Music Trade Review
Issue: 1898 Vol. 26 N. 2 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
t\
[VJOW as to the Krell attitude. The Krell
Piano Co., Cincinnati, have maintained a
direct representation at this point for
years, having occupied during that period
suitable warerooms on Fifth avenue. Re-
cently they have moved to more commo-
dious warerooms, and have now placed
upon their instruments the name of New
York in conjunction with Cincinnati. Her-
man Krell is resident manager of the local
branch.
Now if anyone kindly inclined can tell
just wherein these are parallel cases, we
should like to have him. It is a question
of business ethics whether maintaining a
direct branch in a certain city gives a
corporation the right to the use of that
city's name. That is a subject always open
to argument.
Some believe in the affirmative, some in
the negative. It is, however, a usage that
we should never criticise, because we
think in all fairness there is some reason
why such a corporation should be entitled
to the nomenclature of the locality where-
in it maintains direct representation.
We have never criticised the A. B. Chase
Co. in placing the name of New York upon
their pianos so long as they maintained a
branch here, but years after the abandon-
ment of that branch, we repeat they have
no right to use the name of our city, and
in our opinion it is used simply to add a
prestige to their instruments, which an
obscure town in Ohio does not give them.
Any line of manufactured goods which
comes from our city has the prestige of
our great metropolis behind it, and in
our minds, it is precisely that prestige the
A. B. Chase Co. wish to gain in placing
New York upon their instruments.
We believe that trade opinion is strong-
ly with us. In fact some of the most prom-
inent men in this industry have personally
expressed themselves in terms of com-
mendation regarding the attitude of The
Review in this matter. We believe the
time will come when Mr. Whitney and his
associates will say that The Review was
perfectly right in calling their atten-
tion to their attitude in this, which we
consider a gross breach of business
etiquette.
It would not be surprising if a law were
passed during the coming session of the
New York Legislature, whereby it will be-
come necessary for all firms doing busi-
ness in this State to use the name on their
products of only the cities where the arti-
cles are manufactured, or wherein they
have direct representation. This would do
away with the commercial theft of our
great city's name.
l 8 o 8 PROMISES to be a year somewhat
remarkable in trade annals for law suits.
There are a number of cases which will
probably be brought up before the courts
during the next twelve months. There
are no less than four of the trade papers
with libel suits on hand. Considering
these matters, it looks as if it would be
somewhat of a sanguinary year in trade
paper politics.
The path of the music trade editor is not
always the path of peace.
There is much that is wrong in the law
of libel, and as it now stands, any publisher
may be put to much expense and annoy-
ance by anyone who seeks either cheap
notoriety or to blackmail the editor.
It keeps the lawyers busy.
And that is one of the things that we are
here for.
Without them this would be altogether
too placid an existence.
JT was about a year ago that The Keynote,
a musical monthly of standing, was amal-
gamated with The Review. The union
has been successful, and 1897 in many re-
spects has been the best ever recorded by
this dual property.
The Review has
moved steadily ahead; it reaches the entire
trade on this continent, and what is more,
influence and independence are synony-
mous with The Review. During '97 its
weekly issues have varied from thirty-six
to forty-eight pages. This is an astonish-
ing showing, and one which tells more
eloquently than columnsof self-laudation,of
the standing of The Review with the trade
of this country. It has steadily grown,
and '98 we propose will eclipse its prede-
cessor. Plans are now maturing which
insure a steady promotion of The Review
influence.
Take our last week's paper, this week,
or any other issue, and compare it with
any paper that you may receive in this
particular field, and what is the opinion
formed ?
It is this sort of comparison that we in-
vite, and it is this sort of comparison
which really places The Review in the
leading position where it truly belongs.
£)URING 1898 there will be a marked
tendency in the movement of the retail
piano trade uptown. Two prominent Four-
teenth street concerns—Sohmer & Co. and
Estey & Saxe—will both occupy commo-
dious quarters on Fifth avenue. Who will
be the firm to take the initial movement
above Twenty-third street across the
square to upper Fifth avenue?
The vicinity of the Waldorf-Astoria is
perhaps to-day the most aristocratic and
exclusive in the retail district of New
York. There are clustered some of the
best known concerns in art and kindred
trades in the world. It may be called
properly the carriage trade district of New
York, as nearly all the patrons of the stores
in that vicinity drive up in elegant
equipages. It must be a piano concern of
name and fame that would succeed in that
locality.
^ E A R L Y a year ago there occurred a
separation of the two departments of
of the Musical Courier. It was Mr. Blum-
enberg's avowed intention to annihilate the
remainder of the trade papers of the coun-
try. How well he has succeeded is best
evidenced in the weak, attenuated, vapid,
belated and abusive trade annex which has
evidently been buoyed up by the associa-
tion of names and the prestige not entirely
destroyed which belonged to its associate,
the Musical Courier pere.
There is a well-grounded belief in the
minds of some of Mr. Blumenberg's ad-
mirers that in order to save himself he
must hurry the Courier ftls under the pro-
tecting wings of its parent, or else the
January winds will finish it.
It will hurt his pride very much to do
this, for a more bombastic, egotistical
man never existed. Still pride often goeth
before a fall.
THE supplement "From Beethoven to
Steinway" which appears in this issue
serves a double purpose. It illustrates the
development of the piano from the crude
instruments of the former days to the pres-
ent magnificent creations, and it shows
particularly what the great firm of Stein-
way & Sons have accomplished in the ar-
tistic branch of the industry. It should be
understood that Steinway & Sons have a
special department in their factory devoted
exclusively to the production of art instru-
ments, embellished by some of the best
known modern artists.
T H E Courier Annex is exhibiting ex-
ecrable taste in endeavoring to try the
Haines Bros, and Haines & Co. suits in its
columns. Mr. Blumenberg never was an im-
partial judge, and his peculiar attitude in
this matter is open to the strongest kind of
condemnation. What Haines Bros, will
have to prove, and what they can prove,
should not be the subject of newspaper
comment before the trial occurs. One
does not have to look very far beneath
the surface in this matter before the belief
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
t\
[VJOW as to the Krell attitude. The Krell
Piano Co., Cincinnati, have maintained a
direct representation at this point for
years, having occupied during that period
suitable warerooms on Fifth avenue. Re-
cently they have moved to more commo-
dious warerooms, and have now placed
upon their instruments the name of New
York in conjunction with Cincinnati. Her-
man Krell is resident manager of the local
branch.
Now if anyone kindly inclined can tell
just wherein these are parallel cases, we
should like to have him. It is a question
of business ethics whether maintaining a
direct branch in a certain city gives a
corporation the right to the use of that
city's name. That is a subject always open
to argument.
Some believe in the affirmative, some in
the negative. It is, however, a usage that
we should never criticise, because we
think in all fairness there is some reason
why such a corporation should be entitled
to the nomenclature of the locality where-
in it maintains direct representation.
We have never criticised the A. B. Chase
Co. in placing the name of New York upon
their pianos so long as they maintained a
branch here, but years after the abandon-
ment of that branch, we repeat they have
no right to use the name of our city, and
in our opinion it is used simply to add a
prestige to their instruments, which an
obscure town in Ohio does not give them.
Any line of manufactured goods which
comes from our city has the prestige of
our great metropolis behind it, and in
our minds, it is precisely that prestige the
A. B. Chase Co. wish to gain in placing
New York upon their instruments.
We believe that trade opinion is strong-
ly with us. In fact some of the most prom-
inent men in this industry have personally
expressed themselves in terms of com-
mendation regarding the attitude of The
Review in this matter. We believe the
time will come when Mr. Whitney and his
associates will say that The Review was
perfectly right in calling their atten-
tion to their attitude in this, which we
consider a gross breach of business
etiquette.
It would not be surprising if a law were
passed during the coming session of the
New York Legislature, whereby it will be-
come necessary for all firms doing busi-
ness in this State to use the name on their
products of only the cities where the arti-
cles are manufactured, or wherein they
have direct representation. This would do
away with the commercial theft of our
great city's name.
l 8 o 8 PROMISES to be a year somewhat
remarkable in trade annals for law suits.
There are a number of cases which will
probably be brought up before the courts
during the next twelve months. There
are no less than four of the trade papers
with libel suits on hand. Considering
these matters, it looks as if it would be
somewhat of a sanguinary year in trade
paper politics.
The path of the music trade editor is not
always the path of peace.
There is much that is wrong in the law
of libel, and as it now stands, any publisher
may be put to much expense and annoy-
ance by anyone who seeks either cheap
notoriety or to blackmail the editor.
It keeps the lawyers busy.
And that is one of the things that we are
here for.
Without them this would be altogether
too placid an existence.
JT was about a year ago that The Keynote,
a musical monthly of standing, was amal-
gamated with The Review. The union
has been successful, and 1897 in many re-
spects has been the best ever recorded by
this dual property.
The Review has
moved steadily ahead; it reaches the entire
trade on this continent, and what is more,
influence and independence are synony-
mous with The Review. During '97 its
weekly issues have varied from thirty-six
to forty-eight pages. This is an astonish-
ing showing, and one which tells more
eloquently than columnsof self-laudation,of
the standing of The Review with the trade
of this country. It has steadily grown,
and '98 we propose will eclipse its prede-
cessor. Plans are now maturing which
insure a steady promotion of The Review
influence.
Take our last week's paper, this week,
or any other issue, and compare it with
any paper that you may receive in this
particular field, and what is the opinion
formed ?
It is this sort of comparison that we in-
vite, and it is this sort of comparison
which really places The Review in the
leading position where it truly belongs.
£)URING 1898 there will be a marked
tendency in the movement of the retail
piano trade uptown. Two prominent Four-
teenth street concerns—Sohmer & Co. and
Estey & Saxe—will both occupy commo-
dious quarters on Fifth avenue. Who will
be the firm to take the initial movement
above Twenty-third street across the
square to upper Fifth avenue?
The vicinity of the Waldorf-Astoria is
perhaps to-day the most aristocratic and
exclusive in the retail district of New
York. There are clustered some of the
best known concerns in art and kindred
trades in the world. It may be called
properly the carriage trade district of New
York, as nearly all the patrons of the stores
in that vicinity drive up in elegant
equipages. It must be a piano concern of
name and fame that would succeed in that
locality.
^ E A R L Y a year ago there occurred a
separation of the two departments of
of the Musical Courier. It was Mr. Blum-
enberg's avowed intention to annihilate the
remainder of the trade papers of the coun-
try. How well he has succeeded is best
evidenced in the weak, attenuated, vapid,
belated and abusive trade annex which has
evidently been buoyed up by the associa-
tion of names and the prestige not entirely
destroyed which belonged to its associate,
the Musical Courier pere.
There is a well-grounded belief in the
minds of some of Mr. Blumenberg's ad-
mirers that in order to save himself he
must hurry the Courier ftls under the pro-
tecting wings of its parent, or else the
January winds will finish it.
It will hurt his pride very much to do
this, for a more bombastic, egotistical
man never existed. Still pride often goeth
before a fall.
THE supplement "From Beethoven to
Steinway" which appears in this issue
serves a double purpose. It illustrates the
development of the piano from the crude
instruments of the former days to the pres-
ent magnificent creations, and it shows
particularly what the great firm of Stein-
way & Sons have accomplished in the ar-
tistic branch of the industry. It should be
understood that Steinway & Sons have a
special department in their factory devoted
exclusively to the production of art instru-
ments, embellished by some of the best
known modern artists.
T H E Courier Annex is exhibiting ex-
ecrable taste in endeavoring to try the
Haines Bros, and Haines & Co. suits in its
columns. Mr. Blumenberg never was an im-
partial judge, and his peculiar attitude in
this matter is open to the strongest kind of
condemnation. What Haines Bros, will
have to prove, and what they can prove,
should not be the subject of newspaper
comment before the trial occurs. One
does not have to look very far beneath
the surface in this matter before the belief
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