Presto

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., SEPTEMBER 1, 1929
Issued Semi-Monthly
First and Third Saturdays
THE TUNERS' ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION IN CHICAGO
The annual convention of the National Association
of Piano Tuners, held at the Sherman House, Chi-
cago, on August 19, 20, 21 and 22, was a success from
every standpoint. The attendance was gratifyingly
large and the interest keen.
The presence of so many piano manufacturers
and their displays gave more than ordinary action and
meaning to the assemblage. Graciousness and cour-
tesy prevailed among the ladies and the men of course
were on their gallantry, making the convention a
social as well as cultural and educational success.
T H E NEW OFFICERS.
Election of officers resulted as follows:
President, Nels C. Boe, Chicago.
Vice-President, Dennis Farmer, Detroit.
Eastern Director, F. E. Lane, New York.
Western Director, R. Shero, Pasadena, Calif.
Directors, Edward Weise, Chicago; C. O'Harrow,
Findlay, Ohio; Charles Walter Beach, Springfield, Mo.
Secretary, an appointive office, Miss Mary C.
Gubbins, Chicago.
Treasurer, Edward Weise, Chicago.
The association is conducted under the commission
form of government.
Toledo Mayor Invites Convention.
A letter from the mayor of Toledo, W. P. Jackson,
was read. In strong terms of invitation it asked the
convention to assemble in Toledo next year where it
was assured of a most cordial welcome. This was
further bolstered up by a letter of similar import from
the Toledo Chamber of Commerce.
Toledo Gets Next Convention.
A pretty fight developed between New York and
Toledo as to which city would capture the next con-
vention—that of 1930. It was won by Toledo with
290 votes, New York getting 53 votes.
The convention for 1931 is likely to go to Kansas
City, and that of 1932 to Los Angeles at which time
the world's Olympic games are to be played there.
ADDRESS OF P R E S I D E N T BOE.
Nels C. Boe, of Chicago, president of the National
Association of Piano Tuners, is a'clever speaker. He
said in part:
"It is true that there has been a recession in the
tuning business, and that it is worse in some sections
of the country than in others, which, of course, is a
matter to be regretted. But tuners, as a class, are not
the only men who have bowed to fate when they
should have stood up and soaked it in the jaw. Not
all of us are willing to believe that the patience of
despair is a virtue. The intelligent way to meet
adverse conditions is to analyze them, to find out
what the trouble is and to apply the remedy. There
are no unsolvable problems in the tuning business.
Piano Owner's Changing Attitude.
"An encouraging outlook that has come out of all
the propaganda for tuning service is the changing
attitude of the piano owner. He is breaking into the
picture in a new way He has not always been under-
stood. The tuner's new approach to the customer
starts with the customer's interests and not with the
idea of the work that he can be slam-banged into
having done. How often do we say that piano owners
are dumb, that we cannot help them because they are
suspicious, and that when we tell them what a piano
needs they feel that it is just another way of trying
to get their money for unnecessary or unearned
service?
"The new approach of the high-class tuner is toward
a professional standard and conscientiousness or
service; it is an appeal to the parents through the
child; the stressing of the importance of ear training
and how it can be developed only through practice on
a well-kept piano, of how technique is accelerated
through the properly regulated piano, of how the life
of the piano is extended by periodic service, and by
the many other appeals to the owners' sense and
ability to reason with which you are all familiar.
Ability to Sell Tuning Service.
"Our organization is full of men who have made a
success of the tuning business. Their success has been
built on their ability to sell tuning service as an in-
dispensable commodity. All tuners have not abilities
in the same degree, but the Association, through its
literature, the wide publicity which it is receiving as
a symbol of high class tuning service, and the realiza-
tion that has come to the manufacturers and dealers
that if they want to continue in business they will
have to encourage and even to push tuning service,
is opening up new avenues of business for the tuner
that heretofore have been closed to him.
"Understanding must replace ignorance, broad-
mindedness take the place of petty policies and co-
operation overcome selfishness and envy. What we
need more than anything else is to bring into our
organization a little of that quality with which we
are working every day, in both its spiritual and its
musical sense—harmony. Where that quality is not
present any organization is bound to suffer.
"Co-operation is a sure and safe way of getting
things done. It has proved its worth to this organiza-
tion in countless ways."
SECRETARY'S ANNUAL REPORT.
Miss Mary C. Gubbins, association secretary, said:
"You will be more than delighted to learn that our
new membership record for the past year far exceeds
that of the year 1927-1928, and to prove how great is
the interest of the tuners in your organization we offer
the astounding record of reinstatements for the past
year of ten to one for the previous year.
"We have written over 8,000 letters so far, so you
may judge of the interest and co-operation that have
been shown. Very close contact has been kept with
the various divisions by way of at least one general
letter to them from the National Office every thirty
days, and the membership at large has received at
least four letters during the year.
"There is more money in your treasury than there
has been for years.
"We want to express our appreciation to Gurney R.
Brownell. manager of the tuning and piano repair
departments of Lyon & Healy, the house by which
your president is employed, for permitting your presi-
dent to look after association affairs in addition to
his regular work. We believe every member will
demonstrate.his gratitude to both Lyon & Healy and
Mr. Brownell at all times."
ADDRESS OF C. D. BOND
Of the Weaver Piano Co., York, Pa.
I am commencing to feel like an "Old Timer" as a
speaker at the National Convention of the Piano
Tuners and I don't know whether I am to be con-
gratulated or whether I am to sympathize with you
folks. Sometimes a thing like this becomes a habit
on both sides and then the poor audience has to suffer.
However, I am not going to make you suffer very
long and I am going to do what all good speakers do.
and that is, change the subject assigned to me.
I was asked to choose my own subject and so I
am going to ignore the printed program and steal my
own subject.
"This Music Business" is a business and an art and
to many to whom it is an art, it is also a business and
to many to whom it is a business, it is also an art.
When the artist sells his services it is purely a busi-
ness proposition. When the manufacturer sells his
product it is a business proposition, but when the
artist performs, it is to him and the audience, purely
an art proposition and when the high grade manufac-
turer builds his product, it is to him purely an art
proposition. It is one of the few things in life in
which art and business are so closely interwoven.
When the tuner tunes a piano, of course there is
business connected with it but if he is a real tuner
when he goes to work it becomes an artistic perform-
ance. He forgets about the business and tries to pro-
duce a truly artistic piece of work that will be a credit
to him and a joy to the customer. However, as we
are all engaged in making our living in "This Music
Business," it is essential that we should pay some
attention to the business end, no matter with what
branch of the art we are connected and if we want to
prosper and continue working for the art, we must
give a lot of attention to the business.
The Piano Was Neglected.
For many years in the manufacturing, the selling,
and the servicing of pianos, there has not been very
much attention paid to the business end when we
consider the entire industry. Each man attended
pretty much to his own business and left the larger
aspects of the industry take care of themselves with
but few exceptions. There was very little cooperation
and very little mass appeal in the world at large with
the result that the piano business has suffered severely
from outside competition. Not that there is less
demand for music, not that there is less interest in
piano playing, but because the other interests were
new and had so much wider appeal, the piano has
been neglected.
The Associations in our industry, including your
own, are of rather recent origin. The Music Indus-
tries Chamber of Commerce is a product of war-time
stress and the work that these Associations have done
has saved the industry from worse conditions than we
are now enjoying. The National Association of Piano
Manufacturers realized that this condition was coming
several years ago and as a result, they formed the
Sales Promotion Committee which has been doing a
lot of work to make the public piano-conscious. It is
a long, hard job and requires the assistance of every
branch of the industry to make it effective.
I could go on for some time discussing this phase
of our industry but you are all familiar with the
larger movements in the industry and I think you
would rather hear something about "This Music Busi-
ness" as it refers to the tuner.
It is my firm belief that if the tuner wants to
prosper as an independent tuner, he must do his share
of the work; that he must help the public to realize
the value of music; that he must cooperate with the
dealer and with the manufacturer and give them all
the assistance that he can in developing more and
better sales. If he is an independent tuner there is
an excellent chance for him to enlarge his sphere of
usefulness and incidentally his income, by branching
out into the other activities of the industry. In other
words, I think that it would pay more independent
tuners to handle a good line of pianos so that if they
were asked to recommend an instrument as they often
are, they could not only conscientiously recommend
an instrument but the fact that they could supply the
instrument and see that it is^put to good use and that
it is serviced right.
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Manufacturers Anxious to Cooperate.
The manufacturers are anxious as an Association,
to cooperate with all other branches of the industry
and a tuner who feels he has some ability as a sales-
man, who would like to increase his income, can get
a large amount of assistance from the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Manufacturers thru the Sales Promo-
tion Committee. They will not only assist him in the
larger aspects of the business but they now have
what is known as "The 50 Prospect Plan," which
is a plan of reaching people who should own pianos
with high grade literature, regarding the piano and
making them see the advantage of having a first-class
instrument in their homes.
On account of the large scale on which this proposi-
tion is run, it is inexpensive and effective. In addition
to this, the manufacturers are all ready and willing
to help the tuner who is selling pianos. I can best
illustrate this by referring to the company with which
I am connected.
We have various plans of financing the dealer. We
have a wonderful system of helping the dealer once
he finds the prospects. The names are sent to us and
some information concerning the family and then we
go after them by mail and prove their need for a
piano and the enjoyment that they and the rest of
their family would get from it. In order to sell pianos,
it is necessary to prove to the prospective buyers
the necessity of owning the piano and prove to them
that the piano you are trying to sell is a good one.
Our system does this and then in addition, we furnish
you with proof of quality so that you can take prac-
tically any kind of a prospect and prove to him the
quality of the instrument you are selling.
In addition to this, we insist that as the customer
is sold, he be given the service that he is entitled
to and I feel sure that all the responsible manufac-
turers in the country are today ready and willing
to give the same kind of service and 1 feel sure that
it would pay any independent tuner to tie up with a
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