PRESTO
MUSICAL
TIMES
Established
1884
Established
1881
10 C e n t s a C o p y
1 Tear
$1.25
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 M o n t h s . . . $1.00
6 Months. . 75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE, 1930
Issued
Monthly—
Fifteenth of Ench Month
THE MUSIC INDUSTRIES CONVENTION
Constructive Work, Implicit, Active, Virtual and Energizing Characterized the Big Meeting
Otto B. Heaton Elected President of the Merchants; Fred P. Bassett Re=elected
President of the Manufacturers
The music industries convention in New York
at the Hotel New Yorker proved to be practical
work-out meetings, without frills or furbelows. Even
MANUFACTURERS' ELECTION.
the committee meetings and wherever two or three
At the meeting of the National Piano Manufac-
conventioners got together to talk over the harrass-
ing nature of present-day conditions, brought out turers' Association on Wednesday, June 11, the fol-
earnest plans looking toward betterment for the com- lowing officers were elected for the ensuing year:
mon good. All the work was of a constructive and
President, Fred P. Bassett; first vice-president,
energizing nature.
John Parnham; second vice-president, Gordon Camp-
bell; treasurer, Charles Jacob; secretary, Harry
T H E OPENING LUNCHEON.
Meixell.
The Music Industries Convention was officially
The following three men were elected as directors
opened by a luncheon in the ballroom of the Hotel to the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce:
New Yorker. 8th avenue and W. 34th street, New C. D. Bond, E. R. Jacobson, Jerome F. Murphy.
York, Monday noon, June 9. Mark P. Campbell,
THE MERCHANTS' ELECTION.
retiring president of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, presided. The gathering was, perhaps,
On Wednesday, June 12, the following officers
not as large as in former years, but it made up in were elected for the coming year:
enthusiasm and interest for whatever it may have
President, Otto B. Heaton; first vice-president, Ed-
lacked in numbers.
ward R. Weeks; second vice-president, Jay Grinnell;
Those present found the report of Mr. Campbell on third vice-president, Charles Yahrling; fourth vice-
the year's activities, presented to them in the form president, Charles Andrews; treasurer, Carl E. Droop;
of a neatly printed brochure, a copy of which was secretary, E. Ernest Philpitt.
at everyone's seat. After the luncheon Mr. Camp-
Three directors for three years: C. H. DeAcres,
bell spoke a few words of greeting in place of Mr. John J. Glynn, E. E. Forbes.
McKee, president of the Board of Aldermen of the
One director for two years: Ben Platt to the un-
city of New York, who, unfortunately, was unable expired term of Charles Yahrling.
to attend.
Directors Music Industries Chamber of Commerce:
Sang in Different Tongues.
Parham Werlein, Edmund Gram, C. J. Roberts.
Delegates to annual luncheon and meeting. Music
He then introduced Anna Case, soprano, who ap-
Industries Chamber of Commerce: Jay Grinnell,
peared through the courtesy of A. Atwater Kent.
E. E. Forbes, Alex McDonald, A. L. Maresh, Edward
This splendid artist, who was for many years with
the Metropolitan Opera Co., delighted everyone pres- R. Weeks. John J. Glynn, Lynn Sheeley.
Convention City Not Chosen.
ent with a group of songs that ranged from French
and Swedish folk melodies to grand opera.
It was further decided to leave the choice of the
At the conclusion of Miss Case's encores the lunch- next convention city to the board of control.
eon broke up for visits to the exhibition, meetings and
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ELECTION.
sight-seeing.
At the annual meeting of the Music Industries
At the merchants' open forum practically everyone
who had ideas to offer on how to increase sales had Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel New Yorker it
was announced that the following presidents of asso-
the opportunity of speaking.
This meeting supported resolutions to the RCA- ciations become, ipso facto, directors of the Cham-
Victor Co. sincere thanks and appreciation for the ber; Fred P. Bassett, Otto B. Heaton, W. A. Men-
splendid artists furnished for the merchants' banquet nie, Charles Sunfield. H. C. Lomb, John Harden,
held on Thursday night; and further for the valua- Ralph Day, Nets C. Boe.
Directors at Large: A. L. Smith, Lucien Wulsin,
ble publicity given the music industry by having the
concert broadcast on a nation-wide hook-up. Thanks R. W. Lawrence, Lewis Sterling.
were expressed to the trade press. Resolutions of
SHEET MUSIC DEALERS' ELECTION.
sorrow 7 and sympathy at the death during the year of
At its convention on June 9, the National Associa-
twelve members of the association and three past tion of Sheet Music Dealers voted financial support
presidents were recorded.
for the coming year to the Music Industries Cham-
A resolution was accepted outlining better business ber of Commerce. The following officers were
practices for band and .musical instrument depart- elected:
ments in such matters as commissions paid, down
President, John Harden, Springfield. Mass ; vice-
payments, installment terms.
president, Robert Schmidt, Minneapolis; secretary-
It was further decided to endorse the Capper-Kelly treasurer, Thomas J. Dolan, New York.
Price Maintenance Bill and to send an expression to
Directors: Edward Fitzmaurice, Chicago; Jacob
this effect to the proper parties in Washington.
H. Ellis. New York; Harold Planner, New York;
Radio Broadcasting.
W. Dean Preston, Boston; Walter Fischer; John Y.
C. D. Greenleaf then rose to make a very splendid Blaetz, Philadelphia; William H. Levis, Rochester;
point. Music is the basis of appeal of radio adver- William Jacobs, New York; Charles W. Homeyer,
tising. Therefore the radio advertiser should give Boston; J. Elmer Harvey, Detroit; William M. Gam-
some credit to music as well as giving the intermina- ble, Chicago; Harold B. Adams, Lima, Ohio; E.
ble sales talks on the properties of Whooziz Tooth- Grant Ege, Kansas City; Robert T. Stanton, Chicago;
paste or Whatziz Oilheaters. The idea was expressed Oliver Shattinger, St. Louis; Otto P. Schroeder,
that at the end of each radio program the announcer Flushing, N. Y.; Paul A. Schmidt, Minneapolis; Jo-
should say, "You have been listening to a musical seph M. Priaulx, New York; S. Ernest Philpitt,
program." It was further suggested that where pos- Miami, Fla.; Edward P. Little, San Francisco.
sible the radio announcer let the public know the
musical instruments or musical medium used in giv-
girl in the Columbus gas company 10 per cent for
ing the program.
the name of every newcomer to town who has gas
Open Forum
turned on. He gets about 50 such names and ad-
Otto B Heaton of Columbus, Ohio, at this meeting dresses a week. Then he sends an individually-typed
told of his own successful sales ideas. He pays a and individually-signed letter welcoming the new-
NEW OFFICERS
comer to the city and further, to his store, saying that
he will be glad to meet and greet them and to make
them a present of a 75c Victor record if they will
call. Through this source Mr. Heaton said he had
sold some 37 pianos in the last year or so.
Yahrling's Plan.
Mr. Yahrling of Youngstown, Ohio, said he had
also tried this plan and found it successful. He then
told of a plan of his own for pepping up the sales
force to get rid of slow-moving styles of pianos and
radios. He draws $150 from the bank; then puts it
into envelopes, sealing them in the presence of his
sales force. As soon as a man sells one of the
"sticker" instruments he draws an envelope which is
put back in the safe with his name now on it until
the end of the contest. The amounts in the envelopes
range from $1 to $25, so suspense is kept up. When
the last one is sold the envelopes are distributed and
opened.
Another plan of Mr. Yahrling's was to divide his
entire organization into two teams for a sales contest
over a period of weeks. The teams get 10 points per
piano and 5 per radio sold. In the last contest of
this type even the janitor joined one of the teams. At
the end of the contest the winning team receives
$100, and everyone a dinner given by the house. In
this case the janitor brought in three radio sales.
P. S.: His team won.
Interior Decorators Can Help.
Mr. Onderdonck of the Baldwin House then out-
lined their present retail operating policy in a mas-
terly way. Mr. Onderdonck mentioned that the
smaller interior decorator is a source of piano pros-
pects, which is at present too much neglected by
piano men. He also made it very plain that the
music teacher is worth cultivating as a source of
piano sales. The Baldwin house recently worked
among many thousands of people who had bought
expensive pianos recently and found that in over 80
per cent of these sales the music teacher had to a
greater or lesser extent influenced the sale.
Mr. Heaton said he had found an excellent source
of prospect names in the city directory of taxpayers
whose income was over $5,000.
Mr. Tompkins of the Baldwin Co. said there are
between 220,000 and 240,000 music teachers in this
country. "If each one would produce only one piano
sale a year! The music teacher's prosperity should
be vitally important to us if we wish to make of them
producers of piano business."
Mr. Heaton gave song-books to children and wrote
the teachers telling them he had a special teacher
purchase plan for them. In this 176 teachers showed
interest and 29 bought pianos.
Writes to New-Born Babies.
Mr. Weeks of Binghamton, N. Y., told of a plan
whereby he got the names of all the babies born and
wrote them personal letters, welcoming them to this
life and Binghamton, and enclosing a miniature har-
monica for them to play on. The letter further said
that when they outgrew it they could find a larger
one and all other manner of musical instruments at
his store.
Dan Nolan gave as his opinion that there were two
ways of obtaining business. Through newspaper ad-
vertising and through personal contact. The bar-
gain appeal in newspaper advertising no longer pays.
Therefore the piano man must get his business
through contact.
Not Insulted Often Enough.
Mr. Heaton advanced the idea that perhaps the
piano dealer is not insulted often enough. He told
of coming into his store one day and hearing a
passerby making derogatory remarks about the mer-
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