Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
made on a basis of payments which would
require a year and a half to two years to
get back the actual cash cost of making the
sale, considering fairly the outlay in freight,
cartage, salaries, advertising and other
TWENTY-FIRST YEAR.
legitimate expenses which should properly
•EDWARD LYMAN BILL-
be charged against the instrument, this,
Editor and Proprietor
entirely outside of the purchase price of
the piano.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
We are confident that when cash is as
plentiful as at the present time dealers will
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, fajoo per year; all other countries,
$300.
materially advance their interests if they
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
work harder for cash. That portion of the
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read-
ing matter $75.00.
public who ordinarily visit piano stores can
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
toe made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
raise money for the purchase of pianos as
Entered at the New York Pott Office as Second Class Matter.
easily as they can pay cash to other busi-
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 9, 1899.^ ness establishments from which they make
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745—EIGHTEENTH STREET.
purchases.
THE KEYNOTE.
There is a belief existing among the people
The first week of each month, The Review will
contain a supplement embodying the literary
that pianos can be purchased for little or
and musical features which have heretofore
nothing down and the same per month,
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
or, to indulge in the vernacular of the
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
day, for any old thing. This idea would
trade paper.
not have gained ground had it not been
encouraged by piano dealers themselves,
CAMPAIGN FOR CASH.
r \ N E Western dealer writes to The Re- and it is quite time to start the wheels
going in the opposite direction. In other
view :
'' I have read with lively interest the words, to contribute somewhat to the change
editorials advocating stronger work along of public opinion in regard to the purchas-
cash lines, and I want to say that I believe ing of pianos. It can be done by main-
that you are doing the trade a service in taining a firm stand on cash lines. It is
this work. I myself have already profited good, straight, cold cash that counts' with
by it, and believe that the whole trade will manufacturers. It possesses an eloquence
be better if they work harder for cash that wins everywhere. Cash is all right.
Get some. You can't do too much busi-
than is the ordinary custom."
We are of the opinion that our corres- ness along cash lines.
pondent is correct in the main. The truth
WAREROOM PROGRESSIVENESS.
is we have fallen into the installment rut,
and it only requires a little exertion to ex-
A TOUR of inspection of the music
tricate ourselves completely from it.
stores of America will disclose the
fact
that
the most attractive warerooms are
Now, we do not wish our utterances to be
construed as meaning that we condemn in- the places where the business is being
stallment sales. They are all right, but done. People naturally gravitate to at-
we do say that this trade would be in a tractive establishments, and dark, gloomy
better condition to-day if cash sales were warerooms wrapped in funeral habiliments
talked with a little more energy, and install- have a chilliness about them which possess
ment sales were talked on a basis of larger no drawing power for the average piano
monthly payments, than is the usual cus- purchaser. Too many piano merchants
tom to-day.
begrudge business its legitimate expendi-
. From observation we are inclined to the tures, constantly refraining from expenses
belief that there is an element in this trade which are absolutely needed, expenses for
largely wrapped up in the installment sales fixtures, improvements in the store and
to such an extent that they consider wall adornments.
they are doing a profitable business when
This is especially the case with stores
oftentimes they are not. They get pianos long established, whose proprietors are apt
out, no matter on what terms, but get to feel that what has served for so many
them out, and are satisfied to receive in years is adequate for the present day.
payment a lot of paper which may be
Now the successful close of the century
greatly depreciated as time rolls on.
merchant treats his business liberally, and
Then again the cash cost of selling oftentimes denies himself that he may ex-
pianos has not been fully understood by pend money on his store. He also realizes
many dealers. They have been figuring the full value of advertising, and his name
on a false basis as to the real cost of selling appears regularly in conjunction with the
pianos. We have seen, personally, sales wares which he handles in the columns
of the local papers. He appears in the
business community in which he lives as a
live business character, hence when people
are desirous of purchasing musical instru-
ments they gravitate naturally to his store.
While it pays to have an active corps
of outside salesmen working intelligently
along lines which result in bringing cus-
tomers to the warerooms, it pays also to
have attractive establishments which warm
the heart of the intending purchaser after
he has entered. People form ideas quickly
nowadays, and they are apt to believe that
the man who conducts business in an un-
attractive place, whose warerooms have no
drawing power, and whose stock is usually
dust-covered, is also not up-to-date in his
business dealings, and they prefer the
bright, cheery establishment upon which
lingers no dust of indifference.
It pays to brighten things up a bit.
IRON AND INDUSTRY.
T H E iron trade is always regarded as a
most trustworthy measure of busi-
ness conditions; therefore general atten-
tion should be given to the remarkable de-
mand for iron at the present moment.
According to the "Iron Age," the first
authority in its line, the excitement in the
iron market is growing and is spreading.
A very large tonnage of pig iron is being
placed for 1900 delivery at advancing
prices, a number of orders having been
placed for delivery as far ahead as the
second half of 1900. Our contemporary
also states that evidence is accumulat-
ing that a very large tonnage of unfilled
orders will be carried over until next year,
not alone in steel rails, but also in structu-
ral material, plates and other forms of
finished iron and steel.
These indications are of vast importance
to the piano industry for they point to the
steady employment of a great amount of
labor during the winter, a period which in
many industries, is usually a slack one.
There seems to be no reasonable doubt
that business in all lines will continue to
be unusually active.
We learn that there is no probability
that the scarcity of iron will affect the
piano plate men, at least not for a period
of some months, yet that jio one can
predict with any degree of certainty. The
fear, however, of immediate suffering
owing to the dearth of iron may be com-
pletely removed.
CONCERNING PRICES.
P\EALERS continue to visit the markets
and are placing liberal orders for
future delivery. Many of them manifest
an eagerness to secure their wares before