Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
STATEMENT AND POLICY
OF THE
AMERICAN MUSIC STORES
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS
OF
THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
President,
ist Vice-president, FRED JB. HAVII.AND
Secretary, I FREDERICK
A. MH,L,S
zd Vice-President, CHAS. K. HARRIS
Treasurer, ISIDORE WITMARK
TO THE MUSIC TRADE IN GENERAL,
PARTICULARLY PUBLISHERS AND RETAILERS:
For some years there has prevailed a very unhealthy condition in the sheet music business, the causes for which .were many,
and they followed one another so rapidly that the endeavors of any one house to alleviate such a state of affairs were fruitless, and
would ever be so because of the lack of cooperation. In fact, it has become a trade slogan—especially used by those who have done
their best to keep the business in that demoralized state in which they have materially helped to place it—that "the publishers can
never get together." This very dark prophecy for a long time seemed to be fulfilled until
well, there must be a limit to every-
thing, and even in the music business the proverbial worm must turn.
The most serious grievance the music publisher has, is: "My goods are not displayed," or in other words, "NO REPRESENTA-
TION." This had to be vigorously dealt with at once, and a number of recognized publishing houses became alive to that undeniable
fact at about the same time, with the result as shown above—"American Music Stores."
The policy this new organization is about to carry on is for the needed betterment of the business—to encourage and stimulate
trade, to secure that representation that has been denied them in the past—TO WORK WITH AND STAND BY THE RE-
TAILER, and to give representation in their—AMERICAN MUSIC STORES—stores and departments to worthy publications of
all other houses not members of this corporation, who have not heretofore enjoyed this right and to whom promises have been made
and just as quickly broken. After striving to make successes and succeeding in doing so, their channels of distribution were, and still
are, narrowed down to an "under the counter" representation. Is this fair? Is this equitable? Is this encouraging the publisher to
make hits for the retailer, or is it restraint of trade?
Realizing the situation, and having suffered through it, the houses here mentioned HAVE "gotten together" and will stand to-
gether for REPRESENTATION of all live goods that were often stunted in their development to satisfy an unnatural and greedy
desire to monopolize.
Now that it is formed, the AMERICAN MUSIC STORES, backed by practical men with a thorough knowledge of the business,
judgment, experience, capital and five of the most prominent and extensive catalogs extant, will soon systematize its plan already
outlined,—not to publish or buy or control catalogs, but AS RETAILERS, to put the business on a happier, healthier, and more
uniform basis than it has ever been before.
The "shoe won't pinch" any more—PROPER REPRESENTATION AND GENUINE METHODS is the name of the "new last,"
and there is every reason to know THAT IT WILL LAST.
Since this is being done for the good and for the welfare of all the publishers not heretofore represented, as well as the retailers,
the AMERICAN MUSIC STORES hope to receive the sincere support and cooperation of the Music Trade at large.
AMERICAN MUSIC STORES.
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