Music Trade Review
Issue: 1911 Vol. 53 N. 16 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
How the Trade Has Suffered in Reputation!
Questionable Methods Pursued by a Certain Class of Men Have Had the Tendency to Undermine
the Confidence of the Public in Piano Values—The Average Person Is Unable to Intelligently
Judge of Piano Values—The Old Elastic System of Prices Retarded Business—The Commis-
sion Evil Has Also Had Its Effect to Hold Back the Onward March of Trade—Ridiculous
Prices Placed Upon Old Pianos Have Made It Possible to Destroy Price Stability—Sensational
Methods, Too, Have Had Their Effect Chief Among Which Are Puzzle-Guessing Schemes—
This Plan Had Had a Detrimental Effect Upon Piano Selling—People Bit With Avidity and
Swallowed the Bait at the Start but Since Have Been Troubled With Contest Indigestion.
''T^HE piano trade has suffered in reputation and consequently in piano, several times its true worth, while the other one holds stead-
A pocketbook more than most commercial lines simply on fastly to an auction price, and yet they both claim to be one-price
account of questionable methods adopted by a certain class of houses! Then it is up to the customer to decide which is the better
instrument.
dealers which have aroused the suspicions of the public.
But how many men who purchase pianos at retail are good
People who buy pianos are unable, in a majority of cases, to
judges of values?
form an intelligent judgment as to tone and workmanship.
A mighty small percentage indeed, and customers are too fre-
To appreciate the qualities which make up the value of the
piano as a vehicle for the expression of art, calls for a more thor- quently influenced in their piano purchases by the large amount
ough knowledge of the mechanism of the instrument and the which is offered them for their old instruments.
But notwithstanding these conditions, we are approaching
standards of the best makers, than is possessed by the average
nearer to one price than ever before, and the get-all-you-can policy
layman.
Hence this fact alone opens wide the doors of opportunity for is in its decadence. We have had many inner conditions which
fraud and dishonest pricings of instruments and some dealers have have militated against the best interests of reputable dealers in
availed themselves of this opportunity and have injured the good every part of the country.
name of the trade with the piano purchasing public.
During the past two years in the guessing contest schemes in
Years ago, the elastic system of prices which obtained in which prizes galore have been offered, the people have found that
many piano stores operated very seriously in retarding the real the beautifully engraved gold certificates and coupons have been
progress of the traded and the prevalence of the commission evil presented to "lucky guessers" to apply on the purchase of a new
piano.
formed another very serious drawback.
The people at first swallowed the bait, hook, sinker and all.
But gradually store after store has adopted one price, and
They thought that the piano men were the easiest ever, and
as a result the business is being conducted on a much better basis
the guessing schemes thrived like a whole forest of green bay trees.
in this particular than ever before.
But, like everything else, the public after a while got wise—
The owners of stores who have adhered to one price have
been more than gratified with the results. They have won the then the solid element of the trade opposed sensational methods,
confidence of the piano buying public, and when that confidence is particularly when they were saturated with deceit and misrepre-
sentation.
won the opportunities for trade getting are greatly enlarged.
There has been no method which has been adopted to sell
Of course, the piano business is different than any other, and
pianos
within the memory of the present writer which has done so
we should not go off at half cock in denouncing trade evils. We
much
to
degrade the piano business as has this scheme system of
should be reasonable in our criticism as well as our praise, and in
piano
selling.
the piano business we cannot overcome certain traditions imme-
It has lowered the standard of piano selling, and dealers as a
diately. It takes time!
The commission system has retarded trade growth, and when matter of self-preservation were compelled to adopt measures to
people find it necessary to call in a music teacher or some other stamp out this kind of work, which was undermining public confi-
person capable of influencing their decision to render values, and dence in piano selling to an alarming degree.
Happily through the influence of the trade and public mind,
when those teachers are persons who are influenced largely in their
criticism by the amount of commission which they receive it be- as well as backed by the United States Government, there are only
comes at once a problem not easy to solve, particularly when there sporadic cases here and there where guessing schemes still are
flaunted.
is a one-price system to which it is supposed to adhere.
The piano merchants who have the best interests of the trade
Then, again, in other lines of merchandise there are no used
at heart realize that the future of the American piano trade rests
products to trade back at ridiculous pricings.
The tailor does not have to figure an allowance on the old suit to a larger degree than has hitherto been realized by the average
man upon reliable business methods.
when he measures a man for a new one.
In other words, there must be correct piano pricings, and the
The furniture merchant does not figure what he can allow for
flamboyant, sensational forms of misrepresentation and fraud must
old furniture when he is refurnishing a room.
be abandoned, else the entire business will have become degraded.
And so it goes!
The series of plain business articles which have been running
In other lines of merchandise there are different conditions
existing and the old instrument problem has played no unim- for some time in this paper are presented with the idea of arousing
the trade mind to a keen realization of present conditions, and
portant part in the piano world.
In fact, it has been a real stumbling block to the adoption of there will be no halcyon days in piano selling in the future unless
the one-price system, for it is no secret that in taking back an old efforts are put forth by the great majority of piano men to uphold
piano frequently much more is allowed for it than its true value, the the dignity and stability of the trade.
One merchant, writing to The Review, says: "Keep up your
difference being made up on the price of the new instrument.
good
work. You have made me sit up and take notice, and I
Having adopted a one-price system, it is necessary to gauge
know
that you must have made others. I fell to the guessing
a price for the old piano at a very slight advance over the figure
contest
scheme because I was encouraged to do it by a manufac-
that it would bring at auction.
turer,
but
I have seen the folly of my ways and have reformed.
But here is where piano dealers themselves are up against it!
(Continued on page 7.)
One dealer will allow a surprisingly large amount on the old
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
How the Trade Has Suffered in Reputation!
Questionable Methods Pursued by a Certain Class of Men Have Had the Tendency to Undermine
the Confidence of the Public in Piano Values—The Average Person Is Unable to Intelligently
Judge of Piano Values—The Old Elastic System of Prices Retarded Business—The Commis-
sion Evil Has Also Had Its Effect to Hold Back the Onward March of Trade—Ridiculous
Prices Placed Upon Old Pianos Have Made It Possible to Destroy Price Stability—Sensational
Methods, Too, Have Had Their Effect Chief Among Which Are Puzzle-Guessing Schemes—
This Plan Had Had a Detrimental Effect Upon Piano Selling—People Bit With Avidity and
Swallowed the Bait at the Start but Since Have Been Troubled With Contest Indigestion.
''T^HE piano trade has suffered in reputation and consequently in piano, several times its true worth, while the other one holds stead-
A pocketbook more than most commercial lines simply on fastly to an auction price, and yet they both claim to be one-price
account of questionable methods adopted by a certain class of houses! Then it is up to the customer to decide which is the better
instrument.
dealers which have aroused the suspicions of the public.
But how many men who purchase pianos at retail are good
People who buy pianos are unable, in a majority of cases, to
judges of values?
form an intelligent judgment as to tone and workmanship.
A mighty small percentage indeed, and customers are too fre-
To appreciate the qualities which make up the value of the
piano as a vehicle for the expression of art, calls for a more thor- quently influenced in their piano purchases by the large amount
ough knowledge of the mechanism of the instrument and the which is offered them for their old instruments.
But notwithstanding these conditions, we are approaching
standards of the best makers, than is possessed by the average
nearer to one price than ever before, and the get-all-you-can policy
layman.
Hence this fact alone opens wide the doors of opportunity for is in its decadence. We have had many inner conditions which
fraud and dishonest pricings of instruments and some dealers have have militated against the best interests of reputable dealers in
availed themselves of this opportunity and have injured the good every part of the country.
name of the trade with the piano purchasing public.
During the past two years in the guessing contest schemes in
Years ago, the elastic system of prices which obtained in which prizes galore have been offered, the people have found that
many piano stores operated very seriously in retarding the real the beautifully engraved gold certificates and coupons have been
progress of the traded and the prevalence of the commission evil presented to "lucky guessers" to apply on the purchase of a new
piano.
formed another very serious drawback.
The people at first swallowed the bait, hook, sinker and all.
But gradually store after store has adopted one price, and
They thought that the piano men were the easiest ever, and
as a result the business is being conducted on a much better basis
the guessing schemes thrived like a whole forest of green bay trees.
in this particular than ever before.
But, like everything else, the public after a while got wise—
The owners of stores who have adhered to one price have
been more than gratified with the results. They have won the then the solid element of the trade opposed sensational methods,
confidence of the piano buying public, and when that confidence is particularly when they were saturated with deceit and misrepre-
sentation.
won the opportunities for trade getting are greatly enlarged.
There has been no method which has been adopted to sell
Of course, the piano business is different than any other, and
pianos
within the memory of the present writer which has done so
we should not go off at half cock in denouncing trade evils. We
much
to
degrade the piano business as has this scheme system of
should be reasonable in our criticism as well as our praise, and in
piano
selling.
the piano business we cannot overcome certain traditions imme-
It has lowered the standard of piano selling, and dealers as a
diately. It takes time!
The commission system has retarded trade growth, and when matter of self-preservation were compelled to adopt measures to
people find it necessary to call in a music teacher or some other stamp out this kind of work, which was undermining public confi-
person capable of influencing their decision to render values, and dence in piano selling to an alarming degree.
Happily through the influence of the trade and public mind,
when those teachers are persons who are influenced largely in their
criticism by the amount of commission which they receive it be- as well as backed by the United States Government, there are only
comes at once a problem not easy to solve, particularly when there sporadic cases here and there where guessing schemes still are
flaunted.
is a one-price system to which it is supposed to adhere.
The piano merchants who have the best interests of the trade
Then, again, in other lines of merchandise there are no used
at heart realize that the future of the American piano trade rests
products to trade back at ridiculous pricings.
The tailor does not have to figure an allowance on the old suit to a larger degree than has hitherto been realized by the average
man upon reliable business methods.
when he measures a man for a new one.
In other words, there must be correct piano pricings, and the
The furniture merchant does not figure what he can allow for
flamboyant, sensational forms of misrepresentation and fraud must
old furniture when he is refurnishing a room.
be abandoned, else the entire business will have become degraded.
And so it goes!
The series of plain business articles which have been running
In other lines of merchandise there are different conditions
existing and the old instrument problem has played no unim- for some time in this paper are presented with the idea of arousing
the trade mind to a keen realization of present conditions, and
portant part in the piano world.
In fact, it has been a real stumbling block to the adoption of there will be no halcyon days in piano selling in the future unless
the one-price system, for it is no secret that in taking back an old efforts are put forth by the great majority of piano men to uphold
piano frequently much more is allowed for it than its true value, the the dignity and stability of the trade.
One merchant, writing to The Review, says: "Keep up your
difference being made up on the price of the new instrument.
good
work. You have made me sit up and take notice, and I
Having adopted a one-price system, it is necessary to gauge
know
that you must have made others. I fell to the guessing
a price for the old piano at a very slight advance over the figure
contest
scheme because I was encouraged to do it by a manufac-
that it would bring at auction.
turer,
but
I have seen the folly of my ways and have reformed.
But here is where piano dealers themselves are up against it!
(Continued on page 7.)
One dealer will allow a surprisingly large amount on the old
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