Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE! REVIEW
MEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Stall:
Quo. B. KBLLJJR.
W. N. TYLER.
F. H. THOMPSON.
HMILIE FRANCIS BADDB.
L. E. BOWEIIS. B. BRITTAIN WILSON, WM. B. WHITB. L. J. CHAMBERLIN. A. J. NICKLIN.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
EJRNEST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont St.
E. P. VAN HARLINQBN, 195-197 Wabasb Ave.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8643
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
A. W. SHAW.
CHAS. N. VAN BDREN.
and when a demand is so unprecedented for a high grade product
it is bound to be felt in growing orders all along the line.
U
NDER such conditions the dealers cannot have too many in-
struments on hand. It certainly does not pay to be too con-
servative, when there is good business to be secured all around.
The Middle West is going to absorb more instruments than ever
before in its history. Letters sent out to over three thousand deal-
ers indicate a condition which has never been approached before
in this country. We state this so that our readers everywhere
should make haste and get in readiness to take the fullest advan-
tage of the present excellent conditions.
There is no reason why there should be cutting or slashing of
prices, or the assassination of piano reputations. There is plenty
of business for all, and good business which can be secured by the
employment of legitimate methods, and certainly price cutting
should be avoided in such times as we are now enjoying.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZOER, 425-4i!7 Front S t
CINCINNATI, O.:
LONDON, ENGLAND:
NINA PITCH-SMITH.
09 Hasinghall St., E. C.
W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager.
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. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $76.00.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
Directory of Piano
Manufacturers
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporatlonb
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
for dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal..St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Afedal.Lewls-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE-NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
Cable address: "Elblll New York."
NEW Y ORK,
SEPTEMBER
22,
1906
EDITORIAL
D
URING the past week there have been quite a large number
of dealers in town from various parts of the country. Some
of them are now getting anxious about the Fall shipments, and
have paid personal visits to the various factories in order to hasten
the filling of orders. The Fall business may be said now to be
fairly under way, and with so liberal a movement as to keep manu-
facturers fully occupied, with every prospect that the demand will
keep up for months.
Notwithstanding the enormous increase in the productive ca-
pacity of the various factories, the piano manufacturers find them-
selves in many instances confronted with a volume of business
which simply overtaxes their capacity. The demand, too, has been
so steady during the Summer months that few manufacturers have
been enabled to accumulate a considerable amount of stock.
W
H I L E the manufacturers have the satisfaction of well laden
order books they are obliged to suffer the inconvenience
and annoyance which result from their inability to make shipments
as promptly as demanded by their agents, whose clamor for goods
is steady and insistent. In many instances the complaints are un-
reasonable, because, as we have pointed out at various times, the
dealers cannot expect the manufacturers to take all the risk, and to
keep on piling up stock in anticipation of a Fall trade, when the
dealers are holding off placing their orders.
Then, too, just now difficulties in many factories are experi-
enced in the shortage of certain supply materials.
T
H E growing possibility of the scarcity of musical instruments
of all kinds before the season is over, undoubtedly will stimu-
late their retail purchase for the next two months. There is no
mistaking, however, that the Fall is going to be a record-breaking
one, as far as the volume of business is concerned.
As reported in The Review last week, Steinway & Sons shipped
more pianos the first week in September than any corresponding
Fall week during any year since the establishment of this concern.
This one statement shows which way the trade wind is blowing,
T
il ERIC is no better occasion than the present to emphasize the
one price, and insist upon it being enforced in every depart-
ment of trade. Along these lines we have received the following
-communication from a well known Southern dealer, who says:
"I have been much interested in your one price articles, and I
have read the contributions of the three prize winners carefully.
I desire to congratulate The Review upon the excellent work which
it has done for years in urging this as a matter of vital interest to
the trade. I had not before, however, been impressed with the idea
of the manufacturers themselves establishing the price, but I be-
lieve you have brought forth some splendid arguments, and they
pretty nearly convince me that you are right."
W
E have urged the establishment of one price for many years,
and for the last two years we have steadily encouraged
the belief that the only way to establish one price successfully is to
have the manufacturer himself name the prices at which his various
styles of instruments should be offered to the public. That would
do more to fix one price than any other single move that might be
made, and it would do more to rehabilitate the piano trade in the
estimation of the public than any action which could be taken.
One price, and that price by the manufacturer, has been one of
The Review's slogans for a long time, and we shall continue to
hammer along these lines, for we have been encouraged by the
many letters that we have received, complimenting us upon our
work. Dealers say that it is having its effect in many parts of the
country. It is continued publicity which will cause men. to con-
sider arguments which are advanced, and if they are sound and
will stand close reasoning, they are bound to live, and one price
by the manufacturer will live because it is a sound, honest business
principle.
A
PAPER published in this trade announces as news some sta-
tistics connected with* the talking machine industry. Some
of these fellows are just now waking up to the fact that the talking
machine trade is an important one, and they are now evidently de-
sirous of attracting some attention to their particular journals.
The talking machine manufacturers know that this institution
has been the one and only newspaper force which has been intelli-
gently handling the talking machine question by promoting interest;
in the talking machine and allied products. For years before we
placed a special department in The Review we were preparing an
active campaign, and acquainting ourselves thoroughly with the
subjects of which we proposed to treat. To our intimate knowl-
edge of the trade conditions may be ascribed much of the success
to The Talking Machine World, which is conceded to be one of the
great successes of later days in trade journalism. We have a thor-
ough organization which embraces the whole world, so that our
news gathering facilities, and our opportunities for inside informa-
tion are not to be approached by any other organization which in
a feeble way attempts to imitate us. Facts are not easily disproved,
and a newspaper organization which can produce over sixty pages
an issue devoted to a special industry is no small force to be
reckoned with in the developing of a special trade.
A
DEALER from a Southern town writes: "Your editorial
stating that the non-progressive dealer stood no show
against the man who adopted modern methods struck right home