Music Trade Review
Issue: 1916 Vol. 63 N. 13 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
5
MUSIC ADVANCEMENT WORK—WHAT IT MEANS
(Continued from page 3)
The music advancement plan, with its ramifications, presents tremendous possibilities, and at the same
time offers difficulties that are well-nigh insurmountable unless everyone directly or indirectly affected takes
some'thing more than a passive interest.
The movement has been crystallized into something tangible. It has been formally launched. What is
the trade going to do?
any more and to take it back. A few days later the wife entered
the warerooms and demanded that the player be removed quickly
because she wanted to leave town. "What is the trouble with the
player," asked the manager, "is it broken?" "No," said the
woman, "it is just as good as it ever was but we're tired of it and
won't pay any more on it." When informed that her husband had
signed a contract, was expected to live up to that contract, and
would be sued if he didn't, the woman blazed up with extreme
indignation.
Another man entered the same wareroom sometime ago and
after testing and admiring the players stated that he already had
one at home but that he was going to stop payment, let the piano
house repossess it and then purchase a new player from the Fifth
avenue house. He, too, was quite indignant when informed that
the concern from whom he bought the first player could and
would sue him for the balance of the contract price and could
garnishee his salary until the judgment was satisfied.
In such cases as this the offender will have a clearer idea of
what a piano contract really means, but steps should be taken to
impress every piano purchaser with the fact that a piano lease
is just as binding as any other form of contract, and that its
provisions will be enforced. All too frequently the piano sales-
man in an effort to hasten a sale and make his work easier is
inclined to close up the deal without impressing the purchaser
with the fact that he or she is contracting to pay a certain amount
of money for value received and will be expected, and if neces-
sary forced, to pay the amount of money as agreed. It will make
the work of the collector easier, save law suits, and reduce the
number of repossessions.
T
HE great majority of buyers of pianos and player-pianos
are those who have snug deposits in the savings banks, and
nothing is more suggestive in reflecting the wealth of the people
than the figures just given out by the New York State Banking
Department, touching the growth of savings bank deposits dur-
ing the fiscal year ended July 1 last.
The total amount due depositors on July 1 was $1,883,242,203,
the largest total ever reported. This was an increase of 5.1
per cent, over the previous fiscal year. As compared with 1907,
the deposit accounts of these institutions showed a gain of 35
per cent. For the first time on record, the total resources passed
the two billion dollar mark, the July 1 figures being $2,053,-
171,981. But what was more extraordinary, in view of the hard-
ships sustained during the war period and the rise in living costs,
was the volume of new deposits made in the last fiscal year of
$446,017,922. This was the largest amount ever deposited in a
fiscal year. The amount of money withdrawn from the savings
banks in this period was $420,895,728, this being the smallest
amount withdrawn in any fiscal year since 1912. These compila-
tions offer the strongest possible evidence of the prosperity of
the people and the real basis for the good times which we arc
now enjoying!
In view of these figures, piano merchants in this State should
prepare for a very active campaign this fall and winter. It
only needs aggressive salesmanship to convert some of this
money in the savings bank into pianos to be placed in the homes
of the depositors. Now is the time to get busy and get some
of that currency.
I
N most sections special sales of pianos find little favor, par-
ticularly from competitors of the firms holding the sales, but
in this, as in other matters, there are exceptions one of which
was reported recently in Kansas City. Several prominent houses
in that city were holding clearing sales for various purposes sim-
ultaneously and advertising the sales very liberally. The gen-
eral result was that the widespread advertising set the people
of that section thinking about pianos and all the dealers man-
aged to secure for themselves a fair share in the trade thus
developed.
A fortunate circumstance was that the houses featuring the
sales were all of high standing and restricted themselves to
clean advertising. There is no question but that a number of
people who might ordinarily have purchased from other houses
were attracted by the various sales and bought the pianos on
that basis, but there was enough other business stimulated to
offset that loss and the general run of dealers in the main had
no complaint to make. It was a very unusual condition in the
piano trade.
GETTING DOWN TO PLAIN PLAYER FACTS
The education of the public along player lines is a necessity for the expansion of the player business.
There is no doubt of that; and education of the piano merchants and salesmen is also a vital necessity,
because through them will come a powerful force in the education of the public; and right here we wish to
remark that we have produced a line of books upon the player-piano which comprehensively covers the
entire player situation.
In this respect this trade newspaper stands alone, for it has been the principal source from which player
information has been available for piano merchants and salesmen for a period of years. Our latest book,
"The Player-Piano Up to Date"
is the best of the series. It contains upwards of 220 pages of matter bearing directly upon the player.
. Every piano merchant and piano salesman should have a copy of this book within easy reach. It
gives to readers a fund of information not obtainable elsewhere.
It contains a series of original drawings and a vast amount of instructive and educational matter, as
well as a detailed description of some of the principal player mechanisms.
It costs $1.50 to have this book delivered to any address in the United States-, and your money will be
refunded if you are not satisfied with the book after examination. No one yet has availed himself of this
opportunity. Foreign countries, 15c. to cover extra postage, should be added.
Estate of EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Publisher
373 Fourth Ave., New York
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
5
MUSIC ADVANCEMENT WORK—WHAT IT MEANS
(Continued from page 3)
The music advancement plan, with its ramifications, presents tremendous possibilities, and at the same
time offers difficulties that are well-nigh insurmountable unless everyone directly or indirectly affected takes
some'thing more than a passive interest.
The movement has been crystallized into something tangible. It has been formally launched. What is
the trade going to do?
any more and to take it back. A few days later the wife entered
the warerooms and demanded that the player be removed quickly
because she wanted to leave town. "What is the trouble with the
player," asked the manager, "is it broken?" "No," said the
woman, "it is just as good as it ever was but we're tired of it and
won't pay any more on it." When informed that her husband had
signed a contract, was expected to live up to that contract, and
would be sued if he didn't, the woman blazed up with extreme
indignation.
Another man entered the same wareroom sometime ago and
after testing and admiring the players stated that he already had
one at home but that he was going to stop payment, let the piano
house repossess it and then purchase a new player from the Fifth
avenue house. He, too, was quite indignant when informed that
the concern from whom he bought the first player could and
would sue him for the balance of the contract price and could
garnishee his salary until the judgment was satisfied.
In such cases as this the offender will have a clearer idea of
what a piano contract really means, but steps should be taken to
impress every piano purchaser with the fact that a piano lease
is just as binding as any other form of contract, and that its
provisions will be enforced. All too frequently the piano sales-
man in an effort to hasten a sale and make his work easier is
inclined to close up the deal without impressing the purchaser
with the fact that he or she is contracting to pay a certain amount
of money for value received and will be expected, and if neces-
sary forced, to pay the amount of money as agreed. It will make
the work of the collector easier, save law suits, and reduce the
number of repossessions.
T
HE great majority of buyers of pianos and player-pianos
are those who have snug deposits in the savings banks, and
nothing is more suggestive in reflecting the wealth of the people
than the figures just given out by the New York State Banking
Department, touching the growth of savings bank deposits dur-
ing the fiscal year ended July 1 last.
The total amount due depositors on July 1 was $1,883,242,203,
the largest total ever reported. This was an increase of 5.1
per cent, over the previous fiscal year. As compared with 1907,
the deposit accounts of these institutions showed a gain of 35
per cent. For the first time on record, the total resources passed
the two billion dollar mark, the July 1 figures being $2,053,-
171,981. But what was more extraordinary, in view of the hard-
ships sustained during the war period and the rise in living costs,
was the volume of new deposits made in the last fiscal year of
$446,017,922. This was the largest amount ever deposited in a
fiscal year. The amount of money withdrawn from the savings
banks in this period was $420,895,728, this being the smallest
amount withdrawn in any fiscal year since 1912. These compila-
tions offer the strongest possible evidence of the prosperity of
the people and the real basis for the good times which we arc
now enjoying!
In view of these figures, piano merchants in this State should
prepare for a very active campaign this fall and winter. It
only needs aggressive salesmanship to convert some of this
money in the savings bank into pianos to be placed in the homes
of the depositors. Now is the time to get busy and get some
of that currency.
I
N most sections special sales of pianos find little favor, par-
ticularly from competitors of the firms holding the sales, but
in this, as in other matters, there are exceptions one of which
was reported recently in Kansas City. Several prominent houses
in that city were holding clearing sales for various purposes sim-
ultaneously and advertising the sales very liberally. The gen-
eral result was that the widespread advertising set the people
of that section thinking about pianos and all the dealers man-
aged to secure for themselves a fair share in the trade thus
developed.
A fortunate circumstance was that the houses featuring the
sales were all of high standing and restricted themselves to
clean advertising. There is no question but that a number of
people who might ordinarily have purchased from other houses
were attracted by the various sales and bought the pianos on
that basis, but there was enough other business stimulated to
offset that loss and the general run of dealers in the main had
no complaint to make. It was a very unusual condition in the
piano trade.
GETTING DOWN TO PLAIN PLAYER FACTS
The education of the public along player lines is a necessity for the expansion of the player business.
There is no doubt of that; and education of the piano merchants and salesmen is also a vital necessity,
because through them will come a powerful force in the education of the public; and right here we wish to
remark that we have produced a line of books upon the player-piano which comprehensively covers the
entire player situation.
In this respect this trade newspaper stands alone, for it has been the principal source from which player
information has been available for piano merchants and salesmen for a period of years. Our latest book,
"The Player-Piano Up to Date"
is the best of the series. It contains upwards of 220 pages of matter bearing directly upon the player.
. Every piano merchant and piano salesman should have a copy of this book within easy reach. It
gives to readers a fund of information not obtainable elsewhere.
It contains a series of original drawings and a vast amount of instructive and educational matter, as
well as a detailed description of some of the principal player mechanisms.
It costs $1.50 to have this book delivered to any address in the United States-, and your money will be
refunded if you are not satisfied with the book after examination. No one yet has availed himself of this
opportunity. Foreign countries, 15c. to cover extra postage, should be added.
Estate of EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Publisher
373 Fourth Ave., New York
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).