Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
GOOD WORK ACCOMPLISHED AT CONVENTIONS
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no thought of taking any advantage whatever of the press, but rather with the expectation of being a
benefit to it.
It was pointed out that recently an important newspaper in New York City, and also one in Cleveland,
both indiciated a course that can be pursued for the benefit of themselves, the music trade industry, and the
general public, and that the music publicity encouraged by these papers, while somewhat dissimilar, has the
same intent.
It is obvious that the success or failure of this entire plan of advertising centers on the matter of
co-operation on the part of the merchants, particularly in the smaller cities, for local papers are not prone
to increase their expense by the addition of a new department, unless the local merchants take a certain
amount of advertising space on such a page. It is clear, therefore, that the whole proposition is dependent
on the closest co-operation between the manufacturers, the merchants, and the special committee having this
advertising campaign in charge.
The cost of the bureau planned by the Manufacturers' Association is estimated at approximately $15,000
for the first year, which expense will largely cover the expenses of the secretary of the publicity bureau, who
will do considerable traveling throughout the country, promoting and developing this idea all along the lines
of helping the entire industry.
This movement marks a new era in association history, for as the Committee on Trade Advancement
properly says, it marks the beginning of probably the greatest work the trade has ever undertaken. The
work, to be thoroughly effective, must be extensive and intensive; there should be complete co-operation by
all in the trade; it should be a movement of many hands with but one heart.
The enthusiasm and interest displayed in this matter of advertising at the convention should not be
allowed to die with the departure of the delegates to their homes, for the subject is one that is vitally important.
The committee in charge of the development of this proposition should receive the heartiest support in
its efforts to achieve results. There should be substantial assistance in the way of subscriptions and encour-
agement in submitting ideas and suggestions that will be of practical value.
The Review hails with delight the plan as proposed by the committee, and rejoices that the idea embodied
therein—an idea which had its inception in the columns of this paper—gives e\nery promise of a consummation
which w r ill be of lasting benefit to the music trade.
Fleck's address should have the salient points indelibly impressed
on their minds. Although a teacher and director of music, an
idealist to a certain extent, and an outsider so far as the trade is
directly concerned, the professor analyzed conditions as they are
with a faithfulness that was startling to most of those who lis-
tened.
In other words, while trade advancement plans for today,
with the object of reaching people who can now buy pianos is a
worthy object, it must not be overlooked that one of the success-
ful plans is that which will reach the children through the schools,
inculcating a proper understanding, appreciation and love of
music. With such a musical training, conducted by the state or
city and with the co-operation of piano manufacturers and mer-
chants, the trade advancement campaign will not be a thing of
the moment but rather an earnest work for the future.
To build for posterity requires broadminded courage in car-
rying out an idea that in some of its phases is idealistic, and a
generosity of spirit required to invest money for the possible
benefit of someone else in the future. Will the piano men meet
the test?
OHN WANAMAKER, whose knowledge of the fundamen-
tals of merchandising has enabled him to build up one of
the largest and most • complete retail organizations in the-
United States, addressed an open letter to the delegates in at-
tendance at the convention of the Associated Advertising Clubs
of the World, which met in Philadelphia this week, in which
he points out, among other things, the opportunity awaiting
the advertising men of this country to correct some of the most
salient evils which have crept into the general practice of ad-
vertising and merchandising. Among these evils Mr. Wana-
makor mentions the practice of claiming to sell goods for prices
which are much less than the goods are reasonably worth, and
the pernicious influence of so-called "sales-experts" who go
about organizing special sales, club schemes, and other selling
stunts all more or less at variance with the basic ethics of real
merchandising. While it is true that the advertising men of
this country can do much to eradicate these evils, they cannot
J
completely stamp out questionable methods in selling and ad-
vertising until the merchants of the country unite in an effort
to stamp out those practices which cast discredit on honest mer-
chants and cheapen honest merchandise in the eyes of the pub-
lic.
In the piano industry alone there is a fertile field for improve-
ment, a field which can and will become wonderfully productive
when the weeds of shady methods have been uprooted and de-
stroyed. This work is progressing continually, as witness the
increasing difficulties which confront those piano sellers who
stick to the old and threadbare puzzle scheme as a substitute
for more legitimate endeavor—as witness the agreement being
made between piano merchants all over the country, even in
localities where competition is keenest, not to place on sale a
second-hand piano of standard make, handled by some other
dealer in the town, without first giving the dealer carrying that
particular instrument an opportunity to take it off the hands of
the dealer in whose possession it may be, and even after that
opportunity has been given, not to advertise the piano without
specifically stating that the piano is second-hand—as witness
further the gradual elimination of advertising which claims that
a piano, offered at a certain price, is worth much more than the
price asked.
Advertising clubs, piano and allied organizations, and indi-
vidual dealers of integrity and public spirit are doing all in their
power to eliminate the evils to which Mr. Wanamaker referred
in his open letter, yet the thinking man may well wonder why
such evils have ever been allowed to come into being. The
public, no matter how susceptible it may have been in the past
to the methods popularly attributed to the late P. T. Barnum,
is no longer in that frame of mind, if indeed it ever was. To
offer a piano at a price which is claimed to be half of what the
instrument is worth is to lessen the public regard for all pianos,
to offer to give away a piano for the mere solving of a childishly
and intentionally simple puzzle picture or rebus is to lead the
public to scoff at the real worth of all pianos and to believe that
all dealers are as unethical and tricky as is the one dealer who
uses that particular form of catch-penny publicity.