Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
HOT WEATHER NOT AFFECTING DETROIT PIANO TRADE
9
GOOD BUSINESS IN TOLEDO
Business for July Exceeds That of Same Month Last Year—Members of Grinnell Staff on Va- Suburban Trade a Prominent Feature of the
Piano Business—Conditions Excellent
cations—McGuigan Reports Splendid Demand—Fruetchey Issues Player Booklet
DETROIT, MICH., August 1.—This city has never
been attacked with such a prolonged spell of
hot weather as it has during the month of
July. With the exception of a few days, the
whole month has been one continuous spell of
heat and without rain—not even a shower. We
are glad to report, however, that July will
exceed the business for the same month last
year which was cool, showing that there is al-
ways somebody interested in a piano or player.
In most of the big stores, each man is given a
quota for every month. At both Hudson's and
Grinnell Bros, most of the salesmen had ob-
tained their quota by the 20th of July, which
shows that the hot spell did not stop business
altogether. And in glancing through the news-
papers, we learn that there is no relief in sight.
Fire last Wednesday did considerable damage
to the stock of Kimball pianos, about 75 in all,
in the Ashton Building, Grand Rapids, Mich.
C. H. Kesler, manager of the player-piano de-
partment at Grinnell Bros., who left early in
July for a vacation, will remain on his vacation
until the middle of August.
Jack Read, of Grinnell Bros., player-piano
department, left July 30 for a two weeks' vaca-
tion. Mr. Read is at Houghton Lake, in north-
ern Michigan. Jay Grinnell, sales manager of
Grinnell Bros., and Jay Canfield, salesman in
the piandWepartment, will leave August 6 for a
motor trip through the East. Their families
will accompany them. E. W. Grinnell, one of
the directors at Grinnell Bros., is spending a
vacation at Les Cheneaux Islands, near Macki-
nac. Harry W. Rapp, office manager, returned
July 24 from his ten days' vacation.
A. E. Trebilcock, of the Detroit Music Co.,
288 Woodward avenue, says he can't complain
in the least about July business—sales for the
month are considerably ahead of last year.
McGuigan's Piano House, 1229 Gratiot ave-
nue, handling the Bush & Gerts and other lines
on Detroit's east side, reports splendid business
—even better than the talking machine end—
for the past two months. "Business is so good
that I can't get away," says Mr. McGuigan.
W. Howard Webb, Buffalo piano dealer, was
a recent visitor, having purchased a new Buick
motor car.
C. A. Grinnell and family, who have been
spending some time in Atlantic City, have gone
to Lake Placid for the month of August.
Referring to The Review's recent article on
education of music to create more piano sales,
Frank Bayley, music dealer on Broadway, re-
calls the fact that when he was a boy every
"kid" had to practice at least one hour each
day. "I can remember when the kids on our
streets would be playing together," he said.
"Along about 4 o'clock we would all stop be-
cause we would have to go in the house to prac-
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tice music—one kid would be taking up piano,
another the violin and another something else,
but each kid was learning how to play some
musical instrument. To-day, conditions are dif-
ferent. How many boys and girls are taking up
music as compared to the period of say ten or
fifteen years ago? Certainly something could and
should be done to get every child interested in
music. The player-piano and the talking ma-
chine no doubt have created a desire for people
to like music, but to sell pianos and musical in-
struments people must know music and must
understand it. When people know music, can
read music and understand it, you'll find the
sale of musical instruments increasing—and this
applies to every kind of musical instrument."
C. F. Fruetchey, former organist of the
Majestic Theatre, and with offices in the Park
Building, has issued a pamphlet "400 Sugges-
tions to Movie-Organ Players." Mr. Fruetchey,
who is considered one of the best organists in
this country, says that the movie-organ is the
only instrument that can properly interpret mo-
tion pictures.
NEWS FROM THEJIARLEM DISTRICT
Activity in Piano and Talking Machine Lines
Reported From Uptown New York
Business men along 125th street, in the dis-
trict known as Harlem's shopping center, have
an advantage in the summertime over the larger
stores downtown in catering to this thickly
populated section. There are several up-to-date
piano warerooms situated on this thoroughfare,
and the amount of business done there is sur-
prising.
The J. J. Rourk warerooms, 33 West 125th
street, report a very satisfactory July business.
Mr. Rourk handles the Hallet & Davis line of
pianos and a large number of player-piano sales
was one of the features of the month. These
warerooms have just signed a contract to handle
the Pathe Pathephone and will in the next few
days be prepared to give demonstrations.
The Kranich & Bach Harlem warerooms, 16
West 125th street, have felt a slight depression
in the amount of sales during July; however,
the volume of business in the several months
preceding was large, so the total for the year
is away above normal.
Winterroth & Co.'s warerooms, at 14 West
125th street, which have been managed by J. E.
Winterroth since April, have had an increase
in the amount of sales during that period. This
store recently took on a full line of Pathe
Pathephones.
"This summer's business has been quite an
improvement over that of last year. The col-
lections are also good and the outlook for the
balance of the year is very promising," said
Maurice Marks, who operates a piano store at
33 West 125th street.
THE RECOVERYJ)F SMALL DEBTS
Canadian Legislature Passes Bill Enabling the
Collection of Debts of $50 or Less
WINNIPEG, MAN., CAN., July 31.—A bill of in-
terest to Canadian piano merchants will go into
effect the first of August, providing for the
recovery of small debts, not exceeding $50. The
bill provides that a creditor may go to the
magistrate of a civil court and secure a sum-
mons against any debtor who owes said creditor
$50 or less, and upon service of the summons,
the debtor shall appear in court and answer the
allegation upon which the summons was issued.
If the claim of the creditor is proven, the court
will then enter judgment against the debtor for
the sum in question. The costs of the proceed-
ing are very light, and it is thought that this
bill will have a very beneficial effect in enabling
merchants to collect small bills which are due
them and which hitherto have not been worth
the rather high cost of a court proceeding.
TOLEDO, O., July 31.—Activity in the music in-
dustries in this section of the country is marked
despite the summer season. Many pianos are
being sold to suburban customers, and the farm-
ers are becoming really efficient buyers of
musical instruments, preferring in almost every
instance the better grades. F. N. Goosman, of
the Goosman Piano Co., one of the prominent
local dealers, has been enjoying a large propor-
tion of the suburban trade, a great deal of
which he handles personally, using an automo-
bile to call on his prospects. He reports that
his business is about evenly divided between
pianos and players, and that business is far in
excess of a year ago.
GOOD TRADE FOR BOLLINGER CO.
MUSKOGEE, OKI.A., July 31.—The R. C. Bollinger
Music Co., which opened a store here last week,
is doing an exceptional business. The concern
has its main office in Fort Smith, Kan., which
has been in operation for over forty years. The
Lauter, Milton, Krakauer and Behr Bros, pianos
and players are carried, as well as a full line
of Edison Diamond Disc phonographs. Mar-
vin Leard is manager of the new store. The
opening was announced in well-written adver-
tisements which appeared in the local press.
The Triumph
of the
American Tone
The position won by the
American Steel & Wire Co.
demonstrates clearly how
right, in the end, must tri-
umph over prejudice.
The high tension cry of
years ago has entirely sub-
sided, and America's great
wire manufacturing com-
pany, by continuing its
campaign of education, has
finally won the piano trade
to see the correctness of its
position.
Gradually America's lead-
ing piano manufacturing concerns
have accepted the American standard
and artists and amateurs are now
thinking less of the high tension idea
and more of beauty of tone than ever
before.
The special brands of the Ameri-
can Steel & Wire Co.—the "PER-
FECTED" and "CROWN"—were the
outcome of an ever alert anticipation
—anticipation backed by the ability to
know—the ability to fight undeviat-
ingly for the maintenance of correct
principles. For years it clung relig-
iously to an ideal, in the face of the
most discouraging opposition, and
now the whole world recognizes its
triumph, which has resulted in giving
a purer musical tone than ever before,
and in showing that art is oftentimes
concealed by art.
AWARDED
American Steel & Wire Company
Chicago, New York, Worcester, Cleveland, Pitts-
burgh, Denver. Export representative: U. S. Steel
Products Co., New York. Pacific Coast representa-
tive: U. S. Steel Products Co., San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Portland, Seattle.