Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
9
FALL SEASON STARTS AUSPICIOUSLY IN DETROIT TRADE
appreciation of the fine course offered at this
practical institution of "learning.
Grinnell Bros. Clearing Out Used Stock—Why Detroit Piano Dealers Do Not Have Large First-
The various committee reports by committee
Floor Exhibits—What a Dealer Thinks of the Trade-in Problem—Other News
chairmen demonstrated progress being made
DETROIT, MICH., October 10.—During the past
Grinnell Bros., 247 Woodward avenue, is a in every direction. Informal addresses concern-
week the writer visited a number of the larger most busy place this week, in view of the an- ing various activities of the club were delivered
cjties through the Middle West and East, and nual sale of summer resort pianos. Large signs by former presidents of the clubs, Messrs. Mark
the thing that made the greatest impression on have been posted against the front of the build- P. Campbell, Richard W. Lawrence, J. A. L,e-
him was the immensity of some of the first ing; immense space is being consumed in the Cato and Win, J. Keeley.
floor displays by piano concerns. Here in De- daily newspapers; all the company's wagons
The speakers of the evening were two mem-
troit we have practically no large first floor bear special signs regarding the sale, and every bers of the club, Edgar Stevenson and Wm. L.
salesrooms, even Grinnell Bros, and the J. L. street car is carrying an announcement about Knebel. The subject assigned Mr. Stevenson,
Hudson Co. having these departments on upper the event. No other sale conducted by the "The Status of the Assistant Superintendent,"
floors. The stores seen by the writer compared firm gets as much attention as the annual sum- was ably handled, and Mr. Stevenson gave an
most favorably with those in New York and mer-resort affair.
From the crowds on the excellent straight-from-the-shoulder, practical
Chicago. Not long ago an Eastern piano dealer third and fourth floors last Friday and Satur- talk.
who passed through Detroit on his way to visit day it was apparent that many sales were being
Mr. Knebel spoke on "Personal and Office
friends in Chicago said to The Review corre- made.
Efficiency" and had an interesting message for
spondent: "The one thing that has disap-
E. P. Andrew, manager of the J. L. Hudson the younger members of the organization, em-
pointed me in Detroit is the lack of first floor piano store, Detroit, spent Saturday and Sun- phasizing to them the qualifications that would
exhibitions by dealers, such as we have in day with his mother at Ludington, and Monday make for their advancement and enlarge their
the East. I don't mean to infer that your and Tuesday of this week in Chicago on busi- sphere of usefulness in their respective duties.
dealers are not as live or as progressive as ness.
Mr. Knebel's comments were also of a crisp,
those of the East, but the fact remains that
Detroit's musical season started this week concise nature and embodied an inspiring note
there must be some reason for the lack of with a jump, two big stars making their fall throughout.
such displays.
I understand Detroit is a debut locally, both of them being practically
The evening's program closed, as customary,
wealthy city, that wages are exceedingly high, unequaled in their lines—Pasquale Amato, of the with a series of educational and comic moving
as compared to other towns, and that every- Metropolitan Opera Co., and John McCormack, picture films, which marked a fitting climax to
body is prosperous, and yet I don't believe the the famous lyric tenor. Edwin Schneider was a very interesting and instructive meeting of an
impression of the piano industry is as strong at the piano for McCormack and Maurice La- exceedingly alert and useful business club.
as it might be for such a progressive city."
farge at the piano for Amato.
A booklet entitled "Dispensers of Dreams"
Co-operation Needed in Matter of Trade-ins
was at the plate of each diner, the booklet con-
The man who made that statement is abso-
lutely right—Detroit for some reason or other
With all the discussions among dealers re- taining an interesting philosophic essay.
does lack large first floor displays. Grinnell garding the matter of allowances on trade-ins,
Bros, occupy a six-story structure of their own, little, if anything, has been done to minimize
but they do a general business in pianos, play- the allowances or to establish a uniform allow-
ers, musical instruments, sheet music and talk- ance. It would seem that the piano dealers
ing machines; the J. L. Hudson Co. occupy a are big enough men to take the bull by the
four-story building right in the heart of the horns and really do something if they feel it
shopping center, but the first floor is for talk- is necessary. In watching other lines of trade,
ing machines and records, and high-class sheet much younger than the piano industry, the
music, there being no ground floor piano ex- writer has found that* the men in those par-
hibits. Some of the other piano dealers down- ticular trades have had no hesitancy in getting
town show pianos on the first floor, but their together and taking steps to wipe out the evils,
stores are only about thirty feet wide, and no and yet it seems that nothing can be done to
attempt is made at artistic exhibitions—it is bring about such relief in the piano industry.
simply a case of showing as many instruments Not long ago an old-time one-priced dealer
on the first floor as the space will permit. Take who has been in business in Detroit for twenty-
Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Chicago, Bos- iive years said to the writer: "I'd like to know
ton and Washington, for instance, compare the what the piano dealers of this country have
ground floor exhibits in those cities with De- really accomplished, for instance, in this matter
troit, and you will readily appreciate how lack- of allowances, in the past ten years; where is
ing is "Dynamic Detroit." Maybe it's because there a single town where a uniform schedule
Detroiters are so busy making money they has been put into effect? I tell you that every
haven't time to think of the artistic side of their man in business to-day is afraid to meet his
business; then again there is this fact to be nearest competitor for fear that he may give
considered, it is almost impossible to secure away some of his ideas, and the result is that
ground floor stores that are more than thirty nothing is accomplished. Here we know that
feet wide and one hundred deep; most of the people who buy new pianos or players are
them are as narrow as twenty feet. And rents getting the best end of the deal by forcing the
in Detroit are much higher proportionate to dealer to grant a big allowance, and still we
the population, than in any city in the country. are helpless to do anything. Why not wipe out an
Maybe some day conditions will alter circum- evil that everyone admits to be an evil? A good
stances, and Detroit will be able to boast of
stiff-backbone, real co-operation and real local
some magnificent first-floor exhibits
organization is absolutely essential in the piano
Placed under a constant, uniform ten-
business if we are to wipe out evils and abuses."
sion of 165 lb. for a period of eight
This is a micro-photo-
graph showing a longitu-
dinal section of
No. 18 Perfected
Piano Wire
after the following test:
Artrmpo
Record Rolls
"Music as Actually Played"
HESE record rolls repre-
T
sent a true, scientific re-
production of piano playing
as performed by e m i n e n t
artists. Made with a respect to
the ideals of past and present
composers. Artempo rolls sell
on a merit basis only.
Your proof it in our sample
box at $2.00. Ask for it today.
BENNETT & WHITE, Inc.
67-71 Gobel St., NEWARK, N. J.
Retail piano business the past week fell off
generally in Detroit on account of the "Indian
summer" weather.
People thought more of
keeping on the outside or going back to sum-
mer resorts than they did of purchasing mu-
sical instruments. The talking machine busi-
ness also quieted up last week on account of
the weather.
PROGRESS CLUB HOLDS MEETING
Members of Kohler Industries Organization
Speak on Interesting Subjects—Player School
Students Attend in Body
The regular October banquet and meeting of
the Progress Club of the Kohler Industries was
held at the Associated Industries restaurant the
evening of October 9. President Geo. W. Git-
tins presided, and there was the usual large
and enthusiastic attendance.
A number of students of the Danquard Flayer
Action School were there in a body and one
of the scholars from Muncie, Ind., expressed his
months; vibrated at frequent inter-
vals by means of electro magnet and
felt hammer; energy applied equal to
that required for about six years ordi-
nary use in a player-piano.
RESULT
Tensile strength increase—500 lb.
per sq. in.
Elongation decrease .1% in 10 in.
Amplitude of Vibration increased
1%.
The micro-structure shows that
no abnormal conditions were
developed.
American Steel & Wire Company
Chicago, New York, Worcester, Cleveland, Pitti-
burgh, Denver. Export representative: U. S. Steel
Products Co., New York. Pacific Coast representa-
tive: U. S. Steel Products Co., San Francisco, Lot
Angeles, Portland, Seattle.