Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Chickering & Sons, that they will hereafter
handle other pianos in connection with the
Chickering at their warerooms in this city.
It is that spirit of progressiveness and
modern enterprise which to-day permeates
the Chickering business, that has brought
this new change about.
Occupying the eminent position in the
trade in this city and throughout the coun-
try as the house of Chickering does, it is
but fair to presume that such a method on
their part will cause others to emulate their
example.
There are stores on Fifth avenue which
have for years followed the plan of Chicker-
ing & Sons, viz.: Selling no other pianos
than those of their own make.
Now the Chickering firm come out boldly
and say that while the Chickering piano
will occupy the same position that it always
has in the past in their warerooms—the
"leader"—yet pianos of other makes will
be pushed with just as much persistence
and energy as their own instruments.
In other words, if a customer has a musi-
cal taste, but not a Chickering purse, that
taste may be gratified by a piano purchased
in their establishment which bears another
name than that of Chickering upon its fall-
board.
This move is a move weighty with mean-
ing, as it will have a far-reaching effect
upon the retail piano business of New York
and elsewhere as at present conducted.
We have no doubt during '96 that in
nine-tenths of the warerooms in this city
customers will not be turned away from
establishments simply because they have
not the price for a Chickering, a Weber or
other makes.
There will be in this city more and more
music emporiums in the fullest sense of
the word.
The piano business will be run nearer on
the lines of other manufactures than here-
tofore—at least it seems to us to be rapidly
gravitating to that.
Modern methods of commercialism are
already applied to the conduct of the piano
business, and as an iron wedge is driven
with force into yielding wood by the power
applied, so the piano business will yield to
the pressure of modern and progressive
ideas that characterize business dealings in
all other manufactures at the close of this
century.
sale for a limited time, giving residents of
those cities wherein they had taken tempo-
rary warerooms, an opportunity to purchase
their wares direct.
Of course, the local dealers are very much
injured by such a course, but no one can
dispute that such methods are along the
lines of modern business principles.
A man has a perfect right to sell his
goods in any locality wheresoever he wishes.
This method has been adopted also by
an Eastern firm in a locality where they
have had no representation.
All such principles cause one to think
that the entire business is undergoing a
change—such a change as we have pre-
dicted above.
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The outlook for 1896 is particularly bright
for piano manufacturers.
As an argument in substantiating this
statement, let us ask what year for three
years has there been so many orders by
telegraph for pianos?
Do not such messages show a general de-
pletion of the stock in the retail warerooms?
Does it not show that dealers have been
buying sparingly, have preferred really to
sell from the factory rather than carry
stock in their warerooms?
And does it not show that there will be a
steady demand during the first months of
the year?
We will predict that there will be less of
the stagnancy which usually prevails during
the first two months of the year, than for
the past half dozen years.
Stocks are low, the people must have
goods.
Dealers will not lay in large stocks, which
is really much better, but their demand
will be steady—continual—sure.
It seems as if we have had a succession
of blows which have seriously retarded
business, but after all, there is that under-
lying faith in American institutions which
causes this country to rise above all obsta-
cles, tariff tinkering, Debs rebellion, Cleve-
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landism, everything.
Some of our local contemporaries have
The general business of the country has,
according to careful estimates, advanced to been giving much space to the "West-
a position of twenty per cent, above that ern scare," claiming that soon the advance
guard of the great Western firms would
of '94.
If it had been the other way, showing a cross the Alleghanies, planting their banners
decrease of twenty per cent., it would be in the great cities of New York and Boston,
exceedingly alarming; but as the tide is and completely annihilating the local trade
the right way, we should all celebrate the in those cities.
What rot.
holidays in the good old-fashioned way.
Arrant rot.
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Manufacturers have existed and con-
The President's message on the Venezu- trolled warer.ooms in the East for many
ela matter threw the country into a tremen- years, before some of the Western men first
dous panic, resulting in the loss of some saw light.
hundreds of millions in two or three days.
They will continue to maintain business
The reaction, however, has set in in a establishments even though the West "in-
good healthy manner, and there has been a vades the East."
lively scramble on the part of investors to
For our part we have condemned most
get back some of the good things which in heartily such messages and warnings from
their timidity they let slip from their hands the New York press.
at the first announcement of the "war
We believe in healthy competition, that
scare.''
kind of competition always stimulates trade
The improvement in prices, and the —makes business better for everyone.
present healthy tone of the markets, show
We gladly welcome the onward march of
how absurd was the disturbance, and how our Western brethren, whom we most
unnecessary the alarm which precipitated heartily admire.
the sudden decline in stocks.
Let them come; there's room for all in
If our national finances are in a bad way, this great big country of ours, and while
they are certainly not past mending, and they are selling their wares in the East, we
there is no doubt but that our national leg- do not think that Eastern wares will be en-
islators will do their full duty in this re- tirely excluded from lands west of the Ap-
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palachian chain.
spect.
In other words, Eastern men will con-
Also there is another method, which was
Of course, if alarmists continue the "war
first adopted by the great Kimball firm in scare," and the tariff tinkerers go on with tinue to do business in the West as well as
the West, that house which has left its im- their work at Washington, why we may ex- in the East.
Western men, sturdy and progressive,
print over the broad territory west of the pect disrupted and unsettled business, but
Alleghanies, and that in localities where just at present the conditions are encourag- will steadily advance their lines toward the
East, but as far as this "wiping out"
they were not represented to hold a special ing.