Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
The Application of an Old Principle in Meeting Present Conditions—
Time to Persuade the Public to Spend Money on Good Rather Than on
Bad Things ; to Emphasize that the Player-Piano Is an Investment.
At the present moment there is more or less talk
about wars, and prices, and rumors of more wars,
while the piano world at large looks on and won-
ders what is going to happen. Although much of
the pessimism that is expressed in some quarters
is unduly colored and altogether an exaggeration,
nobody will be willing to deny seriously that there
has been in the last few months a marked public
tendency to restrict expenditures to necessities.
This tendency is, indeed, loosening up, but its ef-
fects may extend over the Christmas period; at
least, to some extent. Now, the obvious thing t o '
do when confronted with a situation like this is to
reduce prices; that is to say, to advertise how
cheaply one can get a thing, and so try to disarm
any unfriendly feeling toward expenditure which
the public may have. In other words, the usual
thing in slow times is to come down with terms,
and, if possible, with prices, too. So we have the
papers flooded with advertisements of player-pianos
at all sorts of absurd prices and terms, with every
sort of an excuse therefor; even the silliest excuse,
that of "war-time depression." And, then, the
people who do this sort of thing seem to wonder
why they do not prosper.
cannot persuade people to buy things—especially
expensive things like player-pianos—in times when
the tendency is to think twice, by proclaiming that
hard times are forcing you to sell at low prices
and more than easy terms. For if there be so
many thoughts of depression floating around it is
obviously not the part of wisdom to increase their
number. That is one point that we are persuaded
is true.
Now, a second point is that with the approach
of the Christmas season there should be a great in-
crease in player-piano sales. If we attempt to ad-
vertise by telling people how poor we are we shall
fail, and if we tell them that there is nothing wrong
at all with things we shall be telling plain lies.
How can we consistently advertise player-pianos,
which are admittedly luxuries, without landing on
one or the other horn of the dilemma? That is the
all-important thing.
Well, it seems to us that the whole thing turns
on the one point of stating the exact truth. Does
this seem to be a most elaborate way of putting a
commonplace? Perhaps so, but telling the truth is
not so common after all. What we mean is that if
we simply take facts as they are, we shall soon see
Now, we are not going to talk psychology. that there is every good practical reason for buy-
Heaven forfend! In the first place, we do not ing a player-piano this Christmas, more reason than
know what it is all about, nor have we ever met ever, and that the public can be made to see the
anybody who did, whether professional psycholo- point if we first can see it ourselves.
Rational giving and rational spending should be
gists or not. Neither the dry bones of academic
metaphysics, so-called, nor the more entertaining the order of the day. It is no time for waste. But
Salvation Army methods of a Munsterburg have also it is no time for hoarding.
satisfied us. We frankly confess that we believe
Now, if we carry that idea in our minds we can
there is altogether too much talk about psychology
see that the right way to stimulate buying is to per-
of business, of advertising and of this or that, by
suade the public to spend their money on good
people who positively know nothing whatever about
rather than on bad things, on things permanent
the human mind, no matter how much they may
rather than on things temporary, on that which
know of James or Bergson. And so we shall
will be of some benefit to them rather than on
firmly refuse to pretend to any pseudo-scientific that which merely gratifies the stupid momentary
authority, and look at this matter with the simple
wants of the unthinking. In other words, now of
eyes of an uninstructed, nay innocent, inquirer.
all times is the time to point out that the country
needs constructive buying, buying not necessarily
We are simply venturing to point out that you
MUSIC ROLLS TRACK PERFECTLY
On THIS Player—
This is the Artistic Style C
Tri-Color Toned
iluellrr $c ^ai
For it is equipped
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lated.
Send for an explana-
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MUELLER
&
HAINES
1217 W. Monroe St.
PLAYER
PIANO
COMPANY
CHICAGO
or desirably less in quantity, but much better in
quality; a better distribution of buying rather than
a general blanket reduction in the quantity thereof.
It is easy to set forth convincingly the plain
truth that there is more fun, more pleasure, and
more general satisfaction to be had from the pos-
session of permanent things like player-pianos than
of temporary things like theater parties, automo-
bile rides and elaborate, wasteful dinners. More-
over, let it be further seen that the player-piano
not only furnishes permanent pleasure, but involves
no upkeep, and the argument is clinched.
It seems to us, with all due respect to everybody,
that this sort of argument would be of far greater
value than the sort of plea based on reduced prices
and on a general cry of hard times. Two wrongs
don't make a right, nor two darks a light, and if
we try to remedy one evil by offering another in
place of it we shall simply be in the unhappy posi-
tion of Cadmus, who found that every time he
chopped off one of the dragon's heads two more
grew instantly in its place. What, on the other
hand, will cure evil is its opposite, positive good.
And positive good is certainly to be found in all
true constructive work; that is, in all work which
is based upon truth. In the present case it is posi-
tive good to argue constructively about buying;
that is, to show where the buying power should be
expended and how it should be distributed.
Let us then sec a better quality of advertising
this Christmas time. Let us have piano and player
advertising that will be constructive, that will give
some real arguments for the preference of the
player as an object of Christmas expenditures over
other things less permanent, less valuable, more
troublesome and more expensive. Let the slogan
of our Christmas advertising be, "Buy the player-
piano because it is the most economical thing you
can buy. For economy is simply wise, as distin-
guished from foolish expenditure. Economy is
wise buying, not unwise hoarding. Therefore, buy
wisely, by buying what will return to you a thou-
sandfold. Buy player-pianos."
SUGGESTIONS _FOR CHRISTMAS
For
Piano Dealers, by the Jesse French &
Sons Piano Co. Worthy Consideration.
The Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., New Castle,
Ind., with its customary enterprise, has just sent
out to the trade in postcard form a Jesse French
& Sons player-piano advertisement prepared ex-
pressly for Christmas display work and designed
to enable dealers win the attention of the public
to the line of instruments which they handle.
Tt also contains an offer of co-operation on the
part of the Jesse French advertising department in
putting into sale-producing shape the ideas sent by
dealers, no matter if only in outline or rough
draft.
This co-operation work on the part of the Jesse
French & Sons Piano Co. is admirable. And as
it takes two to win success, it is to be hoped that
dealers will respond so that they may have in hand
seasonable publicity properly illustrated and argu-
mentatively set forth to win the attention of the
buying public. A return postal card is attached,
so that there can be no excuse for neglect.
CALLING ON MUSIC ROLL TRADE.
K. Blauvelt, of the Blauvelt-Wiley Paper Manu-
facturing Co.. 129 Charlton street, New York, is
now calling upon music roll manufacturers.
R. C. Harris, who formerly called upon the roll
trade, is no longer connected with the concern.