Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
cent, increase over last year. That is nearer
the exact figure. There are unmistakable
indications, too, that there is more of a sub-
stantial foundation prevailing and dealers,
as a whole, look forward with greater assur-
ance to the business future than last year.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL *£§•-
Editor and Proprietor.
Another interesting feature is this: that
the
very cheap piano, as a prominent factor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
in the trade, is rapidly disappearing. In
3 East 14th St.. New York
its place the medium grade instrument is
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage) United States and
beginning to forge rapidly to the front in
Canada, $3.00 per year; Foreign Countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
public
favor.
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count in allowed.
This is precisely as we predicted two
REMITTANCES, to other than currency form, should
fe« made payable to Edward Lyman BUI.
years ago. That the very cheap piano was
Bnttrtd mt tka If mo Yerk Pbst Offic* as Second- Class Mmttmr. an emergency instrument, and as soon as
the sunlight of prosperity dissipated the
NEW YORK, MAY 29, 1897.
gloom of depression the era of cheapness
TELEPHONE NUMBER 174S. — EIGHTEENTH STREET
would disappear as speedily as a wreath of
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review mist before the morning sun.
We have published a few of the many
will contain a supplement embodying the liter-
ary and musical features which have heretofore letters received, and next week we shall
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing devote more space to the same matter.
on our regular news service. The Review will
The Review is a business publication.
continue to remain, as before, essentially a trade
It
eschews personalities, but believes in
paper.
gaining all the information which the far-
THE TRADE DIRECTORY.
The Trade Directory, which is a feature of reaching machinery of this newspaper in-
The Review each month, is complete. In it ap-
pears the names and addresses of all firms en- stitution can command, and turning it out
gaged in the manufacture of musical instruments in a carefully selected grist of news to our
and the allied trades. The Review is sent to readers.
the United States Consulates throughout the
Again we believe in serving the manu-
world, and is on file in the reading rooms of the
principal hotels in America.
facturers by correctly forecasting for them
the business situation in order that they
TRADE —RETROSPECTIVE AND
may have, as a basis for future operations,
PROSPECTIVE.
the opinions of a widely separated con-
URING the past few weeks we have
stituency.
received letters from prominent
4-
^
dealers from all sections of America giv-
Last week we made mention of the fact
ing their opinions regarding trade—re-
that the Secretary of State refused to grant
trospective and prospective.
incorporation papers to Mr. Armstrong, of
It has been interesting to read the Foster & Co. of Rochester, N. Y., who
many communications and to note the desired the incorporation of Haines & Co.
variety of opinions regarding trade for
During the interim, we have heard noth-
the present year. In a country as diver- ing further relative to the action of the
sified in climate and products as America would-be incorporators.
there are always many complex questions
•]
-—-i-
rising out of the politico-economic situa-
A sad commentary on modern civiliza-
tion which tend to depress trade in cer- tion that men no sooner create a valuable
tain quarters.
trade mark for certain wares, than that
Perhaps there can be no better way to same trade mark is sought to be imitated,
forecast the trade situation than to gain and its value appropriated by other indi-
the opinions of men who have been en- viduals.
gaged for years in business in certain lo-
It seems surprising, too, that men who
calities. They are thoroughly conversant have hitherto borne a fair business reputa-
with trade conditions—know the out- tion should countenance a move which
look for the product either in mineral, ag- means nothing more nor less than the ap-
ricultural wealth or in manufactures of propriation of the name and good will
their locality. From the hundreds of re- fairly earned by others for their own self-
plies received we deduce the following ish,.monetary ends. It is true that most
facts:
of us do not remain in business purely for
That trade for 1897 as compared with the purpose of health, yet there are some
1896 shows a slight increase. The percent- men who are actuated by higher and nobler
age varies, according to opinions, from ten aims than the mere scramble for dollars.
to forty per cent. Our own opinion is that
We somehow are inclined to the belief
the average would be about fifteen per that men who will set to work deliberately
D
to steal the good will which others have
striven years to create, are no better than
thieves who break into a house at night
and steal personal property.
After all, what is a trade mark but prop-
erty?
It has a value, an artistic value, and a
commercial value as well. Now what right
has another to a name which he was not
instrumental in creating a value therefor?
Men who countenance such a move
should be frowned upon by their fellow-
men, because they are not only enemies to
society, but they would seek to undermine
the very foundation upon which modern
business rests, namely, character and honor.
While the age may be properly termed
iconoclastic, yet we believe that there are
enough men—decent, self-respecting, men
—in this trade who will eschew anything
which savors of a demolition of those prin-
ciples which should surround every honest
man and every upright business.
+
+
This is washing day for New York music
trade journalism, and the regular weekly
exhibit of soiled linen will be aired before
the trade. What a shame that the gar-
ments can't be washed in a remote back
alley! There are some ugly stains upon
them, and the display is not creditable
either to music trade journalism, or the in-
dustry which it represents.
The variegated career of that singular
compound of venom and vanity—John
Freund—does not form a particularly in-
structive object lesson, and it is neither
creditable to him as a journalist or a citi-
zen. Still, like all nerve-veneered men
of his class, he usually finds a way to ex-
tricate himself from any unpleasant situa-
tion into which he may be plunged.
It will not be surprising that he will fig-
ure John Haines indebted to him, and that
during all these intervening years he has
been especially considerate of his position,
and favored him with extreme leniency.
The garb of injured innocence is a fa-
vorite covering with John Freund.
The Gildemeester 6L Kroeger
Piano.
Work on the Gildemeester & Kroeger
pianos at the Kroeger factory is progressing
rapidly, and orders are coming in apace,
showing conclusively that the firm hold of
the " G. & K. " on the market has not been
relaxed. During a business talk on Wed-
nesday with Mr. Kroeger, a beautiful ex-
ample of the Gildemeester & Kroeger,
Style H, in walnut, was examined. This
instrument, one of a number recently
completed for shipment, has no elaborate
carving in relief, but the panels, richly en-
graved, give, with the general style and
finish, a chaste appearance always sought
for by piano makers but rarely secured.