Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TWENTY-FIRST YEAR.
•EDWARD LYMAN BILL.
Editor and Proprietor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
~~
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, fa-oo per year; all other countries,
94-OO.
ADVERTISEriENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read-
ing matter $75.00.
~~ REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should
b* made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
(
Enitred at the New York Pott Office at Second Clatt
NEW YORK, A P R I L T H , 1900.
Matt*.
~~
TELEPHONE NUMBER, t74S-«EIOHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
"
The first week of each month, The Review will
contain a supplement embodying the literary
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
.on our regular news service. The Review wilt
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
trade paper.
KINDS OF ADVERTISING.
A WELL-KNOWN Southern house calls
our attention to an advertisement of
a rival firm which it affirms is unbusiness-
like as well as an injury to legitimate trade.
A perusal of the advertisement in question
reveals the fact that the rival institution is
offering some astounding bargains in the
piano line, but as far as we are able to deter-
mine there are no false statements made,
no misleading assertions, or in other words
the whole advertisement constitutes a bus-
iness announcement calculated to catch the
public eye in an attractive way and win
purchasers.
We can see nothing to condemn about
such a form of advertising even though,
personally, we do not consider it as pro-
moting the best interests of the industry.
Still that is our individual opinion. The
legitimacy of the course of the merchant
we cannot question in the slightest degree,
and the only way to counteract the effect
of his statement is to get up some form of
advertising which will appeal to the public
as effectively as the announcement of the
rival concern. The only way to fight com-
petition is to meet it on up-to-date lines,
and if a rival piano merchant purchases a
goodly amount of space in the local papers
and secures large slices of trade thereby,
he is to be credited with good, straight
business common sense, and the other mer-
chants can gain nothing by decrying his
policy. They will do much better if they
open up larger accounts with the local pa-
pers so that their business announcements
are fully as large if not a trifle larger than
those of their rivals.
One of the great drawbacks to the
piano business throughout the country is
the fact that the piano merchants are not
The basic principle of the Buffalo Expo-
extensive advertisers, and abbreviated an- sition will be to draw all America, that is
nouncements that so and so has pianos and all of Latin America which lies south of
organs for sale, do not appeal to the public us, into closer relations with this country.
taste.
Whether piano manufacturers will take a
There is a firm in Philadelphia, Heppe warm interest in the Buffalo Exposition is
& Son, who have carried on for years an to be demonstrated. It cannot be denied
intelligent form of advertising, educational, that the growth of commercial relations
too, in its way, because it has stimulated between the United States and the Latin
thought along musical lines. The Heppe American republics has shown less prog-
concern have not merely stated in their ress than has been pointed out from time
advertising that they have pianos and all to time as being not only possible but
musical accessories for sale, but they have probable.
printed cleverly worded announcements,
But it by no means follows, because
showing the desirability of a musical instru- markets for products of the United States
ment of some sort in home life. Their are being opened with less difficulty in
aim has been to show the absolute neces- some other quarters, that our Southern
sity of having musical culture in the home neighbors should be lost sight of as cus-
circle. Then, too, they have taken up par- tomers for our manufactures and even
ticular instruments and have shown their for an important quantity of our foodstuffs.
special advantage, so that they really have If no other reason existed, the success of
created an interest and a demand for cer- certain European countries in extending
tain lines which they carry.
their trade throughout the region extend-
Take in iEolian work alone. Has there ing southward from the Rio Grande to
been any concern outside of New York the Rio de la Plata should lead our own
which has carried educational work along people to study this field with more care
iEolian lines with such pronounced suc- than in the past.
There has been too great a tendency
cess as the Heppes?
We speak of the Heppe firm because here to depend upon efforts made by the
they stand out prominently as a distin- Government to foster trade with South
guished house. Their methods have been America. The fact that voting a subsidy
thoroughly business-like, dignified and up- to a line of steamers to Brazil, or the sign-
to-date. That they have achieved success ing of reciprocity agreements with several
is emphasized in the recent acquisition of of the Southern republics, was not fol-
wareroom facilities which give them prac- lowed by an immediate increase in our ex-
tically double the space held by them for- ports to those countries was accepted by
merly. They have been intelligent, con- many people as indicating that perhaps a
sistent, educational advertisers. There is mistake had been made in estimating trade
a lesson in Heppe history for some dealers possibilities in that direction. It does vio-
lence to our reputation as a practical peo-
who wonder why others succeed.
ple, however, for any of us to suppose that
Let them become Heppe-ized.
the mere recording of a new law on the
statute books will necessarily make the
INDUSTRY AND EXPOSITIONS.
citizens
of another republic better ac-
T H E interest in the Paris Exposition as
far as the music trade industry of quainted with our products or more desir-
America is concerned is comparatively ous of buying them. So long as Brazil,
light, there being but two manufacturers for instance, admitted North American
out of the entire list who have exhibits at goods under a preferential tariff, doubtless
Paris. The fact is American piano manu- a better opportunity existed than before
facturers since the World's Fair have been for the introduction of such goods into that
prone to look upon Expositions with abated country, but without systematic, intelli-
interest. The lavish and almost universal gent and persistent efforts to take advant-
distribution of medals and diplomas at the age of the situation afforded by the re-
ending of that great Fair depreciated such ciprocity treaty, it might as well not have
recognition in the estimation both of man- existed.
ufacturers and the purchasing public as
CONDITION OF TRADE.
well. Still these Expositions go merrily
INDICATIONS
generally point to some-
on, and undoubtedly the one at Paris will
thing of an increase in the volume of
be a distinguished success. This will be
business,
especially in smaller cities. The
followed next year by the Pan-American
Fair at Buffalo, which many believe will coming of spring invariably has a stimu-
eclipse anything ever held in America lating effect on trade, but the advance of
with the exception of the Columbian Ex- the season has not been such as to awaken
a marked activity as yet.
position.