Music Trade Review

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<••*
THE
TKXJSIG TRKDE
REVIEW
a benefit to the community in which they are for that—yet we do believe in stating trade
located.
conditions precisely as they are, and January,
This bill, if passed, would mean the anni- judged from the piano standpoint, has not
hilation of the small piano dealer.
been eminently satisfactory in all respects.
Merchants in all lines condemn the bill.
Of course, there are excellent reasons for
The New York Piano Manufacturers' Asso- tHis. All our people were heavy buyers up
EDWARD LYMAN BILL,
E1ITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
v ,.t
ciation has already sent a delegation to Al- to the close of the year, and it is only natural
J . B . S P I L L A N E , MANAGING EDITOR.
bany, headed by Chas. H. Parsons, who made that a period of relaxation should be the se-
' THOS. CAMPRELL-COPELAND a strong argument against the passage of the quel to such unprecedented activity. 1902
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER
WALDO E. LADD
bill, alleging that at least twenty-five per cent, will give an excellent accounting of itself, de-
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKLIN
3 MlWlQT of the retail dealers would be driven out of pend upon that, and will probably show a
business. Mr. Parsons considered that the substantial increase over the output of last
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico ui"l Cauadii, $2.00 per year; all other countries,
bill would result in the restriction of the year, as far as pianos are concerned.
$4.00.
*
ADVERTISEHENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
There is nothing to disturb general con-
Insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis- piano trade.
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
It seems to us that it would not only be a ditions, and our people never possessed the
REniTFANCES, in other than currency form, should be
made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
restriction in the piano trade, but in all trades, purchasing power which they do to-day, and,
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
because selling upon the installment plan is better still, we arc not disturbed by fluctu-
NEW YORK, FEB. 8, 1902.
recognized by the greatest, as well as the ating stock conditions. We have gained
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745-E1QHTEENTH STREET.
smallest merchants, as a method of disposing strength and do not exhibit the slight-
On the first Saturday of each month
THE
The Review contains in its "Artists' De-
ARTISTS
est excitement over the collapse of a trust or
partment" all the current musical news. of wares which has made it possible to place
DEPARTMENT This is effected without in any way tres-
piiHsing mi the size or service /if the trade
within the reach of people of ordinary means two, which, a few years ago, would have
section of the paper. It lias a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review
articles which they never would have pur- depressed the financial world.
>
to advertisers.
chased under the old method.
DIRECTORY OF
The directory of piano mnnufac-
There never was a time when the merchan-
PIANO
turlng firms and corporations found
MANUFACTURERS on page 13 will be of great value as
The
New
York
Piano
Manufacturers'
As-
dise in the possession of retail piano men
a reference for dealers and others.
sociation is to be congratulated upon its throughout the country was of such assured
prompt work against the passage of this bill, value as it is at present; never were stocks
EDITORIAL
which would have such a disastrous effect in better condition, and never was there such
upon the small dealers throughout the Em- an absence of accumulation in the hands of
Don't overlook the Review offer of $100 In cash
prizes on page 19. Details will interest you.
pire State.
manufacturers and retailers.
When
one
studies
the
sweeping
effect
of
THE PROPOSED INSTALLMENT LAW
CATALOGUE HOUSE GROWTH.
M E W YORK piano this proposed legislation, its effect upon gen-
Will largely decrease
the number of piano
T H E great catalogue
men are much ex- eral trade and upon individual rights, the
How the position of
dealers—The exacting
these
houses
is
main-
question
is
at
once
raised
in
legal
minds
as
houses of Chicago
ercised over the bill in-
of a bond and deposit
tained — Small goods
to
its
constitutionality
and
if
such
a
bill
could
have
seriously crippled
trade
cut—Piano
bus-
—Piano men from
troduced in the Assem-
iness not a success—
Gotham on the spot.
the trade of the dealers
Trashy character of
bly at Albany by Leo P. be enforced. This is a matter on which some
pianos offered.
legal
authorities
disagree.
in
"small goods," and at
Ullman. This bill, if passed, will seriously
affect, not only every piano dealer in the THE FIRST MONTH DISAPPOINTING the present time there appears to be no good
State of New York, but all establishments
ILL it be advisable reason to doubt that the catalogue house
Retail trade some-
what
slow
but
ootlook
which sell on the installment plan. Its im-
to run a Febru- influence will continue to grow and extend
is most encouraging—
mediate effect would be to wipe out many
ary special sale, or has in all directions, for those colossal organiza-
Business
conditions
as they really exist in
of the small piano dealers who could not
the special idea been tions in Chicago have recently closed con-
the piano field.
afford to pay the license demanded. The
worked for all it is tracts for extensive additions to their already
gigantic plants.
. . . •
measure contemplates the licensing of all con- worth ?
TWENTY-THIRD YEAR.
5
cerns doing an installment trade, whose au-
thority must be obtained from the State
Comptroller. The application must be signed
by at least five persons who will guarantee
the character and financial ability of the ap-
plicant. If the application is approved by
the comptroller, the person who wishes to
go into this line of trade must deposit $1,000
with him before the operation can be com-
menced, and also to put up a bond of $5,000
that he will conduct his trade properly.
It is alleged that this bill is aimed at the
"shyster" furniture installment houses, but,
as a matter of fact, there are not only nu-
merous legitimate furniture houses all over
the State, but many piano dealers who would
be seriously handicapped by the withdrawal
of $1,000 cash from their assets—houses, too,
that are reliable in every way, and they are
That is a question which interests many
piano dealers just now throughout the coun-
try.
As a matter of fact, January has not been
up to the standard of 1901, and the sales at
retail throughout the country will bear out
this statement absolutely.
It is true, some stores have done well,
others rather slow, while in still others a reg-
ular frost has existed. Of course, because
January has been a trifle disappointing, it
does not by any means follow that February
will not surpass February of 1901; but to
rush into print and say that January has been
a record-breaker in the volume of business,
would be untrue and not fair to the readers of
The Review.
'
•
•
While we do not believe in being pessi-
mistic about trade—for there is little cause
In organs, too, are they developing an in-
fluence which has been felt by the small music
traders all over the South and West. In
pianos there has not been such success won
by the catalogue houses. Whether this is due
wholly to the cheap and trashy character of
the products sold by them, or whether people
prefer to buy from local institutions, is a mat-
ter upon which trade minds disagree. One
thing is certain, however; the distribution of
millions of these enormous catalogues in
homes throughout the West and South con-
taining illustrations of pianos delivered for
$92.50, has not had a beneficial effect upon
the piano trade, for we can name many in-
stances where the prospective customers have
invariably turned to their huge catalogues
and indicated an alluring cut of a piano
which would be delivered at $92.50. It is