Presto

May, 1931
P R E S T O-T I M E S
MARK P. CAMPBELL ON PRESENT=DAY
ANGLES OF THE PIANO TRADE
Mark 1'. Campbell, president of the Kohler-Bram-
hach Piano Co., New York (who has been identified
with nearly all the important activities of the music
industry—local to New York as well as national in
scope—and at Ihe head of most of them), when in
Chicago recently chatted with a Presto-Times repre-
sentative for an hour or so in his suite at the Congress
Hotel.
. His talk—but little of it, if any at all, intended for
publication—was so enlightening and showed such
analytical insight into music trade conditions, present
MARK P. CAMPBELL
and prospective, that some of his views ought to be
presented here, for every word of Mr. Campbell's was
of interest to the great army of men and women that
go to make up the music trade of this land of promise
and could well be treasured in memory.
Mr. Campbell is logical in his theories as well as
practical in his business enterprises. He has no
quarrel with the invasions and incursions that rise
from time to time as if they might block the piano
field, but serenely he meets them, such as they are, as
part of the day's coming and going. He harbors no
fears of radio, or broadcasting, or of television, or of
centering radio reception through the teleradio. In
fact, he is watching the introductory efforts of these
lines and is apparently ready to meet any new inven-
tion or new invasion and turn it to the promotion of
the piano and to the creation of new interest in that
instrument of music among the rising generation of
eager boys and girls who are now coming forward
and who hold in their hands the power that spells
weal or woe to the piano business.
He uttered the thought that radio was no longer
on an incursive raid oil the exclusive preserves of the
piano business. However, it was radio that gave the
hardest knocks to the piano business by bringing
about the tremendous cut in the manufacture of
player-pianos. For the player-piano was, a few years
ago, the major part of the output of many of the
piano factories and a considerable part of all that
had engaged in that line. It was the radio's mechani-
cal ability to replace the work of the player-piano
that gave the latter its hardest knocks; for the radio
as a transmitter of sound had become a mechanical
musical instrument. Just a few years ago making
player-pianos was about half of the business of some
factories and with one large concern it ran about 80 to
90 per cent of its manufactures for a time. Then came
the heyday of radio—the day of its acme and bloom.
Radio, Mr. Campbell considers, will not do any more
harm to the piano business; in fact it is becoming
more and more advantageous to the piano trade as
WHEN
time passes. To recur to the question of inroads on
the piano business, Mr. Campbell expressed the belief
that any slackness in the retail trade ought not to
be charged up against the radio, but is due, rather,
to the changed conditions which have changed the
dealer's activities. He said that if the dealer had the
initiative of former days to go out aggressively and
sell pianos he would find his trade at least equal to
the former trade in straight pianos at the period of
the greatest popularity of the player-piano and repro-
ducing pianos.
Where the differences in methods of production
and distribution are important, Mr. Campbell takes
advantage of these changes as far as their behavior
can be predicted. He sees in the group instruction
method of teaching piano lessons to the pupils of the
public schools and in the broadcasting of propaganda
telling of the cultural advantages of music in the
homes some of the best helps that the piano trade is
getting for future business.
He does not anticipate any more outright failures
among the piano manufacturing corporations during
this year, although there may be a few of the smaller
concerns absorbed by merger with larger and more
capable concerns as far as efficiency in meeting re-
quirements is concerned. This ability to meet require-
ments is a constituent element in causing the fittest
to survive, and, as only the fittest are surviving, these
stronger corporations are taking new root and devel-
oping a vitality in piano trade that for some years has
been missing.
The Kohler-Brambach Co. is such a corporation—
one whose heads have had the foresight to take the
bull by the horns before he could do any goring; a
concern that realized the passing changes and trends
from key playing to the player-piano; to the phono-
graph; to the small grand; to the reproducing player;
to the radio; to television (if it ever gets to going
good); to group instruction in the public schools—
keeping abreast of all these things and aware of their
meanings all the time. Even watching keenly the
reports about the invention of a United States army
officer whose devices may put radio reception on an
ordinary telephone line and thus do away with radio
cabinets and save the wee space they take up in the
diminutive apartments that modern city dwellers
squeeze themselves into.
WEICKERT
Felt Announcement
of American Agency
J. D. Weickert, felt manufacturer
of Wurzen-Sachsen, Germany, under
date of April 16, sent the following
letter to its patrons in the United
States:
Gentlemen:
We desire
pointment
to advise
you of tlu> ap-
(if:
W. HOIINK COMPANY, Mil.
5I« Richmond Street, Went,
Toronto. Canada
:is our new agent to handle our busi-
ness in the I nlted State*, in place of
Philip W. Oetting & Son.
This Company
Canada
and
Tor
lms represented
the past
IIH in
forty-one
years.
lias a great
deal of experience in
tile sale of felt,
and the nianiifaeiure
and sale of piano
hummers.
We have
full confidence in their ability
erly
serve
Inited
will
our many
Stales
find
pleasing
and feel
to prop-
friends
sure
in the
that you
the new arrangement
to you.
very
Mr. ( i . W. IJohne,
the (ieneriil Manager of this Company,
will viHit you before very long in order to
become
personally
will greatly
of
your
acquainted,
and
we
appreciate the continuance
putromtKe
through
our
new
repre (tentative*.
Through our former agents we have
enjoyed doing business with you for
many years and feel certain that oar
future relations will be even more
pleasant than those in the past.
Very truly yours.
,1. I). WEICKKRT,
I il/labrik A.-G.
EDWIN WKK'KKRT ,
Dirccktor.
AN OPEN INVITATION
P. A. STARCK PIANO CO.
Extends a cordial invitation to Music and Radio
Dealers at Convention Time to visit the P. A. Starck
Piano Co. Store and General Offices at
228 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago
and also to
Accept the invitation of the Starck Management to
visit the Extensive P. A. Starck Piano Co. Factories
at 39th Street and South Ashland Avenue, Chicago.
Radio Dealers contemplating adding Pianos to their
business will find the Starck line of Grands and
Uprights very much to their liking and advantage.
IN
DOUBT
REFER
TO
Presto Buyers' Guide
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/