Music Trade Review

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THE: MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Repoiiorlal Stall:
fl»o. B. K"T.T.»»,
L. B. BOWERS,
W. H. DYKES,
F. H. THOMPSON.
J. HATDBN CLARENDON.
B. BBITTAIN WILSON,
L. J. CHAMBERLIN,
A. J. NICTLLJIS
CHICAGO OFFICE:
B. P. VAN HARLINQEN, 195-197 Wabash Ave.
TELEPHONES : Central 414 ; Automatic 8B4S
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
BOSTON OFFICE:
BtBNBST L. WAITT, 278A Tremont S t
PHILADELPHIA!
R. W. KAUFTIIAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
SAN FRANCISCO:
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN
S. H. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI. O . : NINA PUGH-SMITH.
BALTIMORE. MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON. ENGLAND:
69 Baulnghall S t , E. C.
W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
REVIEW
Then the retailers should figure that there has been a constant
encroach upon the regular trade by the department stores and by
mail order houses for the past ten years. In New York it is
known that the sale of pianos in department stores reaches many
thousand annually. We also know that there are very few cities
throughout the United States which do not have one or more de-
partment stores at which pianos are sold. It is true they may not
sell large numbers of them, but every piano that is sold outside of
the regular stores means a sale lost to the piano dealer. We know
also that the catalogue and mail order houses have sold many pianos
and organs and this kind of competition has been creeping in on
the regular trade for ten years. The retail piano man should know
that the newspaper advertising is a necessity to their business. It
reaches thousands of "can be made customers" every day. The
player manufacturers have seen the advantage of this enormous
circulation of the newspapers and magazines and have helped their
local dealers in every section of the country by their general ad-
vertising. All kinds of publicity is helpful to trade and the activity
which prevails in the player trade to-day may be attributed to the
special advertising treatment which this department has received.
Entertd at the New Ytrk Post Office ms Stcond Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION. (Including postage). United StateB and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50 ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $2.00 per Inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special dlicount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
.
Directory of Plaao
The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
*
~ z
found on another page will be of great value, as a reference
Miinlitlurtri
f o r dealers and others.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Priw
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.Charleston Exposition 1902
Diploma. Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal.. . S t Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal
Lewis-Clark Exposition. 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting all Department*.
'
Cable addreaa: "ElblU New York."
I
T will require plenty of hustle this year to keep business up to
anything approaching a satisfactory point. Orders are not
coming easy and dealers are not inclined to increase their obliga-
tions by placing orders for large shipments. The tendency of the
trade during iyo8 will be to place small individual orders. Busi-
ness will be somewhat fitful both from a manufacturing and retail
viewpoint, but some prominent financiers whose views are generally
considered conservative have predicted that the business for the
year 1908 will be equal to that of the past year. While trade has
been stagnant for the past two months of the year there are still ten
months left to make good.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 29, 1908
UST because Mr. B-
-, a rich piano man, reached success
I in his old-fashioned way, does not mean that the same plan will
work out successfully in 1908. It is dollars to doughnuts that it
EDITORIAL
won't. Every man in business to-day who proposes to move ahead
during 1908 has got to be up and doing. He has got to spend money
and he has got to put forth the exerticfn no matter whether he is
URING the past two weeks business has shown material
manufacturing pianos or selling them, the same energy and judg-
signs of betterment, particularly in the agricultural sections
ment is required. It is not the time to lie down and simply say that
of the country. In New England the retail trade has not exhibited
because business is dull it does not pay to put forth any extra exer-
much activity. In fact, it seems as if business in the crop pro-
ducing states is much better than in those localities where there are tion. On the contrary it is just the time when men should redouble
large manufacturing interests. This condition is, of course, due their energies and the business men must show their faith and con-
to the fact that many of the plants throughout the country are run- fidence in the future of this country and in its industries, particularly
with which they are specially identified, by proceeding with the plans
ning on greatly reduced time and consequently a large number of
which will mean the outlay of some money, and which in the end
men are unemployed, so as a natural sequence business in the manu-
will be business getters. There is no use to display over-conserva-
facturing centers shows a decrease. There is, however, a more
tism.
Up-to-date, progressive manufacturers supplement the work
optimistic feeling prevailing throughout the music trade and many
of
their
salesmen by an extra amount of trade newspaper advertising.
of the leading members of the industry have not hesitated to state
These
men
realize that salesmen cannot do it all. They know that
to The Review that they consider that business in future will be
the
dealers
read interesting trade papers and they know that the
run on much sounder lines. They figure that a little dulness now
more
their
instruments
are exploited in the columns of these papers
will not be harmful in a large way to trade interests, and men will
the
easier
it
will
be
for
their
salesmen to arrange for agencies. They
be forced to conduct business on a more conservative basis.
know
that
a
piano*
that's
not
talked about is quite out of the game.
One thing worthy of emphasis in connection with the trade at
They
know
that
dealers
themselves
are loath to enter into an alliance
the present time is the activity which prevails in the player field,
with
pianos
that
are
not
well
advertised
in the leading trade papers,
for it must be admitted that the manufacturers of piano players,
and
why?
Simply
because
the
dealer
himself figures that if the
both cabinet and interior, are running their factories on much closer
manufacturers
are
not
progressive
enough
to advertise their own
to a normal basis than the manufacturers of regular pianos. This
products
they
are
hardly
the
proper
men
to
tie
to. We do not know
condition is somewhat surprising, for the player piano represents,
that
his
judgment
is
so
far
wrong
when
he
says
this. Successful
of course, a larger investment than the piano without the player
business
men
to-day
want
to
work
hand
in
hand
with practical
mechanism, but this activity demonstrates the effect of special ad-
progressive
men.
They
feel
that
their
interests
will
be
served in a
vertising. The larger player concerns have been carrying on an
better
manner
by
an
alliance
with
a
man
who
will
be
in
sympathy
effective publicity campaign, thus arousing and well maintaining
with
their
methods
than
with
those
who
are
indifferent
to
the
higher
public interest in piano players. If it were not for this splendid
laws
of
publicity.
advertising campaign presumably the player business would not be
so active.
EW YORK has witnessed sdme strange scenes during the past
F there is any business under the sun that needs newspaper pub-
few months. The names of those who stood high at one time
licity constantly and creditably, it is the retail piano concern,
in the financial world have been dragged in the dust, and several of
and the reason is obvious. In the first place, the necessity of hav- those who a few months ago were alleged to be owners of millions
are now dead, dishonored or in flight. When will we quit deluding
ing a piano in the home is a story which must 'be told over and over
again and told so persistently and entertainingly that the reader ourselves with the idea that there is happiness and permanent satis-
faction in selfish money grabbing?
will after a while begin to believe that his home is not as it should
be unless it contains a piano.
After all, the reputation of the great financiers and industrial
D
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