Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
slaughter," "ruinous prices," "must be sold regardless of cost,"
etc., which some firms resort to in order to sell their thump boxes
and agony tanks."
The advertisement is unique in some respects. "Agony tanks"
is a new phrase in trade nomenclature, and, after all, this kind of
advertising has the effect to discredit the entire piano business in
the minds of readers of such advertisements as we quote above.
does not help to solve a perplexing trade problem, if a piano
is priced at $300 and the piano merchant can calmly lower that
price to $175, and then offer to sell the instrument at that price
at $10 down and $6 a month. It at once arouses suspicion in the
minds of people that the original pricing was a fake. Perhaps,
after all, our Arizona friend was right when he called them "agony
tanks."
NE would think that the concern putting forth such adver-
tising was decidedly sore at having their preserves poached
upon, and that they carried their soreness to the extent of losing
their temper and accusing the other fellow of selling "thump boxes
and agony tanks." Surely such knocking does not dignify the
trade, and we question whether local dealers who indulge in such
a form of publicity profit by it.
We rather incline to the belief that readers of such adver-
tisements would view the entire piano trade with suspicion, particu-
larly when the other concern whom our Arizona friend mentions
offers to sell "$300 new upright pianos at $175, and $450 pianos
at $318.50," and to sell these instruments on small payment down
and six dollars a month.
Surely if a $300 piano can be sold by a regular dealer for
$175, and have the time of payment extend over nearly two and
one-half years, it looks as if the piano business could afford pretty
liberal profits, and the customer might be induced to ask the man
who had made the cut from $300 to $175 on a new upright to
make another cut of $75. In other words, just such statements
as these help to create a belief in the minds of the public that
there are no fixed values in piano selling.
T
O
EE how much different the conditions exist in a neighboring
industry—one to which we referred last week in our remarks
upon the talking-machine trade. The largest concerns in the talk-
ing-machine industry have absolutely fixed rules as to the prices
at which their instruments may be offered by jobbers and dealers.
They go further; they even regulate the sale of shop-worn and
second-hand machines, for a special license must be issued to the
dealer offering second-hand instruments, so that he can sell them
at reduced prices. These conditions must be affixed to the bottom
of the machine, showing at the time of sale that these instruments
are known to be second hand, and are licensed to be sold at the
reduced prices.
The retail prices of every kind of machine are absolutely fixed,
and they cannot be deviated from, except, of course, at the dealer's
loss. As a result of the adoption of business principles the talking-
machine business, which was formerly looked upon as one of
ephemeral existence, is showing great solidity.
Now, every intelligent piano man knows that the "new upright
$300 piano" which is offered in the advertisement referred to above
for $175 was never worth $300; therefore it was misleading and
false to place such a value upon it. If the price had been fixed
by the manufacturer it would probably have been placed at about
$175, which would have approximated the real value of the instru-
ment to the retail purchaser. At that price a good margin of
profit would be afforded the piano merchant, and the public would
have been fully protected.
S
S it is, such advertising as we have instanced must prove to
the public that pianos are sold at abnormal profits—at least,
it encourages that belief. The abnormal profits may come in on
the "agony tanks" for which dishonest prices are asked, but they
do not appear in the sale of instruments of the higher grades.
We hear a great deal about trade ethics, and some men are
fond of stating how closely they should be observed by members
of the industry, and yet it has been said that some of those who
prate the loudest are apparently ignorant as to what is going on
in their own establishments. Ignorance in such cases makes it
easy to say that they are not responsible for representations made
by their salesmen.
Trade ethics are all right, particularly at convention time; they
are soothing, mouth-filling and have a certain air of seductiveness
which charms and captivates; and if one price is a good proposi-
tion— anc j most merchants believe that it is—it is best not merely
to talk it, but to enforce it. But one price counts for nothing
unless that be the correct price. It is not good business, and it
A
HIS cutting of prices is an element of weakness, and, we may
add, it is a lack of salesmanship to cut prices. It smacks
of old-fashioned methods when the country storekeeper said: "The
price is a dollar, but as you are a regular customer I will make
it eighty-nine cents."
One-price methods were inaugurated and became popular with
progressive people from their first introduction, and the salesman,
either wholesale or retail, who cuts prices gives his firm a black
mark and stamps himself with a lack of resourcefulness that is
the foundation of a salesman's success.
R
EPORTS from all sections of the United States and from
nearly all industries show that the American manufacturers
continue on that wave of prosperity which has been prevalent for
almost a decade, and which, we may add, was most pronounced
last year. This general welfare has more than local significance.
When considered in conjunction with the growing exports of
American goods, it reveals the new attitude of the American manu-
facturer to the foreign field.
Not many years ago it was the custom to look abroad for a
market when only dulness prevailed in the home demand. To-day
all this is changed. The importance of a universal market has been
realized, and the majority of the larger manufacturers and ex-
porters have well-equipped export departments, with traveling and
resident agents in all parts of the commercial world.
Last year was the first time in the history of the country the
annual exports of manufactured products exceeded five hundred
millions, and if the ratio of increase of the first seven months of
the current year is maintained, they will exceed six hundred
millions.
T
HESE reports tell most eloquently of this country's onward
march, and while the piano manufacturers have not, to a
great extent, shared in this growing foreign demand, the oppor-
tunities for large export trade lie before them. Some of our
leading concerns are making fair shipments to some European
countries, but, considered as a whole, it may be said that the
American piano cuts no appreciable figure in the markets of the
world outside of the countries which lie close to us.
With the talking machines and piano players it is entirely
different. The talking-machine manufacturers have sent an enor-
mous number of their products abroad, and American piano play-
ers are shipped in considerable numbers to various countries. The
foreign demand for pianos thus far has been treated in rather
an indifferent manner. We have not created instruments such as
are desired by most foreign countries. We make what we term
the American model, and this must be changed somewhat if we
are to develop a large foreign trade for pianos. We will have
to follow the old rule of supplying what the people need if we are
to cater to a foreign piano trade in a large way.
Then, again, one of the best of reasons may be found in the
fact that there is good American business to be had nearer home,
and it is business that is likely to be kept up, for from present
indications there will be no falling off in trade demand.
T
O those who have sent in orders for our new work upon piano
construction we desire to state that we have been delayed in
the publication of this book, so that it will be at least two weeks
before we shall be ready to supply copies. We shall then be able
to offer a technical book which will be the first of its kind ever
published in the English language, covering every practical de-
partment of piano building and scale draughting. It is a work
which should be in the hands of every student of piano building,
and it will be useful to every dealer as well.
The work represents nearly two years of continuous study
and research, and contains a series of illustrations which will be
of interest in following the development of the piano.