Presto

June 1, 1929
GODARD'S MUSIC CENTER
PLEASES ROCHESTER, N. Y.
Admirable Methods of Business Result in
Steady Growth of Company Now Occu-
pying New Store at 436 Warren St.
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
half hour program and a switching arrangement
causes a shift from one record to another."
The device is not operated in front of a micro-
phone, but is connected directly with the broadcast
transmitter. A station can use it whenever desired
as a substitute for personal broadcasts.
SHEET MUSIC SITUATION
The opening on March 12, 13 and 14 of Godard's Every Dealer Should Consider Conditions in
Music Center, at 436 South Warren street, Syracuse,
Publishing Which Tend to Flood Music
N. Y., was an event of more than passing interest to
Stocks with Unsalable Numbers.
music lovers of Central New York, for it marks an
incident in the remarkable growth of a long-estab-
By ROBERT T. STANTON,
lished music house, which during the course of its President, National Association of Sheet Music
upward march has outgrown four business homes.
Dealers.
The new store at 436 South Warren street is its
Over
production
of
sheet music, both popular and
fifth location, each move meaning increased facilities
standard, has become a matter for serious considera-
for meeting the demands of a growing business.
tion and has elicited a great deal of comment and
The Godard store was first opened at 567 North
Salina street, with a stock of seven pianos. Now in discussion on the part of music dealers.
In spite of arguments to the contrary by some pub-
its new home it has one of the largest music busi-
nesses in Central New York, with over 30,000 square lishers, although most of them today concede that
feet of floor space. The first floor, beautifully fur- there is too much music being foisted on the public,
nished, is given over to pianos, radios and Victor it cannot be denied that there has not only been a
Orthophonics and radio combinations. In the rear is marked increase in several of the catalogues, but also
the record room, and in a balcony overlooking the an increase in the establishing of music publishing
businesses.
first floor will be the main business offices.
With this increase of quantity it is also evident
The second floor contains the grand display room,
with a showing of all types of pianos. Leading from that there is a decline in quality. The greatest atten-
this room is another display room devoted to repro- tion possible should be given to a careful selection of
ducing models, and yet another in which upright the right material for all usages, in the educational,
styles are featured. Also on this floor is the Godard concert, radio or other fields.
Recital Hall, with a seating capacity of 200 people.
With the advent of an era of public school music,
This hall compares in size and appointments with the the publishers have rushed into this business in order
Fifth avenue recital halls in New York City. Both to get an early foothold, and as a consequence there
public and private recitals will be held here, and is being published a great deal of music which can
leading musicians of the country will be invited here never fit the needs of the supervisors and teachers in
when in Syracuse.
our public schools
A most vital part of the Music Center is the group
Publishers should take it upon themselves to reduce
of teachers' activities which occupy the third and greatly the number of manuscripts that they accept
fourth floors of the building. In all some sixty for publication. They should be scanned, reviewed
studios which are available for rent to the music and tried out until they are positively sure that there
teachers of Syracuse for full time or periodic use. is some musical merit which would justify their pub-
Already some of the leading teachers have reserved lication.
studios.
If the publishers and composers could only realize
Godard's features the Sohmer and Hardman pianos how difficult it is to absorb all the new publications
Majestic and Atwater-Kent and Victor combination and consider what the chances are for the success of
radios, Victor Victrolas and a complete line of sheet the average composition now being sent out, it would
music, band instruments and musical merchandise. no doubt have the effect of reducing materially their
George McNabb, prominent concert pianist, was a offerings.
It behooves all of us to look to economies, great
recent purchaser of a Schmer Grand from this firm.
The personnel of the Godard establishment num- and small, in order to make profitable what business
bers acknowledged veterans in the music field and we may expect to get during what is apparently a
their long experience qualifies them as experts in period of adjustment in our industry.
This matter should be one of the prime interest to
their departments. J. H. Godard is president, L. A.
Godard, vice-president, and Eugene Freeman, secre- all those who intend to come to Chicago for the con-
tary and treasurer of the Godard Music House, Inc. vention in June, and I urge upon all to come pre-
In the sales department are found well known fig- pared to give their views with the ultimate purpose
ures in the music trades of Syracuse, Charles S. of drawing up a resolution to enable the publishers
Sprague, for fifteen years with the Godard's, and to understand how dealers feel and think about the
Louis C. Gage, formerly manager of the piano de- publishing situation and its effect upon business.
In the experience here in sending out selections
partment of Dey Brothers. Louis Yorton is man-
ager of the record department. He has been with of teaching material we find that there is a smaller
Godrmls seven years. H. W. Parkinson is in charge percentage retained than ever before of the music
of the small instrument department, with J. J. Bart- we submit for the purpose of selection, which is pretty
lett, a radio authority, in charge of the radio repair good evidence that it is not up to the standard main-
department. The business office is in charge of Mrs. tained ten to fifteen years ago.
Beradine I. Dolan, with Evelyn Klenk as advertis-
ing manager.
AD TO CAPEHART DIRECTOHS
Increase of the number of directors of the Cape-
hart Automatic Phonograph Corporation, Fort
Wayne, Ind., from three to seven is shown in papers
filed Wednesday with the secretary of state at Indian-
apolis. It is explained that the increase is part of
the reorganization of the company. The officers of
Sixty broadcasting stations scattered throughout the corporation now are H. E. Capehart, president;
the United States are now equipped with a special E. C. Collison, vice-president; J. E. Broyles, secretary,
type of phonograph machine known as the orchestra- and J. W. Caswell, treasurer. The directors are the
phone so that they can broadcast programs supplied four officers and Eben Lesh, C. M. Niezer and Louis
to them on phonograph records from a central head- Niezer.
quarters, according to the National Radio Advertising
Company of Chicago.
INCREASE CAPEHART DIRECTORS.
The device resembles a double phonograph with
Directors
of Crosley Radio Corporation, Cleveland,
two records revolving at the same time so that no
interruptions occur in the program, the music and O., have declared the regular quarterly dividend of
25 cents a share payable on July 1 to stock of record
announcements all being recorded on the disks.
January 20, and a 4 per cent stock dividend for 1929,
"We call this system of transmission 'electrical payable December 31. F. W. Bellamy, a partner in
transcription,' and it is now in use at sixty leading Dominick & Dominick, brokers, was elected to the
stations, including many of the cleared channel sta- board. Walter L. Evans was named secretary. The
tions," said Herold M. Schaflfer, representative of the corporation purchased property this week which will
company. "No announcement need be made that provide a site for additions to its plant that will double
the program is electrically recorded because it is not its facilities.
an actual phonograph broadcast. The Federal Radio
Commission has approved, and in accordance with
Order 52 issued by the commission, the announcer
NEW RECEIVER-GRID SET OUT.
need not allude to the fact that the actual entertain-
The demand for screen-grid receiving sets, con-
ers are not in the studio in person.
stantly on the increase, is being met by manufac-
"No objections have been received from radio lis- turers of radio equipment, the latest addition to the
teners and apparently they fail to notice any differ- market being the Stromberg - Carlson receiver,
ence between the electrical transcription method and equipped with the new UY-224 A. C. screen-grid
personal broadcasts. Six records are needed for a tubes in each of its three radio amplifier stages.
BROADCASTING PHONOGRAPH
NEW STATION SPECIALTY
31
BIQ INCREASE IN
PHONOGRAPH EXPORTS
American Made Machines Sold in Foreign
Countries During 1928 Showed an In-
crease of $2,000,000 Over 1927.
Phonograph exports made an excellent showing for
1928, according to record figures published by the
United States Department of Commerce. Phonograph
records, too, exhibited considerable liveliness in for-
eign markets during the year named.
Phonographs sold to foreign countries in 1928 by
American manufacturers registered an increase of
nearly $2,000,000 over 1927. Phonograph records
showed an increase in exports of over $50,000.
PHONOGRAPH RECORD EXPORTS.
The year of 1928 marked the peak for the United
States export trade in phonograph records. Latin
America was the biggest customer. The grand total
of phonograph record exports was $3,788,670.
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