Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Stall:
GKO. B. KELLER,
W. H. DYKES,
F. II. THOMPSON.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER,
L. K. BOWERS, B. BRITTAIN WILSON, WM. B. WHITE, L. J. CHAMBEHLIN, A. J. NICKLTN.
BOSTON OFFICE:
CHICAGO OFFICE:
K. P. VAN HARMNGKN. 105-107 Wabash Ave.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8043.
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
KKNEST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont St.
PHILADELPHIA:
1J..W. KAUFFMAN.
A.W.SHAW.
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI. O.: NINA PUGH-SMITII.
BALTIMORE. MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON. ENGLAND:
69 Basinghall 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.
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REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
_.
Directory ol Plaao
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
found
on another page will be of great value, as a reference
Manufacturers
for dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver MedaJ.Charleston Exposition 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901 0old Medal.. .St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .. .Lewis Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NUMBER 174S GRAMERCY
Cable address: "Elblll N e w York."
NEW YORK, JUNE 8, 1907
EDITORIAL
REVIEW
will be found that from time to time frequent mention is made of
new department stores taking on pianos, so that far from diminish-
ing, the department store to-day is a stronger factor than ever.
Wanamaker, in New York and Philadelphia, disposes of more pianos'
annually at retail than any other single institution in the country.
Naturally other department stores are watching the operations of
the greatest store of its kind in the world,, and some of the smaller
ones are constantly adding pianos to their lines. They are not
important and are not heard of in a prominent way, because the
instruments they secure are not of the leading makes. Many of
them select special brands. There are, when we come to count
them, but few great pianos in existence, and all of these cannot be
secured by department stores, no matter how alluring the proposi-
tion which they put forth.
T
HE department stores are factors that are becoming more and
more pronounced, and it sometimes causes surprise how some
of the smaller dealers succeed when competing against them. Take
along Broadway for instance. There are scores upon scores of
furnishing establishments, the owners of which pay enormous rents
for position, and still the total of their sales is very small. It is a
problem how they pay their expenses and meet their obligations,
because people are more and more gravitating to the larger stores,
where everything can be procured under one roof. The department
stores have shown a desire to enter the piano manufacturing field,
and Wanamaker, naturally, with his expansive ideas, chafes at times
under a restricted territorial limit. It has been stated that Wana-
maker and a number of Philadelphia department store leaders have
been interested in securing control of the Schomacker piano interests
of that city. In New York.we have two or three department stores
interested in piano manufacturing, and it is probable that these inter-
ests will be duplicated in other sections of the country. The depart-
ment store as a factor is not decreasing in strength in this industry.
On the contrary, it is growing, but in such a way that the average
music trade man does not notice its encroachment upon domains
which were considered to be exclusive a few years ago.
T
HERE is no denying the fact that many small dealers in New
York have complained bitterly against department store com-
petition, and there is every reason to believe that this feeling will
T is a mighty good thing that a lot of piano men did not start
spread. The department stores are colossal aggregations of capital
in to make exhibits at the Jamestown Exposition, for it is and business ability, therefore with perfect system and with undimin-
doubtful if at any stage of our progress as a nation, less evidence
ished energy and constant alertness, it is natural to assume that they
of our capabilities and our achievements, has been offered friendly
will be increasing their operations all the 1 while. Every now and
and observant critics. Despite the fine array of American war-
then a great retail establishment is opened in some of our large
ships, the country, must in foreign opinion, have suffered from dis-
cities, and an organization of help, numbering one thousand or more,
order, unpreparedness and impotency which existed ashore. It is
is gathered together to distribute merchandise to the amount of a
difficult to imagine a greater error than the invitation, so recklessly
million or more in a building specially erected for wideawake retail-
extended to the fleets of other sea powers, to assemble on an anchor-
ing. It is true that the man at the head of such an undertaking
age where so little inherent attractiveness may be found, and where
must personally do but small part of the tremendous task he shoul-
the success of a visit must depend so much upon the thoroughness
ders, nor can money alone do it, though it is an important factor.
of preparations of artificial creation. No matter about the cost, it
would have been the part of wisdom to have postponed the opening
ONEY is of consequence in combination with ability to select
of the Jamestown Exposition until we were at least half ready to
able men to meet the myriads of details and to formulate the
invite other nations to be our guests.
policy along which the grand plan is to be pursued. Such a man
I
M
SUBSCRIBER to The Review writes: "I do not read as
many comments in your columns as formerly about the de-
partment stores in the piano field. Is it because they are dropping
out and are not to-day the great power that some predicted they
would become?" No, hardly that. The department store as a retail
distributing force in the music trade field is becoming generally
recognized, and the mere mention of a department store in connec-
tion with the piano business does not excite the comment nor call
f^rth the criticism that was quite natural when this new force in the
business was untried and its future problematical. For a while
after the department store made its first entree into the music trade
domain much speculation was rife as to the operations of this new
force, and many believed that it would be impossible for the depart-
ment stores as a business aggregation to successfully dispose of
pianos. Time and Wanamaker, however, have taught us many
things about piano business being conducted by department stores.
A
T
HE interest has worn off and it no longer becomes a matter of
serious comment when a department store adds pianos to its
varied lines. If the columns of The Review are scanned closely it
sees in trifles what the average person ignores, and yet elevates him-
self above the details that drive many an ambitious worker to
drudgery and oftentimes to death. Like the skilled mechanician
he scans every flaw and defect in his machinery. This man can put
his hand on the wheel of his organization and direct improvements
through his lieutenants.
T
HE brain that is harassed with details cannot cope successfully
with the unclouded one that grasps the broad situation. Step
by step the man building up large affairs must learn to unload on
trusty shoulders, usually very willing ones, the burdens which he
carries, securing these at a liberal salary, and thus the man increases
his own earning capacity by an unhampered view of the possibilities
which surround it. The splendid results of a central idea of this
kind is shown by the United Cigar Stores Co., operating a tremen-
dous number of stores throughout the country all as one, and yet
conducting each as an individual establishment. It must be admitted
that it is possible where one line alone is carried to work out a
general policy in a better way than where there is a multitude of
wares sold. It must be conceded, too, that piano branches as a whole
have not been successful. Some of those who entered enthusias-