Presto

July-August, 1933
P R E S T O-TI M ES
ISSUED THE
FIFTEENTH OF
PUBLICATION MONTH
FRANK D. ABBOTT
PRESTOTIME
Editor
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mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 3932, at the
Post Office at Chicago, 111., under act of March 3, 1879.
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tising on application.
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if of
general interest to the music trade will be paid for at
space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen in the
smaller cities are the best occasional correspondents, and
their assistance is invited.
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the edi-
torial or news columns of Presto-Times.
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tion will be charged if of commercial character or other
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Address alt communications for the editorial or business
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The last form of Presto-Times goes to press at 11 a. m
three days preceding publication day. Any news trans-
piring after that hour cannot be expected in the current
issue. Nothing received at the office that is not strictly
news of importance can have attention after 9 a. m. of
that date, if they concern the interests of manufactur-
ers or dealers such items will appear the. issue following.
CHICAGO, JULY-AUGUST, 1933
The great broadcasting interests of this country are
taking a step to circumvent in a way the requirements
of the American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers, to levy tax on publications for broadcast-
ing. This society has compelled American broad-
casters to sign licenses requiring them to pay what
the broadcasters consider an arbitrary percentage on
their gross receipts regardless of the amount or the
source of the music used. What the broadcasters
have done has been to acquire the American "air
right" of the G. Ricordi & Company catalog of
Milan, Italy. This catalog comprises something like
123,000 compositions and it is a world famous library.
In its remembrance and token of regard to Mr.
MacNab, Western representative of the New York
Music Trades, when his body was taken from Chicago
back to Canada, the land of his nativity, the Chicago
Piano & Organ Association justly recognized the
many courtesies, the many tributes, the many worth-
while things which that kindly gentleman had, on
many occasions, extended to the association and its
associate society, the former Chicago Piano Club.
Mac was a delightful personality; a splendid con-
temporary; generous, patriotic, faithful; and his
friends in the trade were very dear to him.
Philip Wyman, vice-president of The Baldwin Piano
Company, when asked for how many "hours in the
air" could he claim credit, replied: "Oh, a score will
be enough for a trade paper story." Mr. Wyman
is modest, at least not given to bragging for his trips
between New York and Cincinnati, to say nothing
of Pittsburgh to Cleveland; Cleveland to Chicago;
Chicago to Cincinnati made the week of the Chicago
Mvsic Trade Convention, will run away on past
twenty hours in the air.
State features and State gatherings take place from
time to time at the Century of Progress Exposition.
On one of these occasions Governor McNutt of Indi-
ana after speaking of famous Men of Letters, poets,
dramatists, statesmen and other celebrities hailing
frcm his State referred to various industries but,
strangely enough, forgot or neglected to mention the
piano industry which is one of the prominent manu-
facturing industries of the Hoosier State. Some years
ago the Indiana output of pianos from LaPorte, Ham-
mond, Bluffton, Richmond, and New Castle, not to
mention one or two minor establishments, produced
something like a third of the total annual piano out-
put of the country.
Speaking of good times, bad times and all kinds of
"times" and conditions, Mr. Lucien Wulsin, president
of the National Piano Manufacturers Association as
well as the head of the house of Baldwin, Cincinnati,
insists today, as he did in the height of depression
that piano sales can always be made. "Failure to
produce," he says, "cannot be attributed to economic
conditions but to a salesman's own lack of ability."
Well, well and now, after some considerable delay,
the present regime at Washington, along with numer-
ous manifestations toward increasing business and
business activity has caught up with the thought of
fostering and cultivating American trade abroad, par-
ticularly with the colonial countries. It seems that
especially there is a good Spanish Colonial business in
sight. The United States has neglected South Amer-
ican opportunities which loss has undoubtedly helped
to reduce our foreign trade balance.
Certain it is that the aggregate of this trade would
he a good handful. Sombody is picking up business
IT IS NATURAL TO BE INQUISITIVE
Among letters received of late at Presto-Times office inquiring; about various phases of
conditions in this industry brought about by t h e depression which we have been experiencing
the last two years, several correspondents ask in particular as to "what's doing" at the piano
factories these days. The inquiry is persistent as to whether this factory, that one or the
other establishment is, as one correspondent puts it. "open or closed; sold out or turned over
to some other kind of manufacture?" We ar e asked whether such-and-such concern is now
carrying on at all or is it shut down and shipments being made only from old stock; from the
"remains of the past." If shut down, is the closing temporary or permanent?
The sum and substance of what these correspondents want to know seems to be to learn
more as to the ability of manufacturers to supply product of today; new instruments in
model, style and finish.
One correspondent says. "I have been buying left-over instruments at cut prices for three
years and am now ready to launch out with a new slogan to read something like this: 'We spe-
cialize in new, present-day models." We might hang a banner in our store to read: 'Our new
stock is 1933 models only.'" Another inquiry is: "Will the
Company start up again?
If they do I will stick to them: if they do not, I must accept another line." And another writes:
"We have sold the
pianos for many years, but we cannot continue longer with them
selling their 1929. '30 and '31 product; we mint have something different; what are they go-
ing to do?"
A visitor called at Presto-Times office to inquire about a certain piano—a most elegant
instrument, made in the Chicago piano-making circuit. He said he had been just about ready
to close this deal for this piano when he was told that the manufacturers had decided to dis-
continue business; to stop manufacturing. Although he knew the piano to be one of superior
grade, he said he would prefer to buy some other make if the report of liquidation were true.
Presto-Times' correspondence with these manufacturers brought this reply: "Tell the partv we
are manufacturing and intend to remain in business. We feel that as times in general become
better, piano business will come back into its own." Another inquiry suggested by a corre-
spondent brought word from the factory that they were "waiting developments," that their
factory is capable of great things and is "in readiness to start up on short notice." There
was a suggestion in this letter, however, that if things did not improve, the factory might
remain shut down. And perhaps it will.
The last letter was also the shortest and "pointedest," asking "will as many as a half-
dozen piano factories discontinue between now and January first next, and which ones?" to
which inquiry Presto-Times can only say: "Perhaps ; wait and see."
The import of these letters, and of correspondence like this that takes place these days
between the manufacturer and his trade and between jobber, wholesaler and big dealer in the
large cities and their customers and friends in more remote sections, indicates that some-
thing like a clean-up in the music business, and particularly in the piano part of it. is going
on. Ft seems to presage a getting into readiness for better times; perhaps getting back to a
general revival. Certain it is that many people are feeling a deuced sight better today than
they did six months ago. We are reminded of a certain gentleman in this trade who a few-
weeks ago wanted to sell his fifty shares of Mid-Continent Petroleum stock at the then mar-
ket price of $4.00 a share which was $1.00 a share above its lowest a few weeks before. His
wife had misplaced the certificate and he thought it was lost, but now that it has been recov-
ered and the shares have since sold up to $16.00 a share, ten dollars higher than when he was
wanting to sell, he is happy and in a buying stite of mind. And many others are becoming
able to get back to that "buying state of mind."
Evidently a revival is started and happy is the dealer who can carry on and the manu-
tacturer who can supply.
* * * *
Tn an announcement recently published Steinway & Sons suggest to the trade the advance
in cost of piano making by the question: "How much longer can you buy a Steinway at the
present prices?" And how apt and pertinent is this inquiry. The issue is vital and fortunate
is the manufacturer who has ready at hand a supply of well seasoned lumber and of material
for carrying on production and fortunate, too, will be the dealer who can stock up on short
notice with goods made today. Still more fortunate will be those able to get the goods they
will require. Yes, pianos are to cost much more in the near future. The suggestion offered
by Steinway & Sons was followed a little later by their announcement of increase in prices
to Steinway representatives and correspondingly advanced retail prices.
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