Music Trade Review
Issue: 1903 Vol. 37 N. 4 - Page 8
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN
BILL,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E
MANAGING EDITOR.
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
ORO. TV KELLER
W. MURDOCH LIND
A. EDMUND HANSON.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKL1N
Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New
.SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, f 2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, f 2.00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts ft special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages f 50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
KEMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Ly man Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JULY 25, 1903-
TELEPHONE NU/1BER, I74S-E1QMTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
THE
"Artists' Department" all the current musical newt. This Is
ARTISTS
n r D i B T i i . . . effected without In any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
DIRECTORY
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora-
PIANO
tlons found on page 31 will be of great value as a reference for
n r
MANUFACTURERS ^ - s and others.
EDITORIAL
\ I 7E learn that at the next session of the New York Legislature
it is proposed to introduce a bill which will do away com-
pletely with the doubtful origin of pianos offered at retail. It is
proposed in this bill that every instrument shall bear either upon
its name-board, or upon its plate, the name of the individual or cor-
poration manufacturing the instrument. This will be a State law
applied to all pianos offered for sale within the State. Pianos of
an indefinite, or stencil origin can then be immediately traced to the
source from which they originate.
To illustrate: A piano which is stencilled "Steinweg" must
bear, according to the proposed law, in a conspicuous place the
name of the maker, either below the large stencil on the fall board
or in some place in the plate, which can be easily seen by raising the
top lid of the piano.
It is proposed that the first offense shall be punishable by a fine
not exceeding $500, and the second offense shall merit both fine and
imprisonment.
-
|
ERTAINLY a law of this kind will completely annihilate
illegitimate stencilling, and every manufacturer who puts out
a piano bearing other than his firm or corporate name should think
enough of the instrument to have some mark by which it may be
traceable directly to him. Such a law will afford protection to the
retail purchasers and no piano can be offered for sale when such a
law is upon our statute books unless it shall bear in some prominent
place the name of the maker.
There are firms which are manufacturing several brands of
pianos, and who make no concealment of that fact. They are in
every sense legitimate products ar|:1 are openly advertised as made
by the concerns, But there are instruments which are vended
REVIEW
under names which closely approximate some of the leading instru-
ments, and which are sold frequently to ignorant people with the
impression that the purchasers are securing the genuine product.
' A GAIN, the vanity and weakness of other purchasers is cleverly
played upon by a certain class, who insist that no one will
know when they see the name on the instrument but that the pos-
sessor has a genuine product of one of the old and famous makers,
for instance the "Steinweg" might mean a Steinway, or "Picker-
ing" the famous dickering, and "Webber" the well known piano
bearing the name Weber.
Men who have created a certain following for their instru-
ments on account of their artistic worth are entitled to all the pro-
tection which the law can afford. Purchasers also should be safe-
guarded in piano purchases in every possible way. Why is it not
a good point to have all pianos traceable to a definite source?
HE solid business interests of the country will not be affected
to an alarming extent by the juggling which is going on in
Wall street. The prosperity of America rests upon a substantial
foundation which is not likely to be easily disturbed. The course
of the grain markets and the condition of the growing crops con-
tinue to be centers of absorbing interest, and it is well to note that
nothing has evolved unfavorably in crop prospects.
In fact the weather conditions have improved, and the most re-
liable trade authorities, hundreds of whom have written to The Re-
view, have reported the best weather of the season for harvesting
and for crop growth.
Indeed harvesting in certain sections of the West is said to
never have been done under more favorable conditions.
Taken altogether the outlook for business is certainly encour-
aging, and dealers will do well to see that their stocks are in good
condition to keep the best favoring trade breezes of the early fall.
course we hear the cry of the pessimist abroad in the land that
business will go to smash, and if we should listen to these
pessimistic wails and agree with this way of thinking we would all
be in the slough of despond.
A good definition has been given by some one of the pessimist
that he is a man who, of two evils, always chooses both. We
have been hearing from him during the past two or three years,
to the effect that we would soon have another panic, and that the
times are out of joint, and it is possible that same of the pessimists
are very much disappointed and very sorry that their predictions
have not come true.
How much better it is to be an optimist with a proper degree
of conservatism as a balance wheel.
That there have been some clouds upon the business horizon
during the past year or so, which have affected some portion of the
body politic we will all admit, yet they all have been, or all are be-
ing dissipated one by one and they will continue to be, no matter
if the question be tariff, finance, labor troubles or what not.
The great common sense of our people in this wonderful land of
ours must and will in the end prevail.
IN looking back and making observations and comparisons of the
* conditions and methods of handling the piano business to-day
and twenty years ago one notes marvelous transformations. Con-
ditions have changed so rapidly that it has kept one busy to keep
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN
BILL,
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
J . B. S P I L L A N E
MANAGING EDITOR.
EXECUTIVE STAFF :
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND
ORO. TV KELLER
W. MURDOCH LIND
A. EDMUND HANSON.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER
GEO. W. QUERIPEL
A. J. NICKL1N
Published Every Saturday at I Madison Avenue, New
.SUBSCRIPTION (Including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, f 2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, f 2.00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts ft special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages f 50.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
KEMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Ly man Bill.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, JULY 25, 1903-
TELEPHONE NU/1BER, I74S-E1QMTEENTH STREET.
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
THE
"Artists' Department" all the current musical newt. This Is
ARTISTS
n r D i B T i i . . . effected without In any way trespassing on the size or service
DEPARTMENT of the trade section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and
therefore augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
DIRECTORY
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corpora-
PIANO
tlons found on page 31 will be of great value as a reference for
n r
MANUFACTURERS ^ - s and others.
EDITORIAL
\ I 7E learn that at the next session of the New York Legislature
it is proposed to introduce a bill which will do away com-
pletely with the doubtful origin of pianos offered at retail. It is
proposed in this bill that every instrument shall bear either upon
its name-board, or upon its plate, the name of the individual or cor-
poration manufacturing the instrument. This will be a State law
applied to all pianos offered for sale within the State. Pianos of
an indefinite, or stencil origin can then be immediately traced to the
source from which they originate.
To illustrate: A piano which is stencilled "Steinweg" must
bear, according to the proposed law, in a conspicuous place the
name of the maker, either below the large stencil on the fall board
or in some place in the plate, which can be easily seen by raising the
top lid of the piano.
It is proposed that the first offense shall be punishable by a fine
not exceeding $500, and the second offense shall merit both fine and
imprisonment.
-
|
ERTAINLY a law of this kind will completely annihilate
illegitimate stencilling, and every manufacturer who puts out
a piano bearing other than his firm or corporate name should think
enough of the instrument to have some mark by which it may be
traceable directly to him. Such a law will afford protection to the
retail purchasers and no piano can be offered for sale when such a
law is upon our statute books unless it shall bear in some prominent
place the name of the maker.
There are firms which are manufacturing several brands of
pianos, and who make no concealment of that fact. They are in
every sense legitimate products ar|:1 are openly advertised as made
by the concerns, But there are instruments which are vended
REVIEW
under names which closely approximate some of the leading instru-
ments, and which are sold frequently to ignorant people with the
impression that the purchasers are securing the genuine product.
' A GAIN, the vanity and weakness of other purchasers is cleverly
played upon by a certain class, who insist that no one will
know when they see the name on the instrument but that the pos-
sessor has a genuine product of one of the old and famous makers,
for instance the "Steinweg" might mean a Steinway, or "Picker-
ing" the famous dickering, and "Webber" the well known piano
bearing the name Weber.
Men who have created a certain following for their instru-
ments on account of their artistic worth are entitled to all the pro-
tection which the law can afford. Purchasers also should be safe-
guarded in piano purchases in every possible way. Why is it not
a good point to have all pianos traceable to a definite source?
HE solid business interests of the country will not be affected
to an alarming extent by the juggling which is going on in
Wall street. The prosperity of America rests upon a substantial
foundation which is not likely to be easily disturbed. The course
of the grain markets and the condition of the growing crops con-
tinue to be centers of absorbing interest, and it is well to note that
nothing has evolved unfavorably in crop prospects.
In fact the weather conditions have improved, and the most re-
liable trade authorities, hundreds of whom have written to The Re-
view, have reported the best weather of the season for harvesting
and for crop growth.
Indeed harvesting in certain sections of the West is said to
never have been done under more favorable conditions.
Taken altogether the outlook for business is certainly encour-
aging, and dealers will do well to see that their stocks are in good
condition to keep the best favoring trade breezes of the early fall.
course we hear the cry of the pessimist abroad in the land that
business will go to smash, and if we should listen to these
pessimistic wails and agree with this way of thinking we would all
be in the slough of despond.
A good definition has been given by some one of the pessimist
that he is a man who, of two evils, always chooses both. We
have been hearing from him during the past two or three years,
to the effect that we would soon have another panic, and that the
times are out of joint, and it is possible that same of the pessimists
are very much disappointed and very sorry that their predictions
have not come true.
How much better it is to be an optimist with a proper degree
of conservatism as a balance wheel.
That there have been some clouds upon the business horizon
during the past year or so, which have affected some portion of the
body politic we will all admit, yet they all have been, or all are be-
ing dissipated one by one and they will continue to be, no matter
if the question be tariff, finance, labor troubles or what not.
The great common sense of our people in this wonderful land of
ours must and will in the end prevail.
IN looking back and making observations and comparisons of the
* conditions and methods of handling the piano business to-day
and twenty years ago one notes marvelous transformations. Con-
ditions have changed so rapidly that it has kept one busy to keep
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).