Presto

P R E S T O-T I M E S
August,
IMPORTANT ALLOTMENTS
OF TERRITORY BY THE
AMERICAN PIANO CORP.
Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, Secure
Knabe Agency; Chickering Goes to
Clark Music Co., Syracuse.
The interest that some of the largest and most
prosperous and aggressive music houses of the coun-
try are taking by securing agencies and territory from
the American Piano Corp. bodes for the rapid rise of
the reorganized corporation in farrlung fields. With
its present management and plans the corporation is
moving forward with precision and dispatch.
Two important new agencies for their major pianos
have just been announced by the American Piano
Corp. The valuable Knabe agency for San Francisco
has been placed with the Sherman, Clay Co., of that
city, and the Chickering, with its more than a century
of distinguished achievement, is to be amongst the
leaders with the Clark Music Co. of Syracuse.
Announcement of these important affiliations is a
matter of mutual satisfaction both to these long es-
tablished retail merchants and the makers of the
Knabe and Chickering.
Other important agencies are to be announced
later.
Two additional important agencies, made since the
above list got as far as Presto-Times, proof-sheets,
are:
The Lauter Piano Co., 519 Broad street, New-
ark, N. J.
Yahrling-Rayner Music Co., Youngstown, Ohio.
Both these houses write enthusiastically to the
American Piano Corp. of the acquisition of the Knabe,
and naturally, it is very gratifying and pleasing to
the American Piano Corp. to be represented by these
line houses.
Characterized by its Fine Tone
The
MATHUHSEK
Piano has given Pleas-
ure to Several Gener-
a t i o n s of M u s i c
Lovers, and is Known
and designated as
"The most Durable Piano
in the World."
SEEING TRADE THROUGH
REVERSED FIELD GLASSES
Now for a sidelong glance at the trade tendencies
through the eyes of a somewhat caustic critic in New
York—a man who has made and sold pianos for many
years. He says:
"I expect better piano business in the last half of
1930 than was experienced in 1929. And I hope so.
And my reason for this hope and this belief is that
my trade contacts tell me that a lot of piano dealers
have 'gone broke' selling radio sets to customers who
came in and bought. And having learned the financial
folly of following this line of least resistance, Mr.
Piano Dealer is nearly ready to put on his hat and
go out looking for piano customers, whose trade in
past years earned him substantial profits. In other
words, Mr. Piano Dealer is beginning (slowly) to get
wise to himself.
"In sum, it is my idea that when the piano trade
begins to give less attention to radio and concen-
trates more upon the problem of making better and
more salable pianos, thereafter devoting more effort
to the sale of these articles, there will be a substan-
tial revival in (and. of) the piano business. But it
is a truth that 'only the game fish swims up stream,'
and thus far, all of the tendency of the piano trade
has been to go with the tide and current. Myself, I
have been helping make and sell pianos since 1893,
and I admit to being a trifle set in my ways."
EPWORTH YOUNG FOLKS
DELIGHTED WITH THE CONOVER
The Conover Grand piano which was used at the
concerts and daily assemblages of the William Nast
Epworth League Institute, held at the Berger Camp
Grounds, Dolton, 111., recently met with reception of
the hgihest approval, both by the artist who used the
instrument and by the public who listened. The
pianist and accompanist at these meetings and during
the entire convention, praised the quality and re-
sponsiveness of the Conover grand, and says she con-
siders it an instrument of distinctive qualities.
No Concern is Better
Equipped to Meet
the Requirements of
Dealers and no Piano
is More Adaptable to
the Climate of any
Country; Due to its
Unique Features of
Construction.
VON ELSNER IN LIFE INSURANCE.
Byron Von Eisner, who was known as a piano man
for many years—the Cable Co. being one of the prin-
cipal houses he served for a long time—is now with
the Mutual Life and is located at No. 1 North La
Salle street, one of Chicago's latest skyscrapers. Mr.
Von Eisner makes calls on former acquaintances in
the piano trade. He has a good word for the piano
business and believes that it is retrieving lost ground.
Robert A. Buescher has opened a new store in
Lakewood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb, and will handle
General Motors radio.
For Particulars, Write to
MATHUSHEK PIANO MFG. CO.
BACKGROUND OF RADIO MAY
INCREASE PIANO CONTACTS
This Thought Was Ably Brought Out by D. L.
Loomis at the Atwater Kent Distributors'
Convention.
At the invitation of the Atwater Kent Manufac-
turing Co., Delbert L. Loomis, executive secretary
of the National Association of Music Merchants, at-
tended the 7th annual Atwater Kent distributors' con-
vention at the Ambassador Hotel. Atlantic City, N. J.,
July 29, 30 and 31, and delivered a talk upon activities
of the National Association at the Wednesday morn-
ing business session. There were about live hundred
men in attendance at the convention, including dis-
tributors of Atwater Kent radio sets located through-
out the United States, Cuba, Canada and Hawaii.
The meetings were addressed by Mr. Kent, F. K.
Basler, general sales manager; F'. A. Ware, sales pro-
motion manager; Robert A. Stroud and other execu-
tives of the organization. An extraordinarily interest-
ing address was given Wednesday afternoon by Bruce
Barton, the distinguished author and publicist of Bat-
ten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn, the advertising
agents who handle the Atwater Kent account.
The social side of the convention was given prom-
inence at luncheons and dinners each day. A special
program with a long list of distinguished entertainers,
brought from New York especially for the occasion,
was presented after the Wednesday dinner. Details
of arrangements for these events were in charge of
Mr. Stroud.
The new Atwater Kent set, "The Golden Voice
Radio," was shown for the first time and attracted the
most favorable comment from distributors and others
present.
In course of his remarks Mr. Loomis styled Mr.
Kent a pioneer in the broadcasting of world-famous
artists and traced the reaction of this and other note-
worthy activities of a similar nature upon the artists
and the musical profession, as well as upon the trade,
the music merchants particularly, and spoke of the
manner in which this background may be used to
increase contacts and business with the music mer-
chants. He pointed out that the music merchants are
unusually receptive to propaganda of this nature, hav-
ing for years been in a position to take advantage of
the concertizing of great artists as a result of activi-
ties of leading piano manufacturers. He called atten-
tion to the extent to which radio was featured at the
Open Forum of the Merchants' Association at the last
convention, and of the fact that retiring President
Werlein stressed the desirability of merchants han-
dling only two or three lines of radio sets, concen-
trating on those which are best advertised, such as
the Atwater Kent.
An interesting discussion of the credit situation as
regards dealers was presented by W. Lee White of
the Bankers' Commercial Security Co. of New York.
Eli Dyson, credit manager of the Atwater Kent com-
pany, outlined the credit policy for the coming year.
Thomas R. Shipp of Washington, publicity repre-
sentative for the company, made an interesting talk.
COMPLIMENTS WILLIAM
THOMSON.
The Scottish representative of the Music Trades
Review, London, A. Hunter Clapperton, writing from
Glasgow, says under the caption, "A Chiel in Can-
ada": "I was pleased to notice in the Music Trades
Review that happy snapshot of Mr. William Thomson,
Sr., at the microphone at Toronto. I can visualize
how clearly his splendid voice carried his message
of 'Home Rule for Scotland' to countless listeners. I
doubt if any living Scotsman has crossed the 'Her-
ring Pond' more frequently than Mr. Thomson. He
has often told me that he feels as much at home in
Canada and the States as in the Homeland."
MUSICIANS FROM SMALL TOWNS.
Kauffman's Music Stores at Lewistown and Mif-
flintown. Pa., advocate schooling children now to
play a grand piano in the future. In one of their well-
worded ads this month Kauffman's publish these
opinions: "'Future musicians must come from small
towns, declares a noted musical authority. 'We
must look to the small towns for those who are to
be musically prominent in the future,' states this
authority, 'not to the cities where modern living con-
ditions so reduce the child's opportunities for early
study under the favorable environments of a real
home.' Frank words, positively spoken, and an opin-
ion shared by a host of others prominent in musical
circles. City children, raised in flats or apartments,
don't have the opportunities for instrumental study
at home such as their smaller town cousins enjoy
during childhood."
Alexander Ave. and 132nd St.
DIVIDEND FOR PIANO CREDITORS.
NEW YORK, N. Y.
Judge Coxe in the New York Federal Court has
authorized receivers of the American Piano Co. to
disburse a 50 per cent dividend on the claims of all
general creditors of the corporation.
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