Music Trade Review
Issue: 1902 Vol. 34 N. 3 - Page 6
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
7VSVSIC TRKDE
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
CBITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAQINQ EDITOR.
Executive Staff:
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
WALDO E. LADD
GEO.
W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
REVIEW
methods which are far from honorable in
the exploitation of their wares, just so long
we may expect that they will contribute to
the debasement of the retailing of pianos
rather than to its elevation to the dig-
nified plane which it occupies in some local-
ities through the instrumentality of men who
believe in conducting their business upon
honorable lines.
T N the first place, a dealer should not secure
the agency of a piano to prevent a com-
Every saTurHaT at 3 Fast \m Street, New Yort
SUBSCRIPTION (including postages, United States, petitor from getting it, and while holding the
Mexico ai"l Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
*4.00. %
agency sell just enough of the instruments
ADVERTISErtENTS, #2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis- in order that he may use the name of the
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REniTTANCES, in other than currency form, should be maker to exploit his cheaper brands.
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
The names of makers great in pianodom
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
should not be used to emblazon a window
NEW YORK, JAN, 18, 1902,
simply for the purpose of decoying people
TELEPHONE NUMBER, i 745-ElOHTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month in, in order to sell them the "just as good"
THE
The Review contains in its "Artists' De-
ARTISTS
partment" all the current musical news. class.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres-
passing on the size or service of the trade
Gold-lettered signs may all be very nice,
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
but the manufacturer desires an outlet for
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turing firms and corporations found his goods, rather than a belettered store front.
MANUFACTURERS on pnge 2!) will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
Take the case in Philadelphia, where some
of the greatest names in the piano industry
were simply being used by dealers as a draw-
EDITORIAL
ing card.
They were long on showing the name on
Don't overlook the Review offer of $100 in cash
prizes on page 11. Details will interest you.
letter heads and on brilliant signs, but when
WORTH DEALERS' CONSIDERATION
it came to a question of sales, they were ex-
A T the trade gather-
Department s t o r e
ceeding short. Where are those pianos to-
competition—How to
ing in Boston last
meet it—A rumor that
day? In department stores, where they are
boycotting manufac- Saturday night, words
being sold in large numbers.
turers who sell de-
partment stores will were uttered which have
The matters discussed at the Boston ban-
be recommended.
a greater significance
quet should strike home to the heart of every
than appears on the surface. Frank P. An-
dealer. He should figure that the best
derson, treasurer of the Dealers' National
way to counteract department store compe-
Association, during his remarks, made spe-
tition is to make an agency pay the manu-
cial reference to the department store com-
facturer, who does not prefer to go outside
petition, and "the methods which should best
of the old-time channels, provided they are
be employed to counteract that steadily grow-
reasonably profitable for him.
ing piano disturbing factor." He said : "One
But no regular dealer can slur department
department store in New York sold nearly
five hundred pianos in its two branches last store competition, or the way that certain
December, and the dealers themselves must distinguished houses have conducted that
part of their business. Their advertising has
do something to counteract its influence."
been
above criticism; their piano depart-
He figured that the Boston men would,
ere long, be face to face with the same condi- ments have been run on strictly honorable
tions which the regular dealers in New York business lines; one price has been rigidly
are now confronting. He said, further, that adhered to, and, on the whole, their influence
the Dealers' Association would develop into has been for trade betterment rather than for
a power to grapple with this important trade trade degradation.
problem.
Let us hope so. One thing—dealers must
run their business on correct lines and adhere
closely to the one-price system as far as pos-
sible. The sooner dealers realize that manu-
facturers will not passiyely submit to having
their names used as drawing cards, to dig-
nify, as it were, certain establishments, sim-
ply as a means for the dealer to palm off a
lot of cheap pianos at high prices, the. better
it will be for them.
As long as dealers will persist in adopting
T T has been hinted, and somehow the rumor
has gained strength, that the National
Dealers' Association would pass resolutions
whereby the members would agree to boycott
certain piano manufacturing institutions
which are now supplying department stores,
and in this way would build up a powerful
influence against them.
We do not believe that the Dealers' Asso-
ciation will make any such move, for the day
of boycotting has gone by, and manufactur-
ers in every line will continue to seek the best
outlet for their wares possible. Piano manu-
facturers are no different than other business
men, and if the dealers sink to the level of
the Philadelphia standard, they may expect
precisely the same results which have been
reached in that city, namely, the withdraw-
al of many of the great names in piano his-
tory from regular to department store chan-
nels.
That the manufacturers are desirous of as-
sisting the dealers was emphasized in the force-
ful remarks of Edward S. Payson, of the
Emerson Co., at the same banquet. Mr. Pay-
son referred to the conservatism of his firm,
and that for a while they were unwilling to
place instruments in the hands of any mer-
chants outside of the regular ranks. The
change was brought about for excellent rea-
sons, and the same causes probably would in-
fluence others, who found that their agencies
had sunk into that sort of decadence which
has been unsatisfactory to the manufacturer.
Mr. Payson said that it was the desire of
the manufacturer to benefit the regular dealer
in every way, and that, in the matter of
freight reductions the manufacturers had
employed, at considerable expense, a man
who was recommended by one of the influen-
tial members of the National Association as
one being specially qualified to procure the
readjustment of freights. Although no re-
sults had been reached, yet they were paying
money for that purpose, with the sole object
of benefiting the dealer.
There is no good reason why there should
not be a readjustment of freight tariffs on
pianos. They remain the same to-day that
they did when the industry was very young,
and there were comparatively few shipments.
T"" HERE is no doubt that out of association
work will come, in the end, much good
to both manufacturer and dealer; but the
dealer should figure that the way to meet
department store competition is on the broad
ground of business equality; in other words,
meet it not by an unbusinesslike policy, not
by advertising pianos which are not sold by
him regularly, not by having any sort of an
elastic price upon his instruments, not by
using instruments of the highest grade to
draw customers and then selling some of the
cheapest pianos at a high figure as the "just
as good" kind, but by simply adopting busi-
nesslike methods and meeting department
store and all kinds of competition in precisely
just this same way.
It is a good topic, and one which is worthy
the serious consideration of every man in-
terested in the future of the industry.
T^HE dealers who compose the executive
committee of the National Association
have been in New York this week, and will
be guests of the New York Association at
a banquet at the Murray Hill Hotel to-night.
THE
7VSVSIC TRKDE
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR.
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
CBITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J. B. S P I L L A N E , MANAQINQ EDITOR.
Executive Staff:
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
WALDO E. LADD
GEO.
W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
REVIEW
methods which are far from honorable in
the exploitation of their wares, just so long
we may expect that they will contribute to
the debasement of the retailing of pianos
rather than to its elevation to the dig-
nified plane which it occupies in some local-
ities through the instrumentality of men who
believe in conducting their business upon
honorable lines.
T N the first place, a dealer should not secure
the agency of a piano to prevent a com-
Every saTurHaT at 3 Fast \m Street, New Yort
SUBSCRIPTION (including postages, United States, petitor from getting it, and while holding the
Mexico ai"l Canada, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
*4.00. %
agency sell just enough of the instruments
ADVERTISErtENTS, #2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis- in order that he may use the name of the
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REniTTANCES, in other than currency form, should be maker to exploit his cheaper brands.
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
The names of makers great in pianodom
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
should not be used to emblazon a window
NEW YORK, JAN, 18, 1902,
simply for the purpose of decoying people
TELEPHONE NUMBER, i 745-ElOHTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month in, in order to sell them the "just as good"
THE
The Review contains in its "Artists' De-
ARTISTS
partment" all the current musical news. class.
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres-
passing on the size or service of the trade
Gold-lettered signs may all be very nice,
section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
to advertisers.
but the manufacturer desires an outlet for
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano manufac-
PIANO
turing firms and corporations found his goods, rather than a belettered store front.
MANUFACTURERS on pnge 2!) will be of great value as
a reference for dealers and others.
Take the case in Philadelphia, where some
of the greatest names in the piano industry
were simply being used by dealers as a draw-
EDITORIAL
ing card.
They were long on showing the name on
Don't overlook the Review offer of $100 in cash
prizes on page 11. Details will interest you.
letter heads and on brilliant signs, but when
WORTH DEALERS' CONSIDERATION
it came to a question of sales, they were ex-
A T the trade gather-
Department s t o r e
ceeding short. Where are those pianos to-
competition—How to
ing in Boston last
meet it—A rumor that
day? In department stores, where they are
boycotting manufac- Saturday night, words
being sold in large numbers.
turers who sell de-
partment stores will were uttered which have
The matters discussed at the Boston ban-
be recommended.
a greater significance
quet should strike home to the heart of every
than appears on the surface. Frank P. An-
dealer. He should figure that the best
derson, treasurer of the Dealers' National
way to counteract department store compe-
Association, during his remarks, made spe-
tition is to make an agency pay the manu-
cial reference to the department store com-
facturer, who does not prefer to go outside
petition, and "the methods which should best
of the old-time channels, provided they are
be employed to counteract that steadily grow-
reasonably profitable for him.
ing piano disturbing factor." He said : "One
But no regular dealer can slur department
department store in New York sold nearly
five hundred pianos in its two branches last store competition, or the way that certain
December, and the dealers themselves must distinguished houses have conducted that
part of their business. Their advertising has
do something to counteract its influence."
been
above criticism; their piano depart-
He figured that the Boston men would,
ere long, be face to face with the same condi- ments have been run on strictly honorable
tions which the regular dealers in New York business lines; one price has been rigidly
are now confronting. He said, further, that adhered to, and, on the whole, their influence
the Dealers' Association would develop into has been for trade betterment rather than for
a power to grapple with this important trade trade degradation.
problem.
Let us hope so. One thing—dealers must
run their business on correct lines and adhere
closely to the one-price system as far as pos-
sible. The sooner dealers realize that manu-
facturers will not passiyely submit to having
their names used as drawing cards, to dig-
nify, as it were, certain establishments, sim-
ply as a means for the dealer to palm off a
lot of cheap pianos at high prices, the. better
it will be for them.
As long as dealers will persist in adopting
T T has been hinted, and somehow the rumor
has gained strength, that the National
Dealers' Association would pass resolutions
whereby the members would agree to boycott
certain piano manufacturing institutions
which are now supplying department stores,
and in this way would build up a powerful
influence against them.
We do not believe that the Dealers' Asso-
ciation will make any such move, for the day
of boycotting has gone by, and manufactur-
ers in every line will continue to seek the best
outlet for their wares possible. Piano manu-
facturers are no different than other business
men, and if the dealers sink to the level of
the Philadelphia standard, they may expect
precisely the same results which have been
reached in that city, namely, the withdraw-
al of many of the great names in piano his-
tory from regular to department store chan-
nels.
That the manufacturers are desirous of as-
sisting the dealers was emphasized in the force-
ful remarks of Edward S. Payson, of the
Emerson Co., at the same banquet. Mr. Pay-
son referred to the conservatism of his firm,
and that for a while they were unwilling to
place instruments in the hands of any mer-
chants outside of the regular ranks. The
change was brought about for excellent rea-
sons, and the same causes probably would in-
fluence others, who found that their agencies
had sunk into that sort of decadence which
has been unsatisfactory to the manufacturer.
Mr. Payson said that it was the desire of
the manufacturer to benefit the regular dealer
in every way, and that, in the matter of
freight reductions the manufacturers had
employed, at considerable expense, a man
who was recommended by one of the influen-
tial members of the National Association as
one being specially qualified to procure the
readjustment of freights. Although no re-
sults had been reached, yet they were paying
money for that purpose, with the sole object
of benefiting the dealer.
There is no good reason why there should
not be a readjustment of freight tariffs on
pianos. They remain the same to-day that
they did when the industry was very young,
and there were comparatively few shipments.
T"" HERE is no doubt that out of association
work will come, in the end, much good
to both manufacturer and dealer; but the
dealer should figure that the way to meet
department store competition is on the broad
ground of business equality; in other words,
meet it not by an unbusinesslike policy, not
by advertising pianos which are not sold by
him regularly, not by having any sort of an
elastic price upon his instruments, not by
using instruments of the highest grade to
draw customers and then selling some of the
cheapest pianos at a high figure as the "just
as good" kind, but by simply adopting busi-
nesslike methods and meeting department
store and all kinds of competition in precisely
just this same way.
It is a good topic, and one which is worthy
the serious consideration of every man in-
terested in the future of the industry.
T^HE dealers who compose the executive
committee of the National Association
have been in New York this week, and will
be guests of the New York Association at
a banquet at the Murray Hill Hotel to-night.
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