Presto

MESSAGES ABOUT THE MUSIC
D. F. McCORMACK LOOKS TO LONG FUTURE
San Fransicso. California
PAUL S. FELDER
President, NAMM
MUSIC MERCHANTS SHOULD ALL UNITE
New Orleans, Louisiana
Here we are, as I write this, almost at the beginning- of
a new year, and in looking back over 1940, it is very gratify-
ing to me, as president of Philip Werlein, Ltd., to report that
our business has been highly satisfactory in all departments.
We have a complete music store, pianos, organs, band instru-
ments, radios, talking machines, records, and fully equipped
service departments. Every department in our store has
shown a profit; so we look back upon 1940 as a very splendid
year for us and 1 hope that it was equally profitable also for
my friends and fellow merchants throughout the length and
breadth of our country.
The new year will perhaps usher in many difficulties.
There may be problems for us to solve which require the con-
certed action of all of us and as much constructive advice as
it is possible to obtain. I am, therefore, once again through
your splendid magazine appealing to the music merchants,
not now members of our association, to send in their applica-
tions immediately and join forces with us. We are in very
uncertain times and what effect the national program will
have on business is still an unknown quantity—as a matter
of fact, there does not seem to be publicized so far any defi-
nite plan of operations. We hear much criticism of business
by government and much criticism of government by busi-
ness and we certainly must be prepared to meet these prob-
lems with wisdom and what is equally important, with the
strength of numbers.
If you will give me space I want to take this occasion to
thank the new members who have joined the NAMM for
their willingness to cooperate and to assure them of our
sincere appreciation of their membership. Every member of
our association, no matter how small, has the same advant-
ages as the largest merchant, and we prize his membership
just as much.
Finally, one more appeal to those merchants who have not
yet become members, we urge you now at the beginning of
the new year to send in your applications and we promise to
give you all the cooperation possible—JOIN NOW.
Cordially yours,
Paul S. Felder, President,
Philip Werlein, Ltd.
Business has been quite good and the year will round out
with a substantial increase ; as a matter of fact, our business
will run better than that of the department stores in this
same Federal Reserve District by a good margin.
Our sale of larger unit instruments has been good, the
average sale price having undoubtedly increased somewhat,
although that might be the result of our not having done as
good a job in the lower priced instruments as heretofore.
This is an observation that I make that is neither confirmed
or denied by figures which are not yet available for the year
end.
Excellent results have been obtained in the combination
radio-phonograph business. Of course, you need not be told
that the record business, being on the jump, has stimulated
vigorously the interest in phonographs and the manufac-
turers on the other hand have done a better job this year in
bringing out good-looking desgns in their phonographs as
well as efficient operating instruments, and all of them have
hit the market with good lines at the same time. And that
has done much to stimulate an active volume in this line.
The Solovox has been a new addition and interesting, but
just what its future is is still to be determined. We have
good success with it but it is and will fall into the class of
merchandise, just like all others, that has to be sold—the
public is not going to take anything away from a dealer just
because it is new or unique. It still has to be sold in a large
measure, and that is a factor that the Hammond Organ Com-
pany has not yet realized as fully as subsequent experience
will probably demonstrate.
As far as 1941 looks it will be very good but with the sort
of conditions we have, woe is to the music dealers one of
these days, for when conies the decline or depression or-what-
have you, installment paper that is sold on thin terms and
slow collection will have a back-fire that will make the last
one look like a Sunday school picnic. Just when that time
comes we don't know yet. so in the meantime we do all the
business we can, but as to credit terms we are packed up to
beat the cars already.
Cordially,
D. F. McCormack
Vice President & General Manager
Sherman, Clay & Co.
BANNER YEAR FOR PHONOGRAPH RECORDS
Hollywood, California
The year of 1940 will be remembered by those firms
active in the music business as the year when phonograph
records assumed a role of major proportions, the complete
dominance of the radio picture by radio phonograph com-
binations housed in period furniture, and the unquestioned
acceptance of the spinet or console piano.
This statement by William J. Denels in charge of the
management of The Music Shop, operating exclusive music
stores in Hollywood and Westwood Village, California, act-
ually is an outline of the merchandising policy of these stores.
The Music Shops have for several years past placed particular
emphasis on their record department until today they rank
among the largest retail distributors in Southern California.
Being sales representatives for The Magnavox and Capehart
radio phonograph combinations. The Music Shops are ap-
pealing to the quality market. Confining their piano activi-
ties to a single line. GULBRANSEN PIANOS, this has
proved a real sales stimulant as proved by the highest per-
centage of sales closed in the store in the firm's history.
The Music Shops look forward to their greatest year's bus-
iness for 1941, with pianos, radio-phonographs and records, all
playing important parts. In the writer's opinion the unit
sale will be higher than in former years.
Aery truly yours,
The Music Shop—Hollywood
W. J. Denels, Yice-Pres.
PAGE SIX
1'RESTO MI T SIC TIMES
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