Music Trade Review
Issue: 1906 Vol. 42 N. 4 - Page 6
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
Wl\W
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Stall:
duo. U. KKLLKK.
L. 13. BOWKKS.
W. N. TYLEK.
WM. B. WHITE.
V. II. THOMPSON.
EMILIK FHA.NCKS IUI-KU.
L. .7. CHAMISKKI.IN.
A. J. NICKI.IN.
BOSTON OFFICE :
EnxEST L. WAITTJ 173 T r e m o n t St.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
K. 1'. VAN HAKLINHKX, ]!).">-!i)T Wabash Avo.
TKLKI-HONKS : Central 4 1 4 ; Automatic 8(Jt; v ..
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE
R. W. KAIFFHAN.
10. ('. ToititEY.
('HAS. N. VAN I'.UHKN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: AI-FUKD MKTZGEK, 425-427 Front St.
CINCINNATI, O.:
XI.NA PUGH-SMITH.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (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. Ou quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising 1'ages, $30.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.
Lynian Bill.
Directory of Piano
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
~
~ ~
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
Manufacturers
f OI . dealers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
NEW
YORK,
J A N U A R Y
2 7 ,
1906
EDITORIAL
O
NE of the largest advertisers in this country said recently while
discussing kinds of advertising with The Review : "Some
years ago I thought that I could afford to go over the head of the
dealer and advertise to reach the consumer. This plan moved very
nicely for a while, but soon I began to find that, owing to sonic
reason or other, there was a slowing up of sales in localities where
we had been particularly strong. I found upon close inquiry that
the dealers had shown a lukcwarmness in our product which, if
continued, meant a seriously crippled business for me. I decided
that the slogan, 'From factory to home,' was injudicious from a
business standpoint, and I abandoned it; and I have made the dealer
since that time feel that we were with him heart and soul in en-
deavoring to increase his business and give him a profit."
This same plan has been tried by many advertisers in a variety
of trades, who have invariably returned again to the policy that
it was not profitable to overlook the dealer in advertising.
I
N this trade there is perhaps one or two notable illustrations
where the dealers have been cut largely out of consideration,
and we may add that those particular enterprises were built up years
ago, before the dealer had become such a power in the land, and any
business organization to-day which attempts to belittle the im-
portance of the retailer is venturing on extremely dangerous and
costly ground.
There are to-day still many general advertisers who adopt the
plan of trying to strike over the dealer's head, so that the profit
which would go to the dealer would come to them instead.
The argument of reaching the customers direct has not been
indorsed by all of the leading commercial institutions, for there are
those who have believed that to get the customer interested in mer-
chandise would be the easiest and surest way towards creating a
fortune.
OR a while this position was believed to be a sound one
by some important advertisers who argued that it was the
crux of the business situation. Scores and even hundreds of manu-
facturers were persuaded into the adoption of such an advertising
policy, which to a large degree left the retailer out of the calcula-
tion. Many of them, however, were keen enough to watch the result
of a campaign carried on by others before inaugurating the plan
themselves.
F
REVIEW
They found, after all, that the advertising which was aimed
over the dealer's head did not lessen his influence in the slightest,
and the)- found that the dealers had a power which might be
reckoned with, and that their influence was essential to permanent
business success.
^T ^ 11E plan of advertising to reach the consumer was therefore
-L considered illogical and unadaptable to our modern conditions
by many of the leaders in the advertising world, save in some pecu-
liar products the cost of which was trifling. It seemed very alluring
to the producers to feel that they could save the dealer's profit, thus
adding to their material wealth ; but the increased sales were not
made. On the contrary, sales were steadily decreasing. It needed
the dealer's strength and selling force to accomplish the results.
Magazine advertising reaching hundreds of thousands of people
helps the dealer, so long as the argument is not set forth in the
advertisement to save the dealer's profit. The moment that is intro-
duced the danger line is crossed, and more and more is it becoming
to be seen that the retailer is the one whom the average manufac-
turer should seek, though he may, of course, spend all the money
that he considers judicious by supplementing such advertising with
publicity directed at the consumer.
T
HE more the advertising is aimed at the dealer, the more the
expenses will be curtailed, when it is considered that the
retail trade of the country can be reached through the columns of
representative trade journals. An advertiser who pays the price for
magazine advertising is paying for a circulation, a small portion
of which can be useful to him, whereas readers of trade papers
are constantly in search of merchandise on which they can make
a profit.
The head of a leading piano manufacturing concern, after in-
creasing The Review's advertising appropriation for the new year,
remarked that he had tried expensive magazine advertising, and
that he had not found it as beneficial to his interests as he had
hoped. He said that last year he had reduced somewhat his trade
paper advertising expenditures ; but this year, after the lesson had
been learned, he had decided to go back to trade paper advertising,
and even place a stronger emphasis on it than ever before.
N
O thoughtful man, who is in touch with industrial conditions
in this country, can deny for one moment the powerful in-
fluence of leading trade publications in their respective industry.
They cater to the dealer and the dealer exclusively. They are the
mediums between the producing and the selling branch of the busi-
ness, and if they are conducted on proper lines they are not only a
news disseminating force, but a helpful and educating force as well.
That is one reason why trade papers will exist as long as in-
dustries live, because they are useful, and because the soundness
of their position will be more generally recognized as the years roll
on. There will be a weeding-out process in every" trade, but the
journals which are delivering the fair, straightforward value will
occupy a higher position with the passing of the years.
S long as. the jobber and the dealer are to be considered, just
so long trade papers will be an educational force, and the
elimination of the dealer is a remote impossibility. His removal
cannot be made effective, except to a very limited degree, and that
with very few lines of merchandise. The retailer's shop as a depot
of supply is a permanent factor in merchandising, by virtue of the
law of least resistance, and by the fact that the habits of the great
consumers proceed in conformity with this law.
Then, again, in the particular trade to which The Review
directly appeals there is every reason why the dealer should exist,
for in no line of manufactured merchandise is his influence more
potent or effective.
A
B
EFORE piano purchases are made a number of visits are paid
to various stores, and the dealers and their salesmen are
afforded opportunities in which to present their arguments in a
forceful and convincing way. These arguments, properly set forth,
will nullify any "from factory to fireside" advertisng which they
may have read. The piano merchant cannot be overlooked in the
general trade shuffle.
While there may be a number of non-progressive men groun-l
out by the fierce competition which is becoming more and mo'c
THE MUSIC TRADE
Wl\W
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Stall:
duo. U. KKLLKK.
L. 13. BOWKKS.
W. N. TYLEK.
WM. B. WHITE.
V. II. THOMPSON.
EMILIK FHA.NCKS IUI-KU.
L. .7. CHAMISKKI.IN.
A. J. NICKI.IN.
BOSTON OFFICE :
EnxEST L. WAITTJ 173 T r e m o n t St.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
K. 1'. VAN HAKLINHKX, ]!).">-!i)T Wabash Avo.
TKLKI-HONKS : Central 4 1 4 ; Automatic 8(Jt; v ..
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE
R. W. KAIFFHAN.
10. ('. ToititEY.
('HAS. N. VAN I'.UHKN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: AI-FUKD MKTZGEK, 425-427 Front St.
CINCINNATI, O.:
XI.NA PUGH-SMITH.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (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. Ou quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising 1'ages, $30.00 ; opposite
reading matter, $75.
Lynian Bill.
Directory of Piano
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
~
~ ~
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
Manufacturers
f OI . dealers and others.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
NEW
YORK,
J A N U A R Y
2 7 ,
1906
EDITORIAL
O
NE of the largest advertisers in this country said recently while
discussing kinds of advertising with The Review : "Some
years ago I thought that I could afford to go over the head of the
dealer and advertise to reach the consumer. This plan moved very
nicely for a while, but soon I began to find that, owing to sonic
reason or other, there was a slowing up of sales in localities where
we had been particularly strong. I found upon close inquiry that
the dealers had shown a lukcwarmness in our product which, if
continued, meant a seriously crippled business for me. I decided
that the slogan, 'From factory to home,' was injudicious from a
business standpoint, and I abandoned it; and I have made the dealer
since that time feel that we were with him heart and soul in en-
deavoring to increase his business and give him a profit."
This same plan has been tried by many advertisers in a variety
of trades, who have invariably returned again to the policy that
it was not profitable to overlook the dealer in advertising.
I
N this trade there is perhaps one or two notable illustrations
where the dealers have been cut largely out of consideration,
and we may add that those particular enterprises were built up years
ago, before the dealer had become such a power in the land, and any
business organization to-day which attempts to belittle the im-
portance of the retailer is venturing on extremely dangerous and
costly ground.
There are to-day still many general advertisers who adopt the
plan of trying to strike over the dealer's head, so that the profit
which would go to the dealer would come to them instead.
The argument of reaching the customers direct has not been
indorsed by all of the leading commercial institutions, for there are
those who have believed that to get the customer interested in mer-
chandise would be the easiest and surest way towards creating a
fortune.
OR a while this position was believed to be a sound one
by some important advertisers who argued that it was the
crux of the business situation. Scores and even hundreds of manu-
facturers were persuaded into the adoption of such an advertising
policy, which to a large degree left the retailer out of the calcula-
tion. Many of them, however, were keen enough to watch the result
of a campaign carried on by others before inaugurating the plan
themselves.
F
REVIEW
They found, after all, that the advertising which was aimed
over the dealer's head did not lessen his influence in the slightest,
and the)- found that the dealers had a power which might be
reckoned with, and that their influence was essential to permanent
business success.
^T ^ 11E plan of advertising to reach the consumer was therefore
-L considered illogical and unadaptable to our modern conditions
by many of the leaders in the advertising world, save in some pecu-
liar products the cost of which was trifling. It seemed very alluring
to the producers to feel that they could save the dealer's profit, thus
adding to their material wealth ; but the increased sales were not
made. On the contrary, sales were steadily decreasing. It needed
the dealer's strength and selling force to accomplish the results.
Magazine advertising reaching hundreds of thousands of people
helps the dealer, so long as the argument is not set forth in the
advertisement to save the dealer's profit. The moment that is intro-
duced the danger line is crossed, and more and more is it becoming
to be seen that the retailer is the one whom the average manufac-
turer should seek, though he may, of course, spend all the money
that he considers judicious by supplementing such advertising with
publicity directed at the consumer.
T
HE more the advertising is aimed at the dealer, the more the
expenses will be curtailed, when it is considered that the
retail trade of the country can be reached through the columns of
representative trade journals. An advertiser who pays the price for
magazine advertising is paying for a circulation, a small portion
of which can be useful to him, whereas readers of trade papers
are constantly in search of merchandise on which they can make
a profit.
The head of a leading piano manufacturing concern, after in-
creasing The Review's advertising appropriation for the new year,
remarked that he had tried expensive magazine advertising, and
that he had not found it as beneficial to his interests as he had
hoped. He said that last year he had reduced somewhat his trade
paper advertising expenditures ; but this year, after the lesson had
been learned, he had decided to go back to trade paper advertising,
and even place a stronger emphasis on it than ever before.
N
O thoughtful man, who is in touch with industrial conditions
in this country, can deny for one moment the powerful in-
fluence of leading trade publications in their respective industry.
They cater to the dealer and the dealer exclusively. They are the
mediums between the producing and the selling branch of the busi-
ness, and if they are conducted on proper lines they are not only a
news disseminating force, but a helpful and educating force as well.
That is one reason why trade papers will exist as long as in-
dustries live, because they are useful, and because the soundness
of their position will be more generally recognized as the years roll
on. There will be a weeding-out process in every" trade, but the
journals which are delivering the fair, straightforward value will
occupy a higher position with the passing of the years.
S long as. the jobber and the dealer are to be considered, just
so long trade papers will be an educational force, and the
elimination of the dealer is a remote impossibility. His removal
cannot be made effective, except to a very limited degree, and that
with very few lines of merchandise. The retailer's shop as a depot
of supply is a permanent factor in merchandising, by virtue of the
law of least resistance, and by the fact that the habits of the great
consumers proceed in conformity with this law.
Then, again, in the particular trade to which The Review
directly appeals there is every reason why the dealer should exist,
for in no line of manufactured merchandise is his influence more
potent or effective.
A
B
EFORE piano purchases are made a number of visits are paid
to various stores, and the dealers and their salesmen are
afforded opportunities in which to present their arguments in a
forceful and convincing way. These arguments, properly set forth,
will nullify any "from factory to fireside" advertisng which they
may have read. The piano merchant cannot be overlooked in the
general trade shuffle.
While there may be a number of non-progressive men groun-l
out by the fierce competition which is becoming more and mo'c
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).