Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
9
DETROIT TRADE ACTIVE DESPITE HOT WEATHER
SALES KEEP UP^VERY WELL
Dealers Value The Review Highly—Some Things Which the Legislature Should Take Up—Pro-
pose Forming Branch of Tuners' Guild—State Fair Should Increase Trade—General News
A. R. Spoerl, manager of the retail piano de-
partment of Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.'s New
York warerooms, states sales are good despite
the hot weather that has been prevalent since
the first of the month. Albert I. Mann and S,
B. Mance were recently added to the retail
sales staff of the piano department.
Ernest
L. Stein, also of the retail piano department,
will return Monday from a two weeks' vacation.
DETROIT, MICH., August
14.—"I see by The
Review" is getting to be a very common ex-
pression among the piano dealers of Michigan
in discussing some phase of the piano business.
This means that Michigan dealers are reading
The Review a'nd are digesting the contents thor-
oughly. No one can question the statement that
the dealer who will read a trade journal like
The Review can fail to profit very materially
thereby. Stop and think how the news is gath-
ered from coast to coast—the staff of special
writers who are weekly contributing—and the
large number of successful dealers and manu-
facturers who are constantly being interviewed
for the benefit of The Review readers, which
makes for the general good of the piano in-
dustry.
Anent the New State Legislature
The State Legislature will meet next Janu-
ary and it should behoove piano dealers and
piano manufacturers in Michigan to give some
attention to politics and endeavor to select such
men who will not be adverse to business. Piano
dealers should make some effort at the coming
session of the Legislature to have passed a
stronger law on fraudulent advertising—also a
law for itinerant vendors and merchants who do
business without a license. In the piano busi-
ness there is altogether too much of this idea
of an outsider coming into a town, renting a va-
cant store for a few months and then conduct-
ing a gigantic sale. Jt is unfair to the local
dealer, who pays a high rental by the year and
who helps to support that community.
Want Local Branch of Tuners' Guild
As a result of the convention of the Ameri-
can Guild of Piano Tuners, held here last week,
it is believed that within a short while Detroit
will have a division of the Guild. A number of
tuners seen regarding the proposition are in-
clined to favor a local organization, if for no
other reason than the idea of getting together
occasionally and discussing the tuning business
technically. The convention which took place
was the seventh annual one, and according to
President Smith, Secretary McClellan and
others, it was the best in the history of the or-
ganization. At the last session on Wednesday,
which was open, a half dozen salesmen in the
player department of Grinnell Bros., were in at-
tendance.
Michigan State Fair on September 4
Local Dealers are anxiously looking forward
to the opening of the Michigan State Fair out
Woodward avenue on September 4 and which
continues for ten days. All those who took
space last year have signed for the same amount
of space this year and they will have practically
the same locations. They are busy in planning
their displays, figuring out what they will show,
who will be in charge, as to the souvenirs, etc.
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 is in our sample
box at $2.00. Ask for it today.
BENNETT & WHITE, Inc.
67-71 Gobel St., NEWARK, N. J.
The advance publicity for the State Fair heralds
it as the greatest Detroit has ever had. An at-
tendance of over 150,000 people during the ten
days is anticipated. If only one-half of them
get into the main auditorium where the pianos
are displayed, there is bound to be some buy-
ing. Last year everybody did a good business,
and this year should be even better, as Detroit
is larger in population and more prosperous.
To Talk on "Co-operation"
When the Buying Club of the J. L. Hudson
store, comprising buyers and department man-
agers, holds its regular monthly meeting on
Thursday of this week, E. P. Andrew, manager
of the piano store, and secretary of the club,
is scheduled to deliver a talk on "Co-opera-
tion." Mr. Andrew spent August 11, 12 and 13
at Ludington, Mich., visiting his mother, who is
nearing her ninetieth birthday, and who is in
splendid health at the present time.
E. Hugh Smith a Worthy Sire
The Detroit Free Press on August 6 con-
tained a photograph of E. Hugh Smith and
sons, with this caption, "Five Young Smiths,
Total Weight of 805 Pounds." Mr. Smith is the
star Apollo salesman with the J. L. Hudson
piano store His five sturdy sons are between
the ages of ten and eighteen years. All are
athletically inclined and love outdoor play.
They are at the same time musically trained.
Before becoming associated with the piano
business Mr. Smith was for some twenty years
a vocal teacher in Detroit.
Accompanied by Mrs. Smith, E. Hugh Smith
left Sunday, August 13, on his annual two
weeks' vacation. The first week will be spent
on a boat trip to Duluth. The second week
will be spent in Chicago, where he will make
his annual inspection of the Melville Clark
Piano Co. factory.
A. E. Noble, Detroit piano dealer and manu-
facturer, with three retail stores, is on another
motor car trip through the East. He expects to
be gone about ten days.
ft is reported that the Wittman Piano Co.,
of Green Bay, Wis., operating a chain of stores
in that State, plans to shortly open a retail store
at Iron River, Mich.
Adopt New Wage Scale
The J. L. Hudson Co., starting August 15, in-
augurated a new wage policy—that of paying no
employe, over eighteen years of age, less than
$10 per week—in other words, it has adopted
a $10 minimum wage scale. This applies to all
departments of the store, including Victrola,
player-piano, piano, sheet music and music roll
departments.
A splendid business on Hardman, Peck & Co.
pianos, players and grands is reported by A. E.
Trebilcock, sales manager of the Detroit Music
Co., 288 Woodward avenue.
W. W. Kimball Co. Branch to Move
The W. W. Kimball Piano Co., now located
at Bates and Farmer streets, Detroit, has de-
cided to move the first of September. It has
leased for a term of years the store at 78-80
Broadway, near John street, and is now hav-
ing the building remodeled to suit its particular
needs. This makes the third piano firm locating
on Broadway within the past twelve months—
the others being the Detroit Piano Co. and the
Bayley Music House. Including the store of
the Starr Piano Co., there will be four piano
dealers on Broadway after the first of Septem-
ber. The more the merrier say some. Will it
be another Wabash avenue, Chicago?
John Alexander, manager of the J. Henry
Ling store, Detroit, says the moderated weather
of the past week stimulated his sales and busi-
ness was quite active, both in the piano and
Grafonola departments.-
The Smith Piano Co., of 311 South Wabash
avenue, Chicago, 111., is conducting a special
sale of pianos and musical instruments which
were slightly damaged by a recent fire.
TO CONTINUE REPRESENTATION
In disposing of the lease of the warerooms
at 60 Flatbush avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y., to
Charles E. Gorham, Inc., the F. G. Smith house
will continue to have its line of pianos repre-
sented at the Flatbush avenue store, and will
also continue the factory warerooms at 774
Fulton street, where the full line of F. G. Smith
pianos has ample room for display.
HOME FROM VACATION
Louis A. Dressier, manager of the piano
salesrooms of Chas. H. Ditson & Co., returned
Wednesday after spending two weeks at Mar-
tha's Vineyard, Mass. B. B. Helle, assistant to
Mr. Dressier, reports business in the last sev-
eral weeks has met all expectations.
A new music store has been opened at 305
South Barstow street, Eau Claire, Wis., by W.
H. Konracl.
The Triumph
of the
American Tone
AWAPDED
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.
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.