Music Trade Review
Issue: 1902 Vol. 34 N. 16 - Page 6
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
IIITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPEI.AND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff:
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
Pntollsned Every Saturday at 3 East 141S street, flew \ u
MUSIC TRADE
in the retail piano business has not been
built upon mere bargain selling.
Recently ,a well known West Side Chicago
dealer advertised the names of a number of
distinguished makes of pianos at ridiculously
low figures. He may have made a few sales,
he has injured the standing of his house
materially.
There is a decided tendency to build up
the retail standard of the piano business.
Bargains and sensationalism will always play
a part in the retailing of wares, but in pe-
riods of prosperity bargains should not be
the whole thing by any means.
best results and ensure the greatest demands.
It is not always how a piano is designed,
for in order to sell within a certain range of
figures manufacturers have to figure two
sides of the question. First the cost to pro-
duce. Second, what can a radical change in
case architecture mean in the way of in-
creased output.
Is it possible to bring about changes and
have them popularized at once?
Yes.
There can be, but at what cost?
That is what the manufacturer of popular
priced pianos has to figure on. He must
necessarily depend upon the translation of
ideas into merchandise in a way to obtain
A BILL to regulate the sale of merchan-
dise in bulk has been signed by the Gov-
ernor of New York. It is designed to pre-
vent dishonest dealers selling out without the
knowledge of their creditors. This act pro-
""T HE deal which was reported in last
week's Review whereby Geo. P. Bent
sold sixty carloads of pianos for immediate
delivery to one firm shows conclusively that
HEN the attention of a certain piano the piano business has made long strides for-
man was drawn by his local competi- ward during the past few years, and it shows,
NEW YORK, APRIL J9, J902.
tors to his offensive style of advertising, he too, the wonderful development of the North-
replied, "I don't care about my competitors. west, where one firm, Foster & Waldo of
TELEPHONE NUMBER, i 745-E1OHTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month
THE
Minneapolis, have closed a contract for such
The Review contains in Its "Artists' De- 1 never make any money out of them, why
ARTISTS
partment" all the current musical news.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres- should I consider their feelings. My hook a deal.
passing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and is baited for the public, my own business
It demonstrates not only the development
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
engages my whole time, and I don't care of the piano industry, but the vast growth
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found whether my advertising offends or pleases."
of the Northwest. A new country, and still
MANUFACTURERS o n page 2S will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
It is a pretty cold kind of a statement, and one firm there readily assimilates within a
made by a thoroughly selfish individual. A brief period such a vast number of pianos.
man who has no regard for the decencies, It proves, too, that a hustling firm have great
of business is contributing largely to the be- possibilities, manufacturing as well as retail-
TOPICS OF THE HOUR.
lief that the most heartless of all battles is ing even in this limited industry.
DOSSIBLY we are at the apex of one the business battle. It isn't worth while to
of the great waves of prosperity. This worry about one l s competitors, yet the plan T* HE latest acquisition to the family of
trusts is the hardware combination, and
may not continue, nor is it likely to suddenly of continuing offensive advertising is not
this recent combine includes about two-thirds
collapse with a terrific crash as it did in the fair, or hardly honorable.
of the distributing end of the hardware job-
early nineties.
"P O say that trade has been phenomenally bing trade of the country. Its capital is
It may gradually settle down to a con-
active during April thus far would $120,000,000. Its object, greater economy
servative basis in which intelligent, econom-
constitute a distortion of facts. While the of operation than is possible among a number
ical plans, backed by good methods, will be
transactions in pianos during the current of concerns operating singly. This concern
necessary to continued success.
month have not been enormous, they have will be the biggest mercantile house in the
Of course all this is conjecture so far as
been fair, and in'this respect correspond with world. It forms a combination of dis-
conditions of prosperity are concerned, but
the general drift of trade in other lines at tributing interests on a scale never before
it does seem logical, and it is a safe stand-
the present writing. Retail business has been attempted. Some of the best authorities in
point from which to consider things.
somewhat restricted by unfavorable weather, the hardware trade are averse to predictions
For this reason the up-to-date piano mer-
but a broad canvass of the country shows that as to the outcome of this combination.
chant knows that wide-awakeness means
the average of business in the aggregate is
If a combination is ever formed in the
alertness on the point of value as far as
well under way for the month.
piano trade it must be on similar lines to
instruments are concerned. He must earn
Piano
merchants
occasionally
express
dis-
this
hardware trust, a combination controlling
the best'profits, hold trade and build it up
content because their expectations are not both the manufacturing and distributing
for the future.
The time is now in order to reap the full being fulfilled. Aggregate trade thus far sources. But forming a combination of
benefits of the present prosperity. If the this season has been above the average, and hardware men and piano men is an entirely
piano man is going to work upon the idea while collections have been somewhat slow, a different proposition. There is no special in-
of selling pianos in their class and delivering week or so of seasonable spring weather dividuality about a piece of hardware. It
is not an artistic product, and the individual-
values, he will reap the full benefit of the will put everyone in better humor.
IANO case architecture has changed for ity of a piano must always be dominant else
present good times.
the better during the past few years, the industry will have shrunk to a purely
But he should not run riot on the bargain
system of advertising. That is one point, and the question raised nowadays is, Can commercial stage, and while we are a com-
while it may be worked with a certain amount there be radical changes from the present mercial people, we are steadily developing
our artistic instincts.
•-' •
.
of discretion successfully, yet the idea of case designs ?
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States,
Mexico ai'-l Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
$4.00.
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REniTFANCES, in other than currency form, should be
VX/
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post. Office as Second Class Matter.
creating the impression that the piano busi-
ness is a junk business is hardly the proper
thing.
""*"
Bargains may be sometimes successful as
trade bringers, but the majority of successes
THE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
IIITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPEI.AND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff:
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
Pntollsned Every Saturday at 3 East 141S street, flew \ u
MUSIC TRADE
in the retail piano business has not been
built upon mere bargain selling.
Recently ,a well known West Side Chicago
dealer advertised the names of a number of
distinguished makes of pianos at ridiculously
low figures. He may have made a few sales,
he has injured the standing of his house
materially.
There is a decided tendency to build up
the retail standard of the piano business.
Bargains and sensationalism will always play
a part in the retailing of wares, but in pe-
riods of prosperity bargains should not be
the whole thing by any means.
best results and ensure the greatest demands.
It is not always how a piano is designed,
for in order to sell within a certain range of
figures manufacturers have to figure two
sides of the question. First the cost to pro-
duce. Second, what can a radical change in
case architecture mean in the way of in-
creased output.
Is it possible to bring about changes and
have them popularized at once?
Yes.
There can be, but at what cost?
That is what the manufacturer of popular
priced pianos has to figure on. He must
necessarily depend upon the translation of
ideas into merchandise in a way to obtain
A BILL to regulate the sale of merchan-
dise in bulk has been signed by the Gov-
ernor of New York. It is designed to pre-
vent dishonest dealers selling out without the
knowledge of their creditors. This act pro-
""T HE deal which was reported in last
week's Review whereby Geo. P. Bent
sold sixty carloads of pianos for immediate
delivery to one firm shows conclusively that
HEN the attention of a certain piano the piano business has made long strides for-
man was drawn by his local competi- ward during the past few years, and it shows,
NEW YORK, APRIL J9, J902.
tors to his offensive style of advertising, he too, the wonderful development of the North-
replied, "I don't care about my competitors. west, where one firm, Foster & Waldo of
TELEPHONE NUMBER, i 745-E1OHTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month
THE
Minneapolis, have closed a contract for such
The Review contains in Its "Artists' De- 1 never make any money out of them, why
ARTISTS
partment" all the current musical news.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres- should I consider their feelings. My hook a deal.
passing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and is baited for the public, my own business
It demonstrates not only the development
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
engages my whole time, and I don't care of the piano industry, but the vast growth
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found whether my advertising offends or pleases."
of the Northwest. A new country, and still
MANUFACTURERS o n page 2S will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
It is a pretty cold kind of a statement, and one firm there readily assimilates within a
made by a thoroughly selfish individual. A brief period such a vast number of pianos.
man who has no regard for the decencies, It proves, too, that a hustling firm have great
of business is contributing largely to the be- possibilities, manufacturing as well as retail-
TOPICS OF THE HOUR.
lief that the most heartless of all battles is ing even in this limited industry.
DOSSIBLY we are at the apex of one the business battle. It isn't worth while to
of the great waves of prosperity. This worry about one l s competitors, yet the plan T* HE latest acquisition to the family of
trusts is the hardware combination, and
may not continue, nor is it likely to suddenly of continuing offensive advertising is not
this recent combine includes about two-thirds
collapse with a terrific crash as it did in the fair, or hardly honorable.
of the distributing end of the hardware job-
early nineties.
"P O say that trade has been phenomenally bing trade of the country. Its capital is
It may gradually settle down to a con-
active during April thus far would $120,000,000. Its object, greater economy
servative basis in which intelligent, econom-
constitute a distortion of facts. While the of operation than is possible among a number
ical plans, backed by good methods, will be
transactions in pianos during the current of concerns operating singly. This concern
necessary to continued success.
month have not been enormous, they have will be the biggest mercantile house in the
Of course all this is conjecture so far as
been fair, and in'this respect correspond with world. It forms a combination of dis-
conditions of prosperity are concerned, but
the general drift of trade in other lines at tributing interests on a scale never before
it does seem logical, and it is a safe stand-
the present writing. Retail business has been attempted. Some of the best authorities in
point from which to consider things.
somewhat restricted by unfavorable weather, the hardware trade are averse to predictions
For this reason the up-to-date piano mer-
but a broad canvass of the country shows that as to the outcome of this combination.
chant knows that wide-awakeness means
the average of business in the aggregate is
If a combination is ever formed in the
alertness on the point of value as far as
well under way for the month.
piano trade it must be on similar lines to
instruments are concerned. He must earn
Piano
merchants
occasionally
express
dis-
this
hardware trust, a combination controlling
the best'profits, hold trade and build it up
content because their expectations are not both the manufacturing and distributing
for the future.
The time is now in order to reap the full being fulfilled. Aggregate trade thus far sources. But forming a combination of
benefits of the present prosperity. If the this season has been above the average, and hardware men and piano men is an entirely
piano man is going to work upon the idea while collections have been somewhat slow, a different proposition. There is no special in-
of selling pianos in their class and delivering week or so of seasonable spring weather dividuality about a piece of hardware. It
is not an artistic product, and the individual-
values, he will reap the full benefit of the will put everyone in better humor.
IANO case architecture has changed for ity of a piano must always be dominant else
present good times.
the better during the past few years, the industry will have shrunk to a purely
But he should not run riot on the bargain
system of advertising. That is one point, and the question raised nowadays is, Can commercial stage, and while we are a com-
while it may be worked with a certain amount there be radical changes from the present mercial people, we are steadily developing
our artistic instincts.
•-' •
.
of discretion successfully, yet the idea of case designs ?
SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States,
Mexico ai'-l Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
$4.00.
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REniTFANCES, in other than currency form, should be
VX/
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the New York Post. Office as Second Class Matter.
creating the impression that the piano busi-
ness is a junk business is hardly the proper
thing.
""*"
Bargains may be sometimes successful as
trade bringers, but the majority of successes
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).