Music Trade Review
Issue: 1906 Vol. 43 N. 23 - Page 4
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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
G»o. B. KiGiiTJPB.
W. N. TILBB.
F. H. THOMPSON.
BMILIB FKANCBS BAUER.
L. B. BOWERS. B. BBITTAIN WILSON, WM. B. WHITE. L. J. CHAMSERLIN. A. J. NICKLIN.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
B. P. TAN HAHLINGBN, 195-197 Wabasb Aye.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8643
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE
BOSTON OFFICE:
REVIEW
portunity of presenting reasonable arguments to them why pianos
should be the proper purchase for home enjoyment during the
holidays.
I
T is not surprising either, in view of such pleasant facts revealed
by the Secretary's report that there is an increased demand
for the higher grade instruments. As a matter of fact, the Ameri-
can people desire the best when they have the money, and this year
they have the price to pay for anything they wish, and with pros-
perity so well grounded who is the pessimist who would dare fly
the danger signal at his masthead. This is real wealth which is
produced from the ground, and not fictitious wealth which is some-
times easily created over night in the stock markets. It is not a
paper value; it is solid and substantial.
BRNBST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont St.
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
A. W. SHAW.
CHAS. N. VAN HURKN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZGER, 1635 Van Ness Ave.
CINCINNATI, O.:
LONDON. ENGLAND:
NINA PUGH-SMITH.
69 Basinghall St., B. 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 lncb, 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 bft made payable to Edward
UymHD Bill.
Directory ol PI—o The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporation*
u _ _ . . « f - « . . . Z~ found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
M«JL •«•««.•'•
for dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Wand Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Mffdal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medial. .St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Merfgt.LewlB-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
Cable address: "Elblll N e w York."
NEW YORK, DEclslviirER 8, U
EDITORIAL
S
MALL wonder, some of the piano men are turning farmers.
There seems to be more money in that line of business than
almost any other, and this year the farmers have broken all previous
prosperity records. The stupendous sum of $6,794,000,0x30 is the
kind of a melon Dame Nature has handed out to the American
farmer this year. The tillers of the soil have gotten out of it this
staggering value, according to the statistics supplied by the Secre-
tary of Agriculture in his annual report recently made public. This
breaks all records in the history of the country, being $324,000,000
larger than the value of the farm products for the year 1904.
As this was announced just before Thanksgiving Day, it seems
proper that there should be a natural outpouring of thanks for such
bountiful gifts on the part of Providence. This annual output of
agriculture, reaching the immense proportions of the figures quoted,
would pay for every railroad in the United States. It would dupli-
cate every mile of rail, every car, pay for every bit of equipment,
and pay all the officers' salaries besides. It is said that the wages
of all the workmen employed in the United States is $2,339,923,615,
so the farmer has gotten the laborer beaten to a standstill. The
total runs three times over the value of the gold produced in the
United States since 1792.
T
HE figures quoted above reveal some interesting facts, and
show that the year's products were worth something more
than one-third of the property that was needed to raise them, or, in
other words, the farm property which was estimated at $38,000,000
yielded more than fifteen per cent, on the investment. Corn was
king instead of cotton, for the value of corn was worth $1,100,-
000,000, and cotton came in second at $640,000,000. The wheat
was disappointing, reaching only $450,000,000, a neat little sum
which would answer for pocket money for a few people, but not as
much as was expected from a great product.
Such figures show that this is indeed a great nation; when we
can produce agricultural crops in a single year, the total value of
which reaches such staggering figures. Small wonder indeed that
the great Middle West is absorbing so many pianos this season.
Why should it not? The farmers there are in a position to-day to
buy anything they wish, and clever piano men do not lose the op-
HERE is no question about the continuance of good times with
such splendid conditions all round, and there can be no reason-
able doubt regarding the increased cost of all lines of manufacture.
It costs more to produce pianos, it costs more to sell them, and it
costs more to live, and we may as well make up our minds to get
accustomed to paying higher prices for everything, and there is no
better time than the present to ask increased monthly payments for
pianos that are sold on time. If three and four and five dollars a
month were correct prices a few' years ago, when the cry of hard
times was heard everywhere in the land, they cannot be right to-day
with healthy optimism all about us. Dealers can well afford to let
unprofitable trade go by, and unless they are making money on
piano sales it is useless to make them.
No man should fool himself by imaginary profits in the conduct
of a business, and simply because sales are being made in large
numbers it does not always follow that money is being made. It is the
time when every business should be scanned closely, and it is the
time when piano instalments should be marked up. There is no
reason why people should not pay more on monthly instalments for
instruments than a few years ago. They will not object to it, par-
ticularly when a dealer makes a reasonable argument in defense of
his position when advancing his wares.
T
E have been advocating this move for some time, and we are
pleased to state that we have received communications
from a number of leading dealers in various sections of the coun-
try, who have stated to us that they were entirely in accord with
the move, and that they feel that the advocacy of such a plan by
an influential trade journal will help greatly to bring about a bet-
tered condition of affairs.
Here is an extract from one of the largest dealers in the South-
west, who writes: "I have been much interested in the articles
which have appeared in The Review, urging the dealers to demand
an increase in their monthly payments on pianos sold on time. I
believe it is the proper move, and I feel with you that the future of
the piano business will be strengthened when this plan is in vogue."
W
A NOTHER writes: "Keep up your good work. As you say,
i l
no piano should be put out without an agreement signed to
pay for it inside of three years. That is quite long enough, and
when you go beyond that time it is unsafe business. Keep
up your fight, too, for selling pianos in the right class. The dealers
are fooling themselves who sell a piano for $300 which ought to
be purchased for $185. They will never get any more than half of
the money. It is poor business."
Foster & Waldo, the well-known dealers of Minneapolis, say:
"How soon ought a piano to be wholly paid for? NOW, the
piano dealers of America are borrowing money at a high rate of
interest and loaning it out at a low rate on the 'pay-as-you-can' plan.
On this plan there is no safe limit of time for instalment sales, and,
as stated above, the time for settlement is NOW. When the dealer
really has money of his own to loan (this is almost what the piano
business of to-day amounts to—a loaning business) the monthly
instalments should double what a fair rental of the piano in ques-
tion would amount to. The trouble with the piano business is that
credit is given indiscriminatingly by dealers who absolutely have
no credit of their own. Who is to blame for this condition? The
manufacturer first, last and all the time."
NEW ENGLAND dealer writes: "Manufacturers must etab-
lish the retail prices for their pianos. I have read your
articles for years advocating this plan, and at first did not believe
A
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL, - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
G»o. B. KiGiiTJPB.
W. N. TILBB.
F. H. THOMPSON.
BMILIB FKANCBS BAUER.
L. B. BOWERS. B. BBITTAIN WILSON, WM. B. WHITE. L. J. CHAMSERLIN. A. J. NICKLIN.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
B. P. TAN HAHLINGBN, 195-197 Wabasb Aye.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8643
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE: MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: ST. LOUIS OFFICE
BOSTON OFFICE:
REVIEW
portunity of presenting reasonable arguments to them why pianos
should be the proper purchase for home enjoyment during the
holidays.
I
T is not surprising either, in view of such pleasant facts revealed
by the Secretary's report that there is an increased demand
for the higher grade instruments. As a matter of fact, the Ameri-
can people desire the best when they have the money, and this year
they have the price to pay for anything they wish, and with pros-
perity so well grounded who is the pessimist who would dare fly
the danger signal at his masthead. This is real wealth which is
produced from the ground, and not fictitious wealth which is some-
times easily created over night in the stock markets. It is not a
paper value; it is solid and substantial.
BRNBST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont St.
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
A. W. SHAW.
CHAS. N. VAN HURKN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZGER, 1635 Van Ness Ave.
CINCINNATI, O.:
LONDON. ENGLAND:
NINA PUGH-SMITH.
69 Basinghall St., B. 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 lncb, 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 bft made payable to Edward
UymHD Bill.
Directory ol PI—o The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporation*
u _ _ . . « f - « . . . Z~ found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
M«JL •«•««.•'•
for dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Wand Prim
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Mffdal.Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medial. .St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Merfgt.LewlB-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NUMBER 1745 GRAMERCY
Cable address: "Elblll N e w York."
NEW YORK, DEclslviirER 8, U
EDITORIAL
S
MALL wonder, some of the piano men are turning farmers.
There seems to be more money in that line of business than
almost any other, and this year the farmers have broken all previous
prosperity records. The stupendous sum of $6,794,000,0x30 is the
kind of a melon Dame Nature has handed out to the American
farmer this year. The tillers of the soil have gotten out of it this
staggering value, according to the statistics supplied by the Secre-
tary of Agriculture in his annual report recently made public. This
breaks all records in the history of the country, being $324,000,000
larger than the value of the farm products for the year 1904.
As this was announced just before Thanksgiving Day, it seems
proper that there should be a natural outpouring of thanks for such
bountiful gifts on the part of Providence. This annual output of
agriculture, reaching the immense proportions of the figures quoted,
would pay for every railroad in the United States. It would dupli-
cate every mile of rail, every car, pay for every bit of equipment,
and pay all the officers' salaries besides. It is said that the wages
of all the workmen employed in the United States is $2,339,923,615,
so the farmer has gotten the laborer beaten to a standstill. The
total runs three times over the value of the gold produced in the
United States since 1792.
T
HE figures quoted above reveal some interesting facts, and
show that the year's products were worth something more
than one-third of the property that was needed to raise them, or, in
other words, the farm property which was estimated at $38,000,000
yielded more than fifteen per cent, on the investment. Corn was
king instead of cotton, for the value of corn was worth $1,100,-
000,000, and cotton came in second at $640,000,000. The wheat
was disappointing, reaching only $450,000,000, a neat little sum
which would answer for pocket money for a few people, but not as
much as was expected from a great product.
Such figures show that this is indeed a great nation; when we
can produce agricultural crops in a single year, the total value of
which reaches such staggering figures. Small wonder indeed that
the great Middle West is absorbing so many pianos this season.
Why should it not? The farmers there are in a position to-day to
buy anything they wish, and clever piano men do not lose the op-
HERE is no question about the continuance of good times with
such splendid conditions all round, and there can be no reason-
able doubt regarding the increased cost of all lines of manufacture.
It costs more to produce pianos, it costs more to sell them, and it
costs more to live, and we may as well make up our minds to get
accustomed to paying higher prices for everything, and there is no
better time than the present to ask increased monthly payments for
pianos that are sold on time. If three and four and five dollars a
month were correct prices a few' years ago, when the cry of hard
times was heard everywhere in the land, they cannot be right to-day
with healthy optimism all about us. Dealers can well afford to let
unprofitable trade go by, and unless they are making money on
piano sales it is useless to make them.
No man should fool himself by imaginary profits in the conduct
of a business, and simply because sales are being made in large
numbers it does not always follow that money is being made. It is the
time when every business should be scanned closely, and it is the
time when piano instalments should be marked up. There is no
reason why people should not pay more on monthly instalments for
instruments than a few years ago. They will not object to it, par-
ticularly when a dealer makes a reasonable argument in defense of
his position when advancing his wares.
T
E have been advocating this move for some time, and we are
pleased to state that we have received communications
from a number of leading dealers in various sections of the coun-
try, who have stated to us that they were entirely in accord with
the move, and that they feel that the advocacy of such a plan by
an influential trade journal will help greatly to bring about a bet-
tered condition of affairs.
Here is an extract from one of the largest dealers in the South-
west, who writes: "I have been much interested in the articles
which have appeared in The Review, urging the dealers to demand
an increase in their monthly payments on pianos sold on time. I
believe it is the proper move, and I feel with you that the future of
the piano business will be strengthened when this plan is in vogue."
W
A NOTHER writes: "Keep up your good work. As you say,
i l
no piano should be put out without an agreement signed to
pay for it inside of three years. That is quite long enough, and
when you go beyond that time it is unsafe business. Keep
up your fight, too, for selling pianos in the right class. The dealers
are fooling themselves who sell a piano for $300 which ought to
be purchased for $185. They will never get any more than half of
the money. It is poor business."
Foster & Waldo, the well-known dealers of Minneapolis, say:
"How soon ought a piano to be wholly paid for? NOW, the
piano dealers of America are borrowing money at a high rate of
interest and loaning it out at a low rate on the 'pay-as-you-can' plan.
On this plan there is no safe limit of time for instalment sales, and,
as stated above, the time for settlement is NOW. When the dealer
really has money of his own to loan (this is almost what the piano
business of to-day amounts to—a loaning business) the monthly
instalments should double what a fair rental of the piano in ques-
tion would amount to. The trouble with the piano business is that
credit is given indiscriminatingly by dealers who absolutely have
no credit of their own. Who is to blame for this condition? The
manufacturer first, last and all the time."
NEW ENGLAND dealer writes: "Manufacturers must etab-
lish the retail prices for their pianos. I have read your
articles for years advocating this plan, and at first did not believe
A
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