Music Trade Review
Issue: 1919 Vol. 68 N. 20 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
MAY
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
17, 1919
MAINTAINING NAME VALUES THROUGH ADVERTISING
(Continued from page 3)
value is something that cannot be established over nii>ht. It must be built up by years of effort and a consid-
erable advertising expenditure. If the value of a name is once lost in the public mind it means an entirely
new campaign to re-establish its prestige. Meanwhile other manufacturers, wiser and more progressive in
their business, methods, with a vision of the future in mind, are going along and developing business with
names the value of which has been appreciated and maintained.
We find the progressive manufacturing concerns in the piano trade not only advertising on a pre-war
basis, but in many cases carrying on expanded campaigns for the very purpose of placirlg their products in a
position where they will be in demand when the present oversold condition may cease to exist. These concerns
are not advertising for to-day's orders, but rather for the orders in the future—the orders that are going to
absorb the increased production of their plants.
In other words, they recognize the fact that there is no such thing in the world of business as standing
still. We either go ahead or we slide back, and these manufacturers who are standing pat—who refuse to
advertise and uphold their name value, who are satisfied with present conditions and with having more orders
than they can fill right now—must change their tactics or be prepared for the skidding process. Competition
does not handle with gloves the fellow who refuses to compete.
G. A. SCOFIELD HEADS N. Y. PIANO MERCHANTS' ASSN.
Elected President at Annual Meeting of Local Organization Held Last Week—E. P. Hamilton,
Retiring President, Tells of Year's Accomplishments—Many Interesting Addresses
Some live business discussions, several excel-
lent speeches and a liberal supply of jazz for
the entertainment of the guests all combined to
make the annual meeting of the National Piano
Merchants' Association, held at the Aldine Club
on Thursday evening of last week, a success.
Following an excellent dinner E. Paul Hamil-
ton, retiring president of the Association, offered
his annual report, in which he told of the organi-
zation of the local association in 1917, the diffi-
culties encountered in getting it under way and
the good work it had accomplished to date,
which had won for the organization compli-
ments from all sections of the country. He
stated that although through the medium of the
association many trade evils had been eliminated
there is still much to do along this line.
One of the most notable accomplishments was
the adoption of the trade-in schedule by the As-
sociation. This schedule had been adopted by
local associations all over the country, and yet,
declared Mr. Hamilton, it was not being ob-
served as it should be by the city where it had
its origin. Mr. Hamilton stated that the only
fair basis for handling trade-ins was to allow for
the instrument only what it was actually worth
as a salable product. To allow more than a fair
value for it meant either a cut into the profits
or increasing the price of the instrument to cover
the allowance, a practice in itself dishonest.
The speaker told how members of the Asso-
ciation had proven that it was not necessary to
make gifts of music rolls, benches and scarfs
with pianos and players in order to make sales,
and expressed the hope that the praxtice of mak-
ing these gifts would die out entirely. Mislead-
ing advertising, he said, still persists in New
York, but has been reduced to a negligible quan-
tify. On the whole, declared Mr. Hamilton, the
piano business in this city was as clean as that in
any city in the country.
Wants Pianos Classified
Among the suggestions made by Mr. Hamil-
ton was one to the effect that pianos of all makes
be given a definite value for the guidance of the
trade and public—that is, a schedule be drawn up
showing that certain pianos should be sold at
between $300 and $350, others between $400 and
$500, etc., and this schedule used as the basts for
making trade-in allowances.
Mr. Hamilton read a letter from one of the
trade papers suggesting that the scope of the As-
sociation be broadened in order that all those
engaged in the retail music business might be
eligible to membership, whether they sold talk-
ing machines, musical merchandise or sheet
Mr. Hamilton and several other members of
the Association expressed themselves as being
in favor of the all-embracing Association. The
question was left in the hands of the Executive
Committee to find ways and means for bringing
the various interests together. He suggested
that the members of the local association be-
George A. Scofield
come members of the National Association
of Piano Merchants under the plan originated a
year or two ago by Edmund Gram, which sug-
gestion was laid on the table.
New Officers Are Elected
At this point the Nominating Committee of-
fered the following list of officers for the com-
ing year, the entire slate being elected unani-
mously. The new officers ^are:, .George A. Sco-
field, Behning Piano Co., president; Berthold
Neuer, William Knabe & Co., vice-president; Mil-
ton Weil, Krakauer Bros., treasurer, and Albert
Behning, secretary.
The Executive Committee is made up of E.
Paul Hamilton, Fred W. Lohr, E. J. Winterroth,
William Ryan and Thomas F. Fletcher.
Major L'Esperance Tells of the War
One of the interesting speakers of the evening
was Major David A. L'Esperance, of the Three
Hundred and Sixty-ninth United States Infantry,
formerly the Fifteenth (colored) .New York Na-
tional Guard. The major, who addressed various
groups of piano men on several occasions re-
cently, gave an interesting talk on his experi-
ences on the battlefields of France, where his
regiment was under fire for 191 days.
Another speaker was Major William J. Mona-
han, in command of Debarkation Hospital No. 3,
in the old Greenhut Building, New York. This
is declared to be the largest single hospital build-
ing in the world, containing over 600,000 square
feet of floor space. In describing the work done
at the hospital, Major Monahan stated that over
28,000 sick and wounded soldiers had been re-
ceived at the institution since November 24, and
that there have been received on occasions as
many as 2,235 wounded men in one day. He told
of the great care taken of the sick and injured
soldiers, and how every effort was made to see
that they were comfortable and happy. In tell-
ing of the necessity for floating the Victory Loan
in order to pay for the care of thousands of dis-
abled soldiers, Major Monahan made the inter-
esting statement that the expenses of his hos-
pital alone amounted to $8,600 per day.
Gold Pen For Hamilton
The session closed with the induction into of-
fice of the new president, George A. Scofield,
who upon taking his chair took occasion to com-
pliment Mr. Hamilton, in the name of the Asso-
ciation, upon the success of the administration,
it being largely through his efforts that the body
was guided through its early days so success-
fully. In appreciation of Mr. Hamilton's work
he was presented with a handsome gold fountain
pen by the Association members.
Scofield Talks of the Future
Mr. Scofield declared that the Association
wished and desired to push ahead and work to
solve the various problems that come up in the
trade, and expressed the hope that the organiza-
tion would continue to progress until it was ac-
cepted as a model for all other associations in
the country. He urged every member to give
thought to association matters and to be free
with suggestions as to what could be done for
the benefit of the trade as a whole. He also ex-
pressed himself as being in favor of letting down
the bars to all music dealers, particularly talking
machine dealers, in order that the local Associa-
tion might present a united front.
Mr. Scofield also made the interesting sugges-
tion that the Association establish a clearing
house for salesmen where managers desirous of
securing salesmen of a certain caliber might file
notice of the fact, and thus be put in touch with
salesmen who, on their part, have filed applica-
tion for a new positron.
SCOTTI OPERA CO. DOING WELL
News received from the Scotti Grand Opera
Co., now on tour in the Southwest, tells of the
gratifying reception accorded this organization
in the cities of Memphis, Shreveport, Houston
and San Antonio, as attested by sold-out houses
in each of these cities. The Kranich & Bach
piano is the official instrument of this opera
company.
•,
MAY
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
17, 1919
MAINTAINING NAME VALUES THROUGH ADVERTISING
(Continued from page 3)
value is something that cannot be established over nii>ht. It must be built up by years of effort and a consid-
erable advertising expenditure. If the value of a name is once lost in the public mind it means an entirely
new campaign to re-establish its prestige. Meanwhile other manufacturers, wiser and more progressive in
their business, methods, with a vision of the future in mind, are going along and developing business with
names the value of which has been appreciated and maintained.
We find the progressive manufacturing concerns in the piano trade not only advertising on a pre-war
basis, but in many cases carrying on expanded campaigns for the very purpose of placirlg their products in a
position where they will be in demand when the present oversold condition may cease to exist. These concerns
are not advertising for to-day's orders, but rather for the orders in the future—the orders that are going to
absorb the increased production of their plants.
In other words, they recognize the fact that there is no such thing in the world of business as standing
still. We either go ahead or we slide back, and these manufacturers who are standing pat—who refuse to
advertise and uphold their name value, who are satisfied with present conditions and with having more orders
than they can fill right now—must change their tactics or be prepared for the skidding process. Competition
does not handle with gloves the fellow who refuses to compete.
G. A. SCOFIELD HEADS N. Y. PIANO MERCHANTS' ASSN.
Elected President at Annual Meeting of Local Organization Held Last Week—E. P. Hamilton,
Retiring President, Tells of Year's Accomplishments—Many Interesting Addresses
Some live business discussions, several excel-
lent speeches and a liberal supply of jazz for
the entertainment of the guests all combined to
make the annual meeting of the National Piano
Merchants' Association, held at the Aldine Club
on Thursday evening of last week, a success.
Following an excellent dinner E. Paul Hamil-
ton, retiring president of the Association, offered
his annual report, in which he told of the organi-
zation of the local association in 1917, the diffi-
culties encountered in getting it under way and
the good work it had accomplished to date,
which had won for the organization compli-
ments from all sections of the country. He
stated that although through the medium of the
association many trade evils had been eliminated
there is still much to do along this line.
One of the most notable accomplishments was
the adoption of the trade-in schedule by the As-
sociation. This schedule had been adopted by
local associations all over the country, and yet,
declared Mr. Hamilton, it was not being ob-
served as it should be by the city where it had
its origin. Mr. Hamilton stated that the only
fair basis for handling trade-ins was to allow for
the instrument only what it was actually worth
as a salable product. To allow more than a fair
value for it meant either a cut into the profits
or increasing the price of the instrument to cover
the allowance, a practice in itself dishonest.
The speaker told how members of the Asso-
ciation had proven that it was not necessary to
make gifts of music rolls, benches and scarfs
with pianos and players in order to make sales,
and expressed the hope that the praxtice of mak-
ing these gifts would die out entirely. Mislead-
ing advertising, he said, still persists in New
York, but has been reduced to a negligible quan-
tify. On the whole, declared Mr. Hamilton, the
piano business in this city was as clean as that in
any city in the country.
Wants Pianos Classified
Among the suggestions made by Mr. Hamil-
ton was one to the effect that pianos of all makes
be given a definite value for the guidance of the
trade and public—that is, a schedule be drawn up
showing that certain pianos should be sold at
between $300 and $350, others between $400 and
$500, etc., and this schedule used as the basts for
making trade-in allowances.
Mr. Hamilton read a letter from one of the
trade papers suggesting that the scope of the As-
sociation be broadened in order that all those
engaged in the retail music business might be
eligible to membership, whether they sold talk-
ing machines, musical merchandise or sheet
Mr. Hamilton and several other members of
the Association expressed themselves as being
in favor of the all-embracing Association. The
question was left in the hands of the Executive
Committee to find ways and means for bringing
the various interests together. He suggested
that the members of the local association be-
George A. Scofield
come members of the National Association
of Piano Merchants under the plan originated a
year or two ago by Edmund Gram, which sug-
gestion was laid on the table.
New Officers Are Elected
At this point the Nominating Committee of-
fered the following list of officers for the com-
ing year, the entire slate being elected unani-
mously. The new officers ^are:, .George A. Sco-
field, Behning Piano Co., president; Berthold
Neuer, William Knabe & Co., vice-president; Mil-
ton Weil, Krakauer Bros., treasurer, and Albert
Behning, secretary.
The Executive Committee is made up of E.
Paul Hamilton, Fred W. Lohr, E. J. Winterroth,
William Ryan and Thomas F. Fletcher.
Major L'Esperance Tells of the War
One of the interesting speakers of the evening
was Major David A. L'Esperance, of the Three
Hundred and Sixty-ninth United States Infantry,
formerly the Fifteenth (colored) .New York Na-
tional Guard. The major, who addressed various
groups of piano men on several occasions re-
cently, gave an interesting talk on his experi-
ences on the battlefields of France, where his
regiment was under fire for 191 days.
Another speaker was Major William J. Mona-
han, in command of Debarkation Hospital No. 3,
in the old Greenhut Building, New York. This
is declared to be the largest single hospital build-
ing in the world, containing over 600,000 square
feet of floor space. In describing the work done
at the hospital, Major Monahan stated that over
28,000 sick and wounded soldiers had been re-
ceived at the institution since November 24, and
that there have been received on occasions as
many as 2,235 wounded men in one day. He told
of the great care taken of the sick and injured
soldiers, and how every effort was made to see
that they were comfortable and happy. In tell-
ing of the necessity for floating the Victory Loan
in order to pay for the care of thousands of dis-
abled soldiers, Major Monahan made the inter-
esting statement that the expenses of his hos-
pital alone amounted to $8,600 per day.
Gold Pen For Hamilton
The session closed with the induction into of-
fice of the new president, George A. Scofield,
who upon taking his chair took occasion to com-
pliment Mr. Hamilton, in the name of the Asso-
ciation, upon the success of the administration,
it being largely through his efforts that the body
was guided through its early days so success-
fully. In appreciation of Mr. Hamilton's work
he was presented with a handsome gold fountain
pen by the Association members.
Scofield Talks of the Future
Mr. Scofield declared that the Association
wished and desired to push ahead and work to
solve the various problems that come up in the
trade, and expressed the hope that the organiza-
tion would continue to progress until it was ac-
cepted as a model for all other associations in
the country. He urged every member to give
thought to association matters and to be free
with suggestions as to what could be done for
the benefit of the trade as a whole. He also ex-
pressed himself as being in favor of letting down
the bars to all music dealers, particularly talking
machine dealers, in order that the local Associa-
tion might present a united front.
Mr. Scofield also made the interesting sugges-
tion that the Association establish a clearing
house for salesmen where managers desirous of
securing salesmen of a certain caliber might file
notice of the fact, and thus be put in touch with
salesmen who, on their part, have filed applica-
tion for a new positron.
SCOTTI OPERA CO. DOING WELL
News received from the Scotti Grand Opera
Co., now on tour in the Southwest, tells of the
gratifying reception accorded this organization
in the cities of Memphis, Shreveport, Houston
and San Antonio, as attested by sold-out houses
in each of these cities. The Kranich & Bach
piano is the official instrument of this opera
company.
•,
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).