Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorial Staff:
B. BKITTAIN WILSON,
A. J. NiCKLiN,
CARLETON CHACK,
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
BOSTON O F F I C E :
JOHM H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone, Main 6950
L. M. ROBINSON,
WM. B. WHITE,
GLAD HSNDMSOH,
L. E. BOWEKS.
CHICAGO O F F I C E :
- *• VAN HcARLINGE iJ'. Consumers' Building,
2
? 0 So. State Street. Telephone, Wabash 5774.
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HENRY S. KINGWILL, Associate-
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St., E. C.
NEWS SERVICE IS SUPPLIED W E E K L Y BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
LOCATED IN T H E LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York ' _. ''
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50; all other countries, $5.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $3.50 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising pages $110.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
PlaV0l*_PianA anil
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu-
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos are
dealt with, will be found in another section o this
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information cone rning
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 1908
Uiptomo
Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, l»04
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
DISTANCE TELEPHONES—
NUMBERS 5983—5983 MADISON 8Q.
Connecting 1 all Departments
Cable uddreM: "ElbiU, New York."
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER
IS, 1915
EDITORIAL
It must be admitted that advertising during
"Piano Week" was of a high-grade character.
We have had scores of papers mailed us by piano
merchants who have used considerable space in
their local papers during "Piano Week" and it
should be broadly understood that the quality of
advertising shows a distinct improvement over
that of years gone by. There has been an obvious
desire to use educational methods in the exploi-
tation of particular wares.
-
;
Then, again, it is certain, from communications which we have
received, that the idea of "Piano Week" has taken a deep hold of
the trade. It is going to be an annual feature, and some of the
men who previously have slowed up in their publicity methods have
been more than pleased with the results obtained, and in all proba-
bility "Piano Week" will stand as the first entering wedge in a
national plan of co-operative piano and player-piano publicity.
T
HK jewelry trade has been suffering particularly from stag-
nancy for the past two years, and The Jewelers' Circular-
Weekly, a trade publication of great prominence, has developed a
plan of publicity which is bringing the trade back to its own, so to
speak. A very interesting feature of this campaign has been the
preparation of feature articles of deep interest to the public which
have been supplied to papers of prominence.
i
The daily press has co-operated in this work in a very hearty
manner and the publicity received has been instrumental in reviving
interest in jewelry, and increasing th? demand for same.
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The local newspapers have profited very materially by this
campaign, by securing from resident jewelers a goodly portion of
advertising which has made the campaign a success from every
viewpoint, and now behold in steps the American Newspaper Pub-
lishers' Association in opposition to just this work. This associa-
tion, it is said, is taking steps to prevent further publication of the
feature jewelry articles unless they are paid for at advertising spacQ
rates. It urges papers to sell space for cash and not give it away,
naming the jewelry publicity campaign of the trade publication
referred to.
We can hardly understand the motive which prompted the
American Newspaper Publishers' Association to take this stand.
If it is made through a misconception of the facts then correct
information should b- speedily secured, but if through a definite
policy it would seem to us that it is a very prejudicial one, even to
the interests of the newspapers theirselves.
Kvery newspaper is getting increased business on the strength
of this feature campaign, for it is only right to suppose that if the
periodicals throughout the country gave sufficient space to the sub-
ject of jewelry as they do wearing apparel, it follows as a natural
sequence that the retail jewelers will vastly increase their adver-
tising expenditures, and in that way the publishers of the various
papers will secure good returns for the presentation of purely
feature matter which is of interest to a fair percentage of their
readers.
When there is an obvious desire on the part of newspaper pub-
lishers to aid an educational campaign, it is to be regretted that an
association as important as the Publishers' should take a stand
counseling the papers not to do this.
Tt is hardly consistent to discourage any trade-promoting incli-
nation on the part of the daily papers. In the piano trade there
has always been an unwillingness to even mention the nanu of a
piano no matter how important the concert or the artist, but the
automobile or any other product can get a free notice. Just why
this discrimination is difficult to understand.
If The Review plan of co-operative publicity obtains some time
next year, as it promises to do, this is a question which will be a
live one in music trade circles, for presumably a publicity committee
would prepare educational matter on the piano or the player-piano
which could be handled as feature matter by th? various papers.
It is time for rule breaking in all lines, and it would seem to us
that when the daily papers are willing to extend a little more
courtesy to a single trade that it is suicidal for the publishers to
attempt to thwart the movement. The publicity reverts to the
advantage of the newspapers, and probably The Review co-operative
plan of publicity on the part of piano manufacturers would result
in an expenditure annually of more than a quarter of a million.
The daily papers should bo encouraged along broadened rather
than narrowed lines, particularly when business of larger propor-
tions will come to them through a progressive policy on the part of
advertisers.
•
AST month the advertisement of the Schumann Piano Co.
graced the front cover of The Review. It was attractive,
and President W. N. Van Mativ, of the Schumann Piano Co.,
wrote to the Bartlett Music Co., of Los Angeles, Cal... asking an
opinion of the advertisement.
This progressive mii-ic bouse of the Far West reproduced the
entire front cover, including the cover title of The Music Trade
Review in the Los Angeles Sunday Times, using the caption, "Here
Ts the Answer, Mr. Van Matre."
The advertisement attracted a great deal of comment in Cali-
fornia and was a decided Schumann hit in every way. It also
emphasized, in a pleasing degree the enterprise of the Bartlett
Music Co.
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VERY once in so often there is received at this office a letter
from a subscriber, or at least a. reader, of The- Review, call-
ing attention to some local advertising or some action of a com-
petitor that he believes should be condemned. With very few
exceptions the complainant neglects to sign his name to the letter,
but is satisfied with such non do plumes a; "Reader," "Old Sub-
scriber," "Piano Dealer." itc. One kind-hearted correspondent
went so far as to send to us the newspaper reports of the case of a
competing dealer who was arrested for wife beating.
Attention has been called repeatedly in these columns to the
fact that we pay no attention to communications unless they are
signed by the writer. The Review is willing and anxious to
champion the right in piano advertising and sales methods, above
board and in the open. The reader, or subscriber, whose sensibili-
ties are. hurt by some action of a competitor should at least have
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