Presto

Issue: 1929 2228

MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents a Copy
1 Year
$1.25
10 Months. . . $1.00
6 Months. . 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 1, 1929
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
MUSIC TRADE GATHERS FOR CONVENTIONS
Representatives of All Branches of Piano, Radio and Allied Lines Converging at Chicago
for a Great Week—Speeches, Dining, Entertainments, Exhibits.
PIANO MEN'S CONVENTION
National Association of Music Merchants' Pro-
gram, Convention Week of June 3, 1929, Hotel Drake,
Chicago:
Monday, June 3.
9:30 A. M.— Registrations.
10:00 A. M.—Meeting of the Board of Control, Na-
Association of Music Merchants.
12:30 A. M.—Piano Club and Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce Luncheon.
Tuesday, June 4.
9:30 A. M.—Joint meeting with Radio Industry in
the ballroom of the Drake Hotel
President Irion presiding and opening
meeting.
William Hedges, President National
Association of Broadcasters.
Michael Ert, President Federated Ra-
dio Trades' Assoc'ation.
Maj. Herbert H. Frost, President Ra-
dio Manufacturers' Association.
Kenneth C. Clark, National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music.
Prof. J. E. Maddy, Chairman of the In-
strumental Affairs Committee of the
Music Supervisors' National Confer-
ence, also Chairman of Music Teach-
ers' National Assoc'ation. Professor
of Music Extension Work, Univer-
sity of Michigan.
Alvin D. Keech, "How Music Mer-
chandizing Problems Are Handled
in Great Britain "
Representative of National Piano Man-
ufacturers' Association.
Jay Grinnell of Detroit, Mich., Direc-
tor National Association of Music
Merchants, who will tell how vari-
ous promotional activities may be
translated into sales.
12:30
Luncheon sponsored by Chicago Piano
& Organ Association.
Wednesday, June 5.
9:30 A. M.—Music Merchants' Meeting, President
Roberts, presiding.
Address by Wm. J. Bogan, Superin-
tendent of Board of Education, City
of Chicago, "Music in the Public
Schools."
Address by Homer J. Buckley, "What
Must I Do to Stay in Business and
Meet the New Competition?"
Address by L. A. Crittenton, "The
Sunny Side of Selling."
Open Forum led by Parham Werlein,
Vive-President, National Associa-
tion of Music Merchants.
Gene Redewill will probably be first
speaker in Open Forum, taking up
subject of the player piano as an
accompanying instrument.
Thursday, June 6.
9:30 A. M.—Regular Business Session, Merchants'
Association, President Roberts pre-
siding.
Election of officers.
Selection next convention city.
6:30 P. M.—Music Merchants' banquet.
The artists: Nina Morgana, coloratura
soprano. Metropolitan Opera Com-
pany, appearing through courtesy of
the Atwater Kent Mfg. Co.
Rudolph Ganz, Conductor - Pianist,
Vice-President Chicago M u s i c a l
College, appearing as piano soloist.
The speaker: Charles Milton New-
comb, M. A., renowned lecturer.
Subject, "The P s y c h o l o g y of
Laughter."
Getting Down to Business.
Quite a number of the men of thought and action in
the eastern territory are arriving to attend the Chi-
cago convention. They will help diagnose and pre-
scribe remedies for the languishing patient—the
piano business.
The thing is to be done by those who are not to
be daunted by immediate difficulties, or deterred by
the novelty of adventure, by poverty of imagination,
or inability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar cir-
cumstances. In the Life of Robinson Crusoe how
striking is the passage in the book where the hero is
said to have built a monstrous boat at a distance
from the sea, without knowing by what means he was
to convey it to the water. Men of action, like those
who will be at the convention, often build a boat
without any further consideration and when difficul-
ties have been urged against it, they answer the re-
actionaries by saying to themselves, "Let us build
the boat first, and then we'll warrant we'll find some
way to launch it."
These men will create no new expectations that are
hopeless, nor whine, nor make an avowal of duties
undischarged. They will not be found suggesting
accusations or confabulating with accusers, nor in-
dulg : ng in sharp-edged controversy over the smallest
details. They are the sort who believe that a thing-
done by halves is worse done than if not done at all
Exchanging abuse of one another will be no part of
their programme.
They expect to deal gently with those who are
looking forward to an obscure and ominous future by
boosting them out of the rut. Those who are falling
into a condition of inert submission to rivalry are
expected to take shame when they see how full of
strenuous pertinacity the others are and how they
wade into difficulties that seem insurmountable. They
must quit doing things that are hard to justify and
easy to condemn. They must quit acting as if captur-
ing trade is to be regarded as a subordinate and in-
cidental contingency.
It is intended that the Chicago convention shall be
free of that waste of words and time which is the
invariable substitute for useful matter and progres-
sive action. It will provide an excellent opportunity
for obtaining the opinions of others, and to get such
information as they require.
They will learn that radio creates an artificial want
for the piano, which it is the piano dealer's oppor-
tunity to supply, and they will be ashamed to dis-
cover that they have been stumbl ; ng along without an
adequate idea of how to do this. Among these timid
souls are men who were not quite aware that their
personal character would suffer from such a course,
or that they were wronging the men w 7 ho were mak-
ing fine pianos for the benefit and entire satisfaction
of the public.
Time to Speak Up Now and Advert'se.
When a few months ago piano trade was at rather
low ebb there may have been wisdom in restraint and
an art in remaining silent. Thank God and changed
conditions, the time has come to purr very loud
through well-phrased ads. in the trade papers, and it
is not inapropos, at th's point, to suggest the carrv-
ing-power of Presto-Times. The men who write the
news for this paper believe there are not too many
fences in the piano fields but that most of the stone
walls that piano manufacturers envision in front of
them are mere nrrages of overwrought fancy. There
is to be no second childhood for the piano business,
nor death for it while human beings inhabit the earth.
The piano business is not over-ripe, but it has reached
a splendid maturity and from now on must continue
(Continued on page 6)
RADIO MEN'S CONVENTION
Annual R. M. A. Convention and Trade Show and
F. R. T. A. Bi-Annual Convention, R. W. A. Bi-
Annual Convention, N. A. B. Meeting, M. I. C. of C.
Annual Convention and Trade Show, Stevens, Black-
stone, Congress and Drake Hotels, Chicago, 111., June
3-7, 1929.
CONSOLIDATED PROGRAM.
Monday—Registration and Credentials.
10.00 A. M.—R. M. A. Delegates and Alternates to
Convention—R. M. A. Headquarters
Third Floor, South, Stevens Hotel.
Trade Show Registrations—
Dealers and jobbers, booth attendants,
press representatives, lower lobby at
Exhibition Hall, Stevens Hotel.
Federated Radio Trade Association
and Radio Wholesalers' Association,
lower lobby at Exhibition Hall, Ste-
vens Hotel.
Meetings—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—Board of Directors, P. D. R. No. 1,
North, Stevens Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule
and location of meetings, last page
of Program.)
Federated Radio Trade Assoc'ation and Radio Whole-
salers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—R. W. A. Meeting Board of Directors,
P. D. R. No. 4, North, Stevens
Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Meeting Board of Directors, F. R. T.
A., P. D. R. No. 4, North, Stevens
Hotel.
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule
and location of meetings, last page
of Program.)
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce.
12:00 Noon —Opening Luncheon of Music Indus-
tries' Convention, Drake Hotel.
(Members of the Radio Industry
invited.)
Trade Show and Room Exhibits (Stevens, Blackstone
and Congress Hotels).
1:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M— Trade Show Hours.
Tuesday.
10:00 A. M.—Joint open meeting, Drake Hotel. (For
all members of the Music and Radio
Industries.)
3:00 P. M.—Meeting of Radio Industry Banquet
Committee, P. D. R. No. 1, Stevens
Hotel.
Federated Radio Trade Association.
10:00 A. M—Joint open meeting, Drake Hotel.
(Members of the Radio Industry
invited.)
2:00 P. M.—Committee Meetings. (See schedule.)
Mus'c Industries Chamber of Commerce.
10:00 A. M.—Joint open meeting of all members
of the Music and Radio Industries.
12:00 Noon —Luncheon Music Industries. (Mem-
bers of the Radio Industry invited.)
Trade Show and Room Exhibits, Stevens, Black-
stone and Congress Hotels.
1:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M.—Trade Show Hours.
Wednesday—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—Closed membership meeting, North Ball
Room, Stevens Hotel. (Delegates
and Alternates only.) All Delegates
and Alternates must attend; $50.00
forfeiture for FAILURE of Exhib-
ors' Delegate or Alternate to attend.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
June 1, 1929
PRESTO-TIMES
7:00 P. M.—Annual R. M. A. banquet, Grand Ball they point out to future of at least one radio receiver
in the remaining 36,000,000 homes, plus a present
Room, Stevens Hotel.
replacement market of 8,000,000 sets, which increases
National Association of Broadcasters.
annually.
10:30 A. M.—Meeting N. A. B. Board of Directors,
Importance of Replacement Market.
Congress Hotel.
That the replacement market is one of the im-
Federated Radio Trade Association and Radio Whole- portant markets at the present time is attested by the
salers' Association.
fact that of the 12,000,000 sets in operation only
10:00 A. M.—Open meeting, South Ball Room, Ste- 4,000,000 are of modern A. C. operation. All in all,
vens Hotel. (All members of the it looks like a great year for radio.
Radio Industry invited.)
Plans for welcoming the incoming delegates to
Address by Michael Ert, President, the Firth Annual RMA Convention and Trade Show
F. R. T. A.
are in the hands of Paul B. Klugh, vice-president and
Federal Radio L e g i s l a t i o n , Hon. general manager of Zenith, as general chairman. At
Frank D. Scott, Legislative Coun- a luncheon with G. Clayton Irwin, Jr., trade show
sel, F. R. T. A., Washington, D. C. manager, Mr. Flanagan and Mr. Geddes, Mr. Klugh's
Address on "Latest Developments in committee, completed every detail.
Television," D. E. Replogle, Chair-
Those who serve with Mr. Klugh as official greet-
man R. M. A. Television Com- ers are the presidents of five Chicago radio manufac-
mittee.
turing companies. They are: B. J. Grigsby. Grigsby-
Remarks by Peter Sampson, President Grunow Company; R. T. Pierson, Bremer-Tully Man-
Radio Wholesalers' Association.
ufacturing Company; W. L. Jacoby, Kellogg Switch-
Remarks by Henry M. Steussy, Chair- board & Supply Company; L. F. Muter, Leslie F.
man Radio Retailers' Group.
Muter Company, and Eugene Farny, All-American
Remarks by John M. Redell, Chair- Mohawk Corporation.
man Manufacturers' Representatives'
German Band as Greeters.
Group,
Henry
C.
Forster
of Utah Radio Products, chair-
v
Report of Executive Committee.
Round Table discussion of future plans. man of the convention and program committee, has
discovered a German band that he believes is one of
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce.
the loudest and most melodious in Chicago. This Ger-
9:30 A. M.—General Session National Association man band, led in spirit by Bandmaster Forster, will ac-
of Music Merchants, Drake Hotel. company the reception committee to all of the depots.
(Members of the Radio Industry The minute a train bearing the delegates comes to a
stop, the German band will get into action, and a
invited.)
couple of apprentices to the membership of the music
Trade Show and Room Exhibits, Stevens, Blackstone makers will unfurl a huge "welcoming" banner, under
and Congress Hotels.
which all delegations will be photographed.
1:00 P. M. to 5:00 P. M.—Trade Show Hours.
Mr. Forster has also given much attention to the
Thursday—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
annual banquet and to the broadcasting of the ban-
10:00 A. M.—Closed membership meeting, North quet program through some sixty or seventy stations
Ball Room. Stevens Hotel. (Dele- associated with the National Broadcasting Company.
gates and Alternates only.) (All According to present plans the galaxy of stars will
Delegates and Alternates must at- entertain both the visible and invisible audiences from
tend; $50.00 forfeiture for FAIL- 9:30 to 11:00 p. m., Chicago Daylight-saving time
On the $50,000 program will be: Charles Mar-
URE of Exhibitors' Delegate or
shall, tenor; Schumann-Heink; Werrenrath, baritone;
Alternate to attend.)
7:00 P. M.—Annual banquet National Association Gladys Rice, formerly with "Roxy"; "The Happiness
Boys," Jones and Hare, and the Chicago Civic Opera
Music Merchants, Drake Hotel.
Symphony Orchestra. Phillips Carlin, New York
Federated Radio Trade Association and Radio Whole- city, will officiate at the microphone.
salers' Association.
Twenty Male Voices.
10:00 A. M.—R. W. A. closed membership meeting,
During
the
dinner,
and prior to the broadcast, two
South Ball Room, Stevens Hotel.
score or more of artists will present a varied and
10:00 A. M— Meeting of Radio Retailers. P. D. R. entertaining floor program. A feature will be a chorus
No. 1, North, Stevens Hotel.
of twenty male voices, a jazz orchestra and head line
10:00 A. M.—Meeting Radio Manufacturers' Repre- vaudeville numbers. After the broadcast dancing will
sentatives, West Ball Room, Stevens continue until 1:00 o'clock.
Hotel.
Among the radio manufacturers who are sponsors
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce.
of the broadcast program are: American Bosch
7:00 P. M.—Annual banquet, National Association Magneto Corp., Springfield, Mass.; Atwater Kent
of Music Merchants, Drake Hotel. Mfg. Co., Philadelphia; Bremer-Tully Mfg. Co, Chi-
(Members of the Radio Industry cago; CeCo Mfg. Co., Inc., Providence; Crosley Radio
invited.)
Corp., Cincinnati; E. T. Cunningham, Inc., New York-
Trade Show and Room Exhibits, Stevens, Blackstone city; John E. Fast & Co., Chicago; Charles Freshman
Co., Inc., New York city; Grigsby-Grunow Company,
and Congress Hotels.
Chicago; Jensen Radio Mfg. Co., Chicago; Kellogg
1:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M.—Trade Show Hours.
Switchboard & Supply Co., Chicago; Colin B. Ken-
nedy, Inc, South Bend, Ind.; The Ken-Rad Corp.,
Friday—Radio Manufacturers' Association.
10:00 A. M.—Meeting Board of Directors, P. D. R. Owensboro, Ky.; Kolster Radio Corp., New York
city; The Magnavox Co., Oakland, Cal.; Naticnal
No. 1, North, Stevens Hotel.
12:30 P. M.—Joint luncheon meeting Board of Direc- Carbon, Co., Inc., New York T city; Radio Corpora-
tors R. M. A., F. R. T. A., N. A. B., tion of America-Victor, New York city; The Rola
M. I. C. of C, P. D. R. No. 2, North, Co., Oakland, Cal.; Silver-Marshall, Inc., Chicago;
The Sparks-Withington Co., Jackson, Mich.; Steinite
Stevens Hotel
Radio Co., Chicago; Sylvania Products Co., Empo-
Trade Show and Room Exhibits—Stevens, Blackstone rium, Pa.; United Reproducers Corp., Rochester,
and Congress Hotels.
N. Y , and Chicago; The Utah Radio Products Co.,
1:00 P. M. to 6:00 P. M— Trade Show Hours.
Chicago; Zenith Radio Corp., Chicago.
Chicago bound! For the greatest trade show and
convention in the history of radio, and incidentally
the infant industry can step to the head of the class
for annexing first rank when it comes to turnout at
industrial conventions.
Expect Attendance of 29,000.
At this moment, on the basis of advanced registra-
tions, Radio Manufacturers' Association officials are
predicting an attendance of around the 29,000 mark.
To reach the radio capital of the nation, radio men
are adopting all available means of rapid communi-
cation—airplanes, automobiles, special trains and spe-
cial cars on limited trains.
Just as an indication of the volume of radio busi-
ness which may be expected to roll up during the
radio season, Maj. Herbert H. Frost, president of
RMA, stated that it is his opinion that it would
exceed $800,000,000 or more, possibly just falling short
of the billion dollar mark.
Bond P. Geddes, executive vice-president, and M. F.
Flanagan, executive-secretary, are keeping in close
touch with markets and their report is equally enthu-
siastic. With but 12,000,000 American homes out of
48,000,000 supplied with radio receivers of any kind,
PIANO MEN'S CONVENTION
(Continued from page 5.)
on its career of ambition throughout every corner
of the universe.
It is a slovenly thought to imagine that the piano
has been downed by radio. Nothing of the kind has
happened. Radio grew on its own independent stalk
and the truth of this assertion may be reached by
any fair inquirer. To the rational nature of the
piano manufacturer, to his dignity as a being en-
trusted with the sacred franchise of thought, this may
be very important. True, the piano business has yet
something to gain and a good deal to be rid of, and
this is a time for keeping the mind open to all truth
and not slumbering on the pillow of tradition. It is
a time to use an aggressive rather than a receptive
intelligence in the piano business.
Recognize the Service of the Trade Press.
The flop of the piano business has caused the think-
ing men of the trade to make a re-estimate of the
great services of the trade press. They realize now
that if disaster was launching itself they hastened it
onto the skids by withdrawing their ads. at the most
critical time and thus knocking the blocks out from
beneath the sliding ship. Some of them have so ex-
pressed themselves to Presto-Times recently. And
now as they return to the trade press they realize
that this points to a standard outside themselves. It
is difficult for men whose business knowledge is ma-
ture and settled to realize, to keep as a constant fac-
tor in their thoughts, that some of the elements in
their own business faith and practices ought to be
modified by increasing knowledge and experience.
Because an old method has brought success the plan
gets clogged in the back of men's minds, leading
them into a fallacy. The fallacy consists in identi-
fying the new and sweeping changes of business with
our present and limited knowledge of them. A good
trade paper can help because it acts in a double
capacity—as an outsider looking in and as an insider
looking out. It is more than the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, for it generally speaks advisedly.
New Yorkers are fair; Presto-Times' Eastern corre-
spondent found them so. They have closer personal
contacts than the people of any other city under
heaven on account of their crowded and herded ways
of living and traveling (it requires ribs of twisted
wire to stand the morning and evening crushing in
the subways) and this has taught their thinkers that
any sort of improvement will come most effectively
from conscious co-operation and not from the blind
conflict of individuals. Calculated individual selfish-
ness no longer wins anything, for today the feelings
of mankind fix the scale of values, and anybody will
buy a piano the more readily if he feels that it is a
thing to be loved and trusted.
INVITATION TO BANQUET.
The National Association
of
Music Merchants
invites yourself and ladies
to attend its
Twenty-eighth Annual Banquet
on Thursday evening, June sixth
Nineteen hundred and twenty-nine
at half after six o'clock
The Drake
Upper Michigan Avenue
Chicago
Homer Buckley to Speak.
Homer Buckley has an engaging personality, is
a speaker who holds the attention of his audience
and
he has an exceptional message to present. He
A premier radio program, an all-star assemblage of
radio, operatic and stage headliners, will be broad- has spoken before innumerable associations and or-
cast over a national chain, Wednesday evening, June ganizations at various times. He has made an ex-
5, by the Radio Manufacturers' Association, compris- haustive study of the subject of merchandising in
all its various aspects and is looked upon as an au-
ing virtually all prominent makers of radio products.
thority on the subject. Mr. Buckley is a charter
BOXED CUT
This all-star program, dedicated to the radio public member of the Advertising Club of Chicago and was
by the Radio Manufacturers' Association, will be in a member of the Organization Committee for the first
connection with the banquet of the Fifth Annual Con- convention of the Associated Advertising Clubs.
President Roberts Pleased.
vention of the R. M A.
The R. M. A. program will include:
It gives President Roberts and the members of
Madame Schumann-Heink, the universal favorite the Merchants' Convention Committee a great deal
of Grand Opera, and radio broadcast.
of satisfaction to be able to announce that Mr. Buck-
Reinald Werrenrath, famous baritone of the oper- ley has very graciously accepted the invitation to
atic and concert stage.
address the members of the Merchants' Association
Gladys Rice, formerly of the "Roxy Family."
and they confidently state that they believe this talk
will be one of the high lights of the convention. Mr.
Charles Marshall, the celebrated American tenor.
Jones and Hare, "The Happiness Boys," of radio Buckley will take as his subject, "What Must I Do
to Stay in Business and Meet the New Competition?"
and stage fame.
The Chicago Civic Opera Symphony Orchestra.
This galaxy of stars, comprising a program pre-
Lilli Lehman, famous opera singer, died last week
sented at a cost of about $50,000, will appear at the at her home in Berlin, Germany. She was 80 years
(Continued on page 7)
old.
BROADCAST AT R. M. A. BANQUET
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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