Presto

May-June, 1933
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PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
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CHICAGO, MAY-JUNE, 1933
With a loss of almost $3,000,000 within a 12-month
period as recently announced by the manufacturers
of the Majestic radio, the Grigsby-Grunow Company,
the music industry may well consider that they are
not "the worst off in the world," and Grigsby-Grunow
is only one instance outside the music industries
proper.
The shutting down of several piano factories in
the East and the resulting sale at auction of well-nigh
a thousand finished pianos had its effect in general
retail sales in the Greater New York territory. Nu-
merous forced sales throughout the country have also
had their effect on the general piano business.
Information from the Chicago American Furniture
Mart is to the effect that there has been a fairly good
demand for furniture, a condition that would indicate
more or less renewed activity in pianos, at least in
certain lines of pianos for furniture and pianos are
closely associated in furnishing and outfitting a home.
A furniture man, who in his time has much to do
with pianos, remarked: "Just wait until real estate
and the building industries again get to moving. The
demand for home furnishing goods will bring about
renewed activity on a big scale."
A description of what is called the "New Electronic
Piano" has been sent to Presto-Times with the com-
ment that this instrument, like many other attempts
at bettering the piano, may be "just another one of
those things." Our correspondent puts it about right,
for very few innovations and particularly along the
line of electric devices have done anything to help the
piano as the vital musical instrument that it is.
Clarence Gennett, treasurer of the Starr company,
Richmond, Ind., when paying a visit to the new Starr
agents at Indianapolis, said: "There is going to be a
time when we have a comeback in the piano business.
We are beginning to see the end of the sale of repos-
sessed instruments and when this phase of the second-
hand business is over everything in the p!ano business
will be greatly changed for the better.
In selecting Philip Wyman of the Baldwin Piano
Company, Cincinnati, to be the president of the Cin-
cinnati Conservatory of Music, that influential and
widely known educational institution has at its head
one known throughout the music trades and indus-
tries as an able executive and influential gentleman.
The former president of the conservatory is Robert
Taft, son of the late President Taft.
The representative of an important Western music
house recently visited several piano factories within a
radius of 250 miles of Chicago in an endeavor to pur-
chase good used and repossessed pianos but, as the
report comes to Presto-Times, he made but little
progress. At the Starr factory he could not find
any second hands at all, and Mr. H. Edgar French,
of the Jesse French Corporation, New Castle, Ind.,
said: "We have nothing to offer him, having cleaned
out all of the repossessions."
It is said that this dealer offered a certain piano
factory fifty dollars each for a carload of uprights,
partly new, partly second hand; about "half and half,"
as the story comes to us.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations may be passed along to the Chicago Piano & Organ Association for its
active part in sponsoring opposition to the Illinois three per cent tax law which was later
killed by the Illinois Supreme Court and the tabling of the Sales Contract bill which did not
get to the Senate. Both of these bills were vigorously opposed by the music trade and backed
by the Chicago association. But a State Tax mav follow and then "more work for the—" etc.
MARKETING AND REPLENISHING
More pianos ought to be sold today than are sold and more could be sold than are sold.
It is worthy of study how to accomplish this.
If an impetus could be set in motion by which piano selling would be influenced to the
extent that they would order, say, two more pianos the coming month than their last order,
this aggregate, along with the regular business, would be sufficient to practically deplete
every piano factory of the country of stock on hand; it would bring about a displacement
of instruments that would cut the number of pianos on casters in factories to well-nigh the
zero mark.
Such an accomplishment is not based on a wild fancy ; not a fancy of imagination. It is
a piece of work capable of accomplishment. Inspiration to do and to act bring great results.
United impetus, united action to sell more pianos next month than this month would work
wonders.
The representative of a great piano manufacturing house covering a northwest territory
accomplishes results along this line of action that are achievements of a high order. He in-
spires his dealers; he even incites them to do something which they, themselves, are inclined
to be fearful they cannot accomplish but which he knows they can do and in nine cases out
of ten they do the work laid out to be done. This piano ambassador never outlines for his
agents an impossibility.
Thus, by a vigorous campaign in securing from his trade that which he knows to be
securable, this "representative of a great piano manufacturing house" earns the distinction of
being able to say that his house probably does a greater volume of business in his territory
than any competitor, as well as caters to the most distinguished clientele. This man's record
stands like a brilliant unit in the prestige which his company holds for outstanding leadership.
But the question arises: Could the factories now in existence produce a required supply
of instruments for such a splurge of piano selling activity? In fact, could the factories capable
of functioning produce any considerable number of pianos between now and January 1st next
—say, fifty thousand, seventy per cent to be grands? Echo says: "It would be a hard thing
to do."
A few years ago, along in the 1920's when 150,000-250,000 and so on pianos were made
each year, there were about 118 manufacturing concerns to produce these outputs; 80 in the
East, 38 in the West. Today there are not many, if any, more than a half this number capable
of immediately starting operations in their factories should conditions bring about such
activity.
Large amounts of capital are required in the manufacture of pianos ; not only are skill,
patience, genius required to get salable pianos ready to sell, but money, and a "good bit" of
it, is essential.
A piano cannot be built entirely in a piano factory. Veneers, felts of various kinds, ivory,
wire and strings, sounding boards must be supplied by special manufacturers for these parts
and are quite distinct from other material used in piano construction, such as case work, keys,
actions, hammers, plates which are often made under "one's own roof." And there is the
problem of getting help back to the benches; of securing experienced workmen. The help
proposition is one of vital consideration, for experienced men are required in piano building,
and are not alw r ays easy to secure, even in the existing economic conditions of today. These
things, in fact the entire problem of supplying pianos ready for the customer, are not fully
appreciated by piano sellers.
There is at the present time a shortage of salable pianos made up and ready for sales-
rooms and when even a fair up-turn of piano selling arrives, as it is sure to come, dealers are
going to be caught short, with the result that there may be a scramble to get instruments;
especially desired models and styles necessary to carry on business.
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