Presto

July 1, 1929
PRESTO-TIMES
THE SHEET MUSIC DEALER-SHALL HE LIVE? NAME COMMITTEES
By GEORGE H. COSTAIN of Costain Music Store, Huron, S. Dak.
FOR THE DEALERS
The ailment and the remedy in the Sheet Music
business today is not greatly different from that in
nearly every other industry. In most cases the dis-
temper is contagious, but not fatal. Quite frequently
it is merely a skin disease and sometimes a sleeping
sickness. However, we are all exposed so often that
it .takes in one form or another on most of us, and no
matter how healthy our individual business may be,
even the skin disease is terribly irritating.
Musical Stuff Overproduced.
We hear much today about over production of
crops and farm relief. Over production of food-
stuffs, is: nothing compared to the over production of
musical stuff, and manufactured products generally.
How are we going to "install" it on the customer?
The trouble with our farmer is that for centuries
he has believed the world would get hungry enough
to come and buy his produce for cash, and at a good
price. Now he finds Mr. Public can eat fish instead
of pork, "Ole" instead of butter, and Mrs. Public
can cook with cottonseed oil instead of lard. So he
is begging Congress for a few hundred millions to
help him sell the world on his product, and no
doubt he must learn that trick if our nation is to
prosper generally.
Just so. I believe, publishers, dealers, and music
teachers have all gone on the assumption that the
public would have to study and buy music. They
don't—they can buy a whole box full of staticated
jazz for $10 down and lie to all their friends about
how it came, in last night.
In a recent promotional campaign which cost us
several hundred dollars, we wrote about twenty of
our music teacher customers, explaining what the
campaign would mean to them in more pupils, and
asking for the names of parents whose children might
become their pupils should we sell them a piano.
We followed the letter- by a 'phone call. How many
names did we get? Not one. Yet every teacher
said she was interested.
To me, this is an illustration of the short-sighted-
ness "of the whole industry in the past. Unless we
dealers can get both the publishers and the teachers
to co-operate in a promotional campaign to sell the
public on the idea of "Music in the Home" it's just
going to be too bad.
Showing Publishers the Light.
W e must convince both that they cannot survive
long without us dealers. Teachers generally respond
readily to invitations to join in such promotional
work, especially when we bring to their attention
results from the work of the National Association
of Music Merchants and the Music Dealers. Some
publishers still seem like the mule that walked into
an oak tree, when Rastus was trying to sell him to
Sambo. As Rastus hastened to explain, "Dat mule
ain't blin', he jest doan giv' a dam." Many publish-
ers, however, can see, and are building up a good
business by working through the dealers.
If business could be done without dealers, the mail
order houses would not be rushing into the chain
store business today.
After more than twenty years of battling hard
enough with this problem to keep our sheet music
department showing a profit each year, I am con-
vinced that we dealers can do best by tying up with
our national organizations in their promotional work,
and cutting out the publications of those houses
which sell direct at discounts or ship music on six
months' approval. Promotional and educational work
will sell music, and the promoters will get the first
chance at the business.
"I Wanna Be Kept."
Although we have a general music store, I started
with the sheet music business and I want it to live.
I want to keep it. I'm like the little girl at the big
"Baptizing" in a river in North Carolina. As the
candidates were being dipped into the water she
began screaming "I wanna be kept," "I wanna be
kept." Nobody could imagine the trouble w T ith her
until they learned that she had a prolific old cat
which brought around a family of kittens every once
in a while, and that the little girl was allowed to
keep one of them while the rest were brought down
to this spot in the river and drowned.
So let us see to it that our sheet music business
is kept.
Resolutions, Legislative and Press Committees
Made Up of War-Horses Who Were Wisely-
Selected for the Work by President Par-
ham Werlein of N. A. of M. M.
Parham Werlein, president of the National Associa-
tion of Music Merchants, announces through the ex-
ecutive office the appointment of certain standing
committees for the coming year as follows:
Press Committee, C. J. Roberts, Charles M. Stieff.
Inc., Baltimore, Md., chairman; Charles H. Yahrling,
Yahrling-Rayner Music Company, Youngstown.
Ohio: Frank J. Bayley, Bayley Music House, De-
troit, Mich.; Roger O'Connor, Kranich & Bach, Chi-
cago, Illinois.
Resolutions Committee, Robert M. Wa+kin, Will
A. Watkin Company, Dallas. Tex., chairman; Otto
B. Heaton, Otto B. Heaton Company, Columbus,
Ohio: Jay Grinnell, Grinnell Brothers, Detroit, Mich.
Legislative Committee. Frederick P. Stieff, Charles
M. Stieff, Inc., Baltimore, Md., chairman; W. S.
Bond, Weaver Piano Company, York, Pa.; R. A.
McKee, McKee Music Company, Charleston, W. Va.,
and Charles R. Putnam, S. Ernest I'hilpitt & Son,
Tampa, Fla.
M. STEINERT & SONS
HOLD JOYOUS MEETING
Race Brook Country Club Near New Haven
the Scene of a Fine Diversified
Entertainment.
The Race Brook Country Club, on the outskirts
of New Haven, Conn., was the scene of a joyous
gathering of officials, executives, salespeople, and
office-attaches of M. Steinert & Sons Company on
Tuesday evening, June 11, when the New Haven
store, as the official host, entertained visitors from
the head office in Boston, and the Steinert stores in
Bridgeport, Waterbury, Worcester and Springfield.
Included in the Boston contingent were Robert S.
merchants are doing much toward developing this Steinert, President of the Company, Jerome F. Mur-
new order of things, at least, they were promoting phy, General Manager, Percy Jenks, Sales Manager,
Culture.
Arthur C. O'Leary, Traveling
Representative,
It was decided to hold next year's convention in Thomas F. Kelliher, in charge of Credits, and Rich-
San Francisco.
ard Newman, Advertising Manager.
Western Music and Radio Trades Convention
Robert Steinert, acting as toastmaster, introduced
Elects Ernest Ingold to Lead Its Activities.
the official hosts, Jerry Spilland, manager of the
New Haven store, and Rudolph Steinert, vice-presi-
The Salt Lake convention of the Western Music
dent of the company, both of whom welcomed the
and Radio Trades elected the following officers, who
visitors and invited them to consider the premises
had first been recommended by the nominations
their own. Among the speakers were Mr. Murphy,
committee: Ernest Ingold, president of Ernest Some Pertinent Words from R. E. Girton, Credit Mr. Brennan of Worcester, and Mr. Prouty of
Ingold. Inc., radio distributors, San Francisco, as
Manager of Fort Wayne Concern.
Springfield. Steinway & Sons sent as their special
president; W. H. Graham, Seattle, as first vice-presi-
envoy John Powell, who spoke appreciatively of the
The Capehart Orchestrope, the instrument that long and intimate relations between his firm and
dent.
Second vice-president, John C. Preston,
plays 28 records (56 selections) on both sides con- Steinert & Sons. Charles Addams brought the
Rakersfield, Calif.; secretary, Beeman P. Sibley of
San Francisco.
Directors:
Russell T. Bailey, tinuously, and reproduces the music in an absolute greetings of The Aeolian Company in a most enter-
Spokane, Wash.; W. W. Bradford, Denver, Colo.; "true to life" manner, is meeting with greater suc- taining talk.
William Cross, Oakland, Cal.; James T. Fitzgerald, cess from week to week. About pepping up business
The evening closed with an entertainment by talent
Los Angeles; James Fletcher, Victoria, B. C ; George in this line, R. E. Girton, credit manager for the from local theaters, followed by dancing to music
Capehart
Automatic
Phonograph
Co.,
says:
S. Glen, Ogden, Utah; Earl P. Hagenmeyer, Denver,
furnished by the new Victor Micro-Synchronous
Co!o.; Mrs. S. Hockett, Fresno. Calif.; Galvin
"Summertime is here and regardless of a certain Radio instrument.
Hopper, Tacoma, Wash.; H. E. Gardiner, San Fran- amount of local pessimism the up-to-date merchant
cisco; Daryl Kent, Vancouver, B. C ; A. D. Lamotte, should be so enthused with national optimism as to
San Diego, Calif.: F. McL. Brinckerhoff,- Los sweep local prejudices aside and make for himself
W. S. HEDGES' CAREER.
Angeles; J. Donald Daynes, Salt Lake; E. R. profits that the most complete line of automatic
William S. Hedges, convention speaker, was elected
Mitchell, Seattle, Wash.; W. C. Orton, Butte. Mont.; phonographs can give him. At this time we strongly president of the National Association of Broadcasters
Gene Redewill, Phoenix, Arizona; Ellas Marx, urge our large dealer organization to expose them- October 17, 1928, at the annual convention held in
Sacramento, Calif.; Frank Salmacia, Glendale, Calif.; selves to every possible optimistic movement. This Washington, D. C. He spent thirteen years of his
C. B. Sampson, Boise, Idaho; Fred R. Sherman, spirit is sure to be passed along to his customers youth in Colorado and came to Chicago in 1913 im-
George C. Will, Salem, Oregon.
old and new. They pay up and buy more.
mediately after his graduation from Colorado Springs
"Realizing maximum profits on the Capehart line High School and entered the University of Chicago
Ernest Ingold defined a musical instrument,, say-
in 1914 where he took a course in the College of
ing, "It is anything which produces sounds that are is the one certain way to keep costs at a minimum
Arts and Sciences.
harmonious to the listener. A skin stretched across and trade on prestige already earned."
a stump in the days of the savage was, to him, a
musical instrument. Today a radio set is by any
JULY AMPICO RECORDINGS.
ERT AN ORGANIZER.
one of a half-dozen definitions a musical instrument
The Ampico Corporation, 29 West 57th street,
Another speaker, Michael Ert, is president of the
—it is a means of interpretation just as is a piano, a New York, includes in its recordings for July the
violin or a saxophone. It is a musical instrument following, with words for singing and dancing: Blue Federated Radio Trade Association. He organized
just as a typewriting machine and not a corn-husker." Hawaii, waltz, G major, Shipman; (When I'm the Wisconsin Radio Trades Association in 1923 and
was president of that group until his resignation fol-
Arguing from this premise, Mr. Ingold contended
Walkin' with My Sweetness) Down Among the lowing his election as president of the Federated
that whoever sells instruments for interpreting Sugar Cane, Fox Trot, C major, Carroll; Love Me
music is a music dealer—"So a radio dealer or a or Leave Me, "Whoopee," Fox Trot, A flat, Arden; Radio Trade Association in February of this vear.
garage selling radio is not a music dealer beyond
Broadway Melody, "The Broadway Melody," Fox
question."
Trot, E flat, Arden and Carroll; The Wedding of the
FRANK HOOD PLANS TRIPS.
"The Music Merchant Helps Our Educational
Painted Doll, "The Broadway Melody," Fox Trot,
Frank M. Hood, of the Schiller I'iano Company,
System" was discussed by J. F. McCoy of the
E flat, Arden and Carroll; Louise, "Innocents of
6th floor of the Republic Building, Chicago, after
At water-Kent Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia.
Paris," Fox Trot, F major, Shipman and Lane; returning from a short trip this week, planned to
He said the children of today are not being taught
Heigh-Ho! Everybody, Heigh-Ho! (Fox Trot, E flat), leave for a much more extensive trip during which
the three R's only, but the three C's—Citizenship,
Wright and Johnston; From Sunrise to Sunset, Fox he will introduce the splendid new styles of Schiller
Culture and Character. He held that the music Trot, G major, Shaw and Chadwick.
instruments,
SAN FRANCISCO MAN
IS NEW PRESIDENT
CAPEHART BUSINESS
KEEPS PUSHING ONWARD
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