Music Trade Review
Issue: 1917 Vol. 64 N. 5 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
KNOWING THE PRODUCT YOU SELL
{Continued from page 3)
With such knowledge he can buy better and sell better. He knows that when he buys an instrument at a
certain price he is getting value for that price, and knows that when he in turn sells the instrument he can go
just so far in his personal guarantee to the customer.
Then, too, in meeting competition he does not have to lower himself to a general knocking of competing
makes. He can simply analyze the constructional features and thereby better impress the prospective purchaser
with the fact that he knows whereof he speaks.
There is no question but that a knowledge of the product is becoming more essential in the trade every
day. The dealer and salesman who ignores the fact and does not attempt to get that knowledge, is doing an
injustice to himself.
pleasing are nevertheless considered more or less in the light
of institutions. The committee plans to work carefully and
slowly; to build up rather than to tear down; to correct rather
than to destroy. The committee has much work before it—
work that will not only require personal effort on the part of
the members, but will demand the unqualified support of the
association as a whole. In laying their plans the committee
will undoubtedly draft those plans so that they may properly
seek such support.
T
HE percentage of past due instalment accounts should now
be smaller than at any time for many years. The average
man has more money, and he should be held up closely to meet
his piano payments. Dealers sometimes are too easy in this
respect, because many of their customers are personal friends,
and they are loath to press them for monthly payments, and if
a man's account gets a little old, it seems always difficult to
catch up.
The collection end of the business is an extremely important
one, and one which should be watched with the greatest care at
all times. One thing is certain, if a firm has its collections well in
hand and does not permit its past due accounts to accumulate,
it should be in splendid condition to face any emergency that
may arise.
It is better for the dealer to have the money in the bank to
meet his maturing obligations than to have it out among the good
fellows who owe him a considerable amount of money on past
due piano paper. A few dollars which the individual owes does
not mean very much, but when you scan the total, it amounts to
a great deal, and how many concerns are there to-day who are
carrying their profits in past due accounts?
In other lines of trade there is a fixed principle—to keep
well up with monthly payments. One of the largest book con-
cerns in the country, which had been conducting a business of
millions on the instalment basis, told us recently that they made
it an invariable rule not to permit a man to owe over two
months' instalment at any one time. They find some way in
which to make him come to time, and they do not believe it is
good business to permit an instalment account to grow old. It is
one of the things that does not improve with age, and hence, it
pays every dealer to scan closely his instalment accounts. A close
examination will invariably reveal a greater percentage of past
due accounts than he had first imagined.
If some of our readers will investigate they may find that
the results shown by an examination of the books will prove the
truth of this statement.
the more or less friendly controversy between
A LTHOUGH
the music roll manufacturers and music publishers regard-
ing the use of song lyrics on music rolls affects at the present
time only a very small proportion of the trade, it gains in im-
portance in view of the ultimate possibilities of the word roll as
the demand and use of player-pianos increases and the demand
for music rolls grows in proportion. Although the royalty rates
for the mechanical reproduction of music is fixed by law the
publishers recently discovered that they had rights in the matter
of the lyrics that gave them power to do about as they pleased
in connection with it. It is their claim that they can give word
rights to or withhold them from whosoever they desire, and at
the same time demand any rate of royalty they see fit.
On the face of it, it would seem, as one music roll man ex-
pressed it, "an excellent chance for a holdup," but as another
music roll man tersely remarked, "Whatever royalty is charged
for the words the public must pay that much more in proportion
for their music rolls with words, provided they want them bad
enough. Should the public not care to pay the increased cost
there will still be available the regular music roll without words,
that has been made for years and will be made for years to come."
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
KNOWING THE PRODUCT YOU SELL
{Continued from page 3)
With such knowledge he can buy better and sell better. He knows that when he buys an instrument at a
certain price he is getting value for that price, and knows that when he in turn sells the instrument he can go
just so far in his personal guarantee to the customer.
Then, too, in meeting competition he does not have to lower himself to a general knocking of competing
makes. He can simply analyze the constructional features and thereby better impress the prospective purchaser
with the fact that he knows whereof he speaks.
There is no question but that a knowledge of the product is becoming more essential in the trade every
day. The dealer and salesman who ignores the fact and does not attempt to get that knowledge, is doing an
injustice to himself.
pleasing are nevertheless considered more or less in the light
of institutions. The committee plans to work carefully and
slowly; to build up rather than to tear down; to correct rather
than to destroy. The committee has much work before it—
work that will not only require personal effort on the part of
the members, but will demand the unqualified support of the
association as a whole. In laying their plans the committee
will undoubtedly draft those plans so that they may properly
seek such support.
T
HE percentage of past due instalment accounts should now
be smaller than at any time for many years. The average
man has more money, and he should be held up closely to meet
his piano payments. Dealers sometimes are too easy in this
respect, because many of their customers are personal friends,
and they are loath to press them for monthly payments, and if
a man's account gets a little old, it seems always difficult to
catch up.
The collection end of the business is an extremely important
one, and one which should be watched with the greatest care at
all times. One thing is certain, if a firm has its collections well in
hand and does not permit its past due accounts to accumulate,
it should be in splendid condition to face any emergency that
may arise.
It is better for the dealer to have the money in the bank to
meet his maturing obligations than to have it out among the good
fellows who owe him a considerable amount of money on past
due piano paper. A few dollars which the individual owes does
not mean very much, but when you scan the total, it amounts to
a great deal, and how many concerns are there to-day who are
carrying their profits in past due accounts?
In other lines of trade there is a fixed principle—to keep
well up with monthly payments. One of the largest book con-
cerns in the country, which had been conducting a business of
millions on the instalment basis, told us recently that they made
it an invariable rule not to permit a man to owe over two
months' instalment at any one time. They find some way in
which to make him come to time, and they do not believe it is
good business to permit an instalment account to grow old. It is
one of the things that does not improve with age, and hence, it
pays every dealer to scan closely his instalment accounts. A close
examination will invariably reveal a greater percentage of past
due accounts than he had first imagined.
If some of our readers will investigate they may find that
the results shown by an examination of the books will prove the
truth of this statement.
the more or less friendly controversy between
A LTHOUGH
the music roll manufacturers and music publishers regard-
ing the use of song lyrics on music rolls affects at the present
time only a very small proportion of the trade, it gains in im-
portance in view of the ultimate possibilities of the word roll as
the demand and use of player-pianos increases and the demand
for music rolls grows in proportion. Although the royalty rates
for the mechanical reproduction of music is fixed by law the
publishers recently discovered that they had rights in the matter
of the lyrics that gave them power to do about as they pleased
in connection with it. It is their claim that they can give word
rights to or withhold them from whosoever they desire, and at
the same time demand any rate of royalty they see fit.
On the face of it, it would seem, as one music roll man ex-
pressed it, "an excellent chance for a holdup," but as another
music roll man tersely remarked, "Whatever royalty is charged
for the words the public must pay that much more in proportion
for their music rolls with words, provided they want them bad
enough. Should the public not care to pay the increased cost
there will still be available the regular music roll without words,
that has been made for years and will be made for years to come."
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).