Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
RENEW
EDWARD LYMAN DILL,.
J. B. SPILLANE,
Editor and Proprietor
i_ Hait*r.
EXECVTIVE AND REPORTORIAL STAFr :
GBO. B. KELLER,
W. N. TYLER,
EMILIE FHANCIS BAUER,
WM. B. WHITB,
W. _ . WILLIAMS,
A. J. NICKLIN,
GBO. W. QTJERIPEL.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICB
ERNEST L. WAITT, 255 Washington St.
B. P. VAN HABLINGEN, 1362 Monadnock Block.
PHILADELPHIA OFFICBt
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS OFFICE.
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
E. C. TOBBEY.
CHAS. N. VAN BURBN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICB: ALFRED METZGEB, 425-427 Front. St.
Published Every Saturday at I Madiion Avenue, New York.
lines of trade. Some men frequently state that this enormous pres-
sure which is brought upon people to purchase pianos must result
in quickly supplying the demand. They say we are compressing
into a few years trade which should have been spread out over two
decades, and that by forcing trade, we remove the chance of future
business success.
T
HAT was the same old cry thirty years ago, and some of the
men who were active in this industry twenty-five years ago
predicted the total collapse of the piano industry before 1900. They
argued that the demand would be entirely supplied; that the fac-
tories as piano producing units must cease. As a matter of fact,
the business has gone on steadily growing each year and the de-
mand, far from being satisfied, has compelled the steady enlarge-
ment of factories and warerooms. It certainly does not look much
like a trade drought, and this year expert testimony points towards
the biggest fall on record. If we may be permitted to judge from
appearances, it certainly looks as if almost every section of this
country would be favored with an extremely large trade for the fall.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SVBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman B11L
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains In Its
THE ARTISTS' "Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or service of the trade
DEPARTMENT section of the paper.
It has a special circulation, and therefore
augments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
m i r r r n o v _ VIA MA T n e directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
wimitVr
riAHU f oun _ o n another page will be of great value, as a reference
MANVFACTU&ER.S
f or dealers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY.
NEW YORK. AUGUST 19, 19O5.
I
F all of the business problems were easy to solve probably there
would be a greater percentage of successful business men en-
gaged in commercial life than the records indicate. We are prone
to think that our own problems are far more difficult than those of
other lines of trade, but without doubt, every business man engaged
in other trades has precisely the same thoughts. The real ability
of a man is shown in meeting conditions which seem at times a trifle
hard. The lines of competition are no more closely drawn in this
industry than in others, for rivalry is intense through all commercial
life, and it is a case of the survival of the fittest. Almost every
business man realizes that profits have been curtailed materially,
and in order to make good the loss of generous profits, it is neces-
sary to do a larger business, which necessitates the turning of stock
more frequently than in days agone. Pianos are not always easy to
sell, for the purchase price reaches a goodly sum, and then piano
merchants are oftentimes compelled to sell their instruments in the
face of the fiercest cut-throat competition, and they must be ever-
lastingly on the hunt for new customers.
I
N the struggle for business existence which is brought about by
competition, it is an always present problem to secure fresh or-
ders ; in other words, to extend business and meet a never-sleeping
competition is the thought which is ever present in the mind of the
piano merchant. The trade, of course, is a special one, and there
must be a continuous, selling as the piano man trades in most cases in
only two articles, pianos and organs. The dealer must be ceaseless in
his search for fresh customers. The closing of a sale to one client
means, in most cases, unless it be a selfplayer, that that customer
will turn no more profit, therefore, the salesman must immediately
apply himself to the search for another customer if he is to go on
widening his trade.
I
N many other lines of trade, when a merchant opens a store in
a leading thoroughfare and starts it with an attractive line of
goods, he has made an important step in attracting public attention,
but with the piano man it is different. He must not only have an
attractive business place, but he must have out at once a corps of
active workers. He must secure the co-operation of members of
the musical profession and seek the aid of leading men in various
T
HE piano business is not overdone. Competition has not
killed it. It is true it has led to a lowering of prices, and in the
rush for business it has also created practices which are not creditable
to the men who originated them, but the illegitimate "knocker" is
not as much in evidence as a few years ago, and the men in business
are using better methods on the whole than formerly. The field is
plenty big enough for some time to come, and when our own market
is fairly supplied there will be the markets of the world. We have
always observed that the man who hustles and who uses a fair
amount of intelligence in the direction of his enterprise usually
succeeds in securing a liberal share of piano patronage, but it takes
good work in and out of season. There are really no dull times
for the active, progressive man, for he must keep on the lookout
for sales all the year round, laying plans to create them when it is
impossible to obtain orders easily.
^^
which make for business betterment help along
v 3 sales-making and everything which is a time saver should be
carefully thought out and worked into the business system. It re-
quires keeping everlastingly at it to win, and it is a dealer's busi-
ness to sell the goods just as much as it is the manufacturer's busi-
ness to make them. Selling systems have developed wonderfully
during the past few years and piano stores throughout the country
that a few years ago employed perhaps one bookkeeper, who also
acted as salesman, have to-day a complete office equipment, corres-
pondent, bookkeeper and stenographer.
LL this broadening of business shows that there are possi-
bilities in piano retailing which were not considered years
ago. It must be conceded that advertising of a most strenuous
kind has been one of the chief factors in this extraordinary growth,
for piano manuacturers have supplied their agents with a splendid
class of literature which has helped to impress the public; in other
words, it has been educational matter which has served its intended
purpose in a large way. Advertising in booklets, folders, magazines
and daily papers have all given impetus to piano selling, and if this
publicity should cease to-morrow, its depressing effect would be
tremendous upon the business. It would be found in a little while
that the piano business would be dead if measured from its present
vantage ground. See how quickly the bicycle business lost its hold
upon the public when advertising was dropped.
A
I
T was not the Trust, or because the wheel had passed out of
favor, but simply because the chief factor in creating the
demand, publicity, was lacking. The magazines no longer contained
beautiful illustrations of wheels. Pictures of pretty girls in fasci-
nating costumes, stalwart youths, and men of mature years, all out
to enjoy the exhilerating influences of the wheel were lacking. In
a little while the interest was lost entirely and the bicycle dealers
went out of business by the hundreds. To show that a demand
could be created by interesting the people, let us look at England,
for example. Last year English manufacturers decided upon an
active advertising campaign. They placed enormous contracts with
the leading magazines, daily papers and trade publications," and as
a result of this advertising, the demand for the wheel has become
surprisingly large, in fact, in the town of Coventry, England, fac-
tories are working day and night to supply the demand for bicycles,