Music Trade Review

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THE
7VYUSIO TRKDE
REVIEW
I T will be interesting to read the special
reports regarding trade conditions from
different parts of the country which appear
in another part of this paper. The Review
will furnish at intervals specific information
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
regarding the piano outlook in various sec-
EBITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
tions of the country. The sales compared
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAQINQ EDITOR.
with last year are about even, while collec-
THOS. CAMPRELL-COPEI.AND
EMIL[E FRANCIS BAUER
tions
are better. The condition of crops is ex-
WALDO E. LADD
Executive Staff:
GEO.
W. QUERIPEL
cellent, and the piano business compares well
A. J. N1CKLIN
PoDllslied Every Saturday at 3 East 14th Street, New Yori with the general trade. Future prospects
SUBSCRIPTION (including, postage's United States, are good, but the one matter upon which all
Mexico ai"i Canada, $12.00 per year; all other countries,
$4.00.
of the dealers invariably agree is that un •
ADVERTISEHENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a specialdis- pleasant phrase "unfair competition." More
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
than forty leading piano merchants in Amer-
REniTFANCES, in other than currency form, should be
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
_ _ ^ ica have stated to us during the past week
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
that local competition is not run on fair
NEW YORK, MAY 10. 1902.
"
lines.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-EIOHTEENTH STREET.
REVIEW
and it should be demonstrated that malice
was behind the act, then the newspaper is
usually found guilty.
There are many things which in the hurry
and bustle of daily or weekly newspaper
work which creep in, the editor being wholly
in ignorance of their lodgment in his publi-
cation. It is almost impossible to ferret out
every item which may be construed as a re-
flection upon a certain firm or individual.
Our contemporary, the Music Trades, was
recently made defendant in a suit, and it was
proven in court that there was no intent on
the part of either the editor or manager to
injure the plaintiff. There was not even
culpable carelessness or neglect evidenced in
publishing the matter, and it was proven
that the editor had no knowledge of the ad-
On the first Saturday of each month
THE
Why is this? With everything in good vertisement or the reading article until after
The Review contains in its "Artists' De-
ARTISTS'
partment" all the current musical news.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres- condition ; no doleful reports regarding fin- their publication.
passing on the size or service of the trade
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and ances ; the financial condition of localities
Surely the decision of the court in favor
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
most favorable; with general business con- of the defendant was a wise one.
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turing firms and corporations found ditions on the whole unusually sound and
An editor should not be put to expense,
MANUFACTURERS o n P«S e -•""» will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
healthy, and yet all say that local competi- owing to the fact that some article which
tion is unfair.
may be deemed a reflection upon an individ-
Why is this?
ual
or institution creeps into his columns,
EDITORIAL
Perhaps some of our piano men will have particularly when he stands ready, as did
some logical explanation of this condition the editor of our contemporary, to make
TOPICS OF THE HOUR.
"W ES, all eyes are turned on Baltimore. of affairs at the Dealers' Convention in Bal- the amende honorable. This decision shows
It will be the Mecca of music trade timore. It will be a pretty good occasion in a broader and more tolerant spirit in dealing
men until the middle of the month. Not- which to air matters of general interest to with papers.
withstanding the ovster season is over, it the trade, and if competition is unfair, who
is believed that no member of the visiting makes it unfair but the dealers themselves? A MAX while discussing various trade pa-
Surely not the manufacturers.
Then
piano clan will go hungry during his tarry
pers the other day said: "Well, if
in the monumental city, l'altimore has hung dealers must get together, that is, the better lSlumie hasn't anything else he certainly has
her banners on the outer wall and bids the class of them, and build up the kinds of com- talent for the piano brokerage business."
petition to a higher standard.
coming host a hearty welcome.
But that isn't all. He has the nerve and
If a thing is not right, make it right.
talent to write himself down more kinds
T " HE stencil piano—pardon, we have be-
That's all there is about it.
of an ass than probably any man in the pro-
come so accustomed to the word that
fession. His talent in this direction is most
'
"
T
H
E
lot
of
the'editor
and
publisher
is
not
it will slip in—we mean the irregular piano,
an ideal one, neither is his path forever remarkable, distinguished and emphatic. In
will come in for a fair amount of discussion
at the various meetings in l'altimore next redolent with the sweet perfume of flowers. fact he has a monopoly of the field in this
The libel laws of the country cause him much particular.
week.
We would propose, first, to cut the word unhappiness and the individual editor parts
"stencil" as in general use out of the dic- with many hard-earned dollars in the de- I AWS are becoming more and more oper-
fense of suits brought against him, some of
ative towards the protection of legiti-
tionary of piano names entirely.
which
are
just
and
fair,
while
others
oft-
mate business. Jn a number of States laws
The "stencil" piano, as it is used to-day,
times
are
conceived
in
malice.
have been passed recently which have been
means nothing, for all pianos are stencilled.
The history of newspaper libel suits would beneficial to the manufacturing and mercan-
Some with mighty good names, and some
form
not only an interesting volume, but tile interests.
• .
with—well, mighty rank ones, which mean
an exceedingly lartre one.
There has also been introduced much
nothing.
Trade papers are not exempt from vex- crank legislation, but there is obvious need
I Wit there are really but two kinds of
atious experiences and have been put to of such a law as that which was recently
pianos.
Regular, those which are made by indi- much unnecessary and needless expense signed by Governor Odell in regard to the
viduals, firms or corporations, and directly but the courts are now becoming more liberal sale of merchandise stocks in bulk.
and fair in their treatment of newspapers,
traceable to them.
This was forcibly illustrated by a transac-
consequently
there
will
be
a
reduction
of
ac-
tion recently brought to light in I'rooklyn.
Irregular, those pianos which have no def-
In this case a retail dry goods merchant sold
inite origin and may be made in half a doz- tions brought against newspapers.
'PI, in
All of the recent decisions supports the
en factories, none of which will father them.
theory
that the judges invariably base their
I Wit the stencil piano, it is meaningless, ridic-
ulous and absurd. Out with it, supplant it decision uoon the intent of the editor and
with the term irregular. A pleasant word, publisher.
mouth-filling, and it means something.
If that intent was to harm the plaintiff,
out his stock to a firm of auctioneers and de-
parted with the proceeds, leaving his cred-
itors in the lurch to the tune of something
like $20,000. Under the new law such a
sale would be null and void unless the cred-