller Piano
Company, Oregon, 111., was in Chicago recently,
at which tiine he was met by a Presto-Times
representative. "Trade is running into the higher
grades of grands," he said, "and general conditions
are improved." Mr. Jones is proud of a brand-new
style Schiller, just out. It is style E D Gregorian
Design. It is made in mahogany or walnut and its
length is five feet two inches. The bench is made
to match the instrument.
Coin Operated and Selection Controlled Pianos
MECHANICALLY PERFECT
Music That Pays as It Plays
W E S T E R N ELECTRIC P I A N O CO., 832-850 Blackhawk St., Chicago, III.
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