Music Trade Review
Issue: 1920 Vol. 71 N. 11 - Page 13
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 11, 1920
THE
MUSIC TRADE
13
REVIEW
A GENERAL SURVEY OF TRADE CONDITIONS—(Continued from p a g e 1 1 )
mer months; in fact, local dealers are thorough-
ly satisfied with trade conditions.
In the matter of stocks the music merchants
are well prepared to meet the demands of a
heavy Fall trade, except, perhaps, in the case
of a very few pianos of exceptionally high stand-
ing. The merchants for the most part saw the
handwriting on the wall and, profiting by their
experience of last year, invested heavily and
early in an effort to forestall manufacturing dif-
ficulties, freight embargoes and higher prices.
The majority of the leading houses in this
State are advertising liberally through the me-
dium of newspapers and billboards and by other
"means. As a matter of fact, they have advertised
liberally right along, even when they did not
have sufficient stock to meet demands, and the
cumulative effect of the publicity is now making
itself felt.
Sales for the most part are made on a most
desirable basis, the average time limit on pianos
being twenty-four months.
comes to cotton, the only sure way of figuring
that crop is at the time it is marketed, though
present prospects are good.
The tendency of the public to stop buying re-
ported from other sections of the country is not
very evident in the Southwest. The result is
that musical instruments, automobiles and other
articles of substantial cost are being sold with-
out great difficulty, although the article must
have quality to demand attention.
Stocks of pianos and other goods are very sub-
stantial and there appears to be no prospect of
a shortage. A number of retailers as a matter
of fact report that they have sufficient instru-
ments on hand to carry them over to the first
of the year at least. Generous stocks, however,
have not resulted in the lowering of business
standards, and both advertising and selling
methods arc being kept on a high plane. This
is especially evident in the matter of terms,
which average twenty-four months on pianos
and twelve months on talking machines.
==LI I kl UH-4-HI-IMI! U M11 i I M,! I M M Mil i«4«#* l-l 1111MI n IM hUJ-l 11N }41 M111! M J n l I! 111 [ I •: 11 i,; IL11J n 11111M1111HIT1111111 i, IMIHIU11111IIM1111111111II11' I' 1 1 I I ' '-MI r ([ [! T L (1 r ] I
Heavy Trade Anticipated in California
f
H
Fall business in California has opened up un-
usually well and dealers are expecting one of the
biggest seasons in the history of the music trade.
After a quiet Summer, the month of August
proved one of the busiest and liveliest ever ex-
perienced at this time of the year, and all indi-
cations point to the same condition continuing
^IIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIII!!lllllllllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllllll!linillllllll!!IIIIIIM
throughout the Fall.
| Florida Dealers Plan
§ California is enjoying a prosperous business
this Fall, both in industrial and agricultural
|
Aggressive Campaigns I lines. There have been a great many improve-
Eiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiii^
ments and enlargements in industrial houses
One of the principal industries of Florida is and, while the tightening of the money market
the manufacturing of cigars, and the general has held back some expansion, there has never-
strikes that have prevailed in the cigar factories theless been a decided growth in industrial and
in the southwestern section of the State for the manufacturing lines. A number of new plants,
past few months have naturally had a dampening some of them very large, are coming to the
effect upon business. Most of the other indus- Pacific Coast with branch factories that will
tries are running along normally, although the handle their products west of the Rocky Moun-
tightening of the money market has had some tains. Probably the transportation conditions
effect in keeping industrial development within are somewhat responsible for this activity, for
prescribed limits.
it is undoubtedly true that every line of staple
The prosperity that prevails among the agri- and high-class products could have doubled
culturists, however, and in many other lines, business if stock could have been secured. This
serves to keep up the spirits of retail business has led many firms to realize the necessity of
men, and particularly music merchants, who see manufacturing west of the Rockies to handle
nothing particularly to worry about during the the trade in this territory.
coming months. The average buyer appears ex-
Several firms in the music trades are falling
tra cautious in the matter of selecting his in- into line and three new factories are now either
struments, but invariably demands a quality in the course of construction or shortly will be.
product, and investigates so-called bargains very The Q R S music roll factory in San Francisco
carefully.
has been in operation for about two weeks and
Selling and advertising methods are not de- will soon be running to its full capacity. The
generating in the least, and the majority of the Emerson Phonograph Co. and the Columbia
advertisements are confined strictly to the qual- Graphophone Co. will start operations this Fall
ity appeal without harping on prices. Retailers for the manufacture of records.
have stocked up heavily largely as a precaution-
Agricultural prosperity in California this Fall
ary measure, and are planning strong campaigns is something of a paradox, for while crops have
to move these large stocks before the first of not been unusually large the farmers have done
the year. Terms are kept within reasonable better than in many years. The lack of rain for
limits with a maximum average of thirty months the past three years has led to a water short-
on pianos and twelve months on talking ma- age in California that has been detrimental to
chines.
crops all over the State and so in many lines,
especially fruit, the yield is below normal. Not-
this, the large demand and the very
| Excellent Demand in
§ withstanding
high prices that the farmers were able to se^
|
the Southwestern States § cure for their products have made the profits for
. SjunrtniiiuuniiiHiuuiitiiiiiniiiiiiiiEiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiJitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiHiiiiiitiiiiiMiJii^
the farmers greater than for some years. A
The prosperity of the music trade in the number of the music houses are taking advan-
Southwest, and particularly in Texas, depends tage of this rural prosperity to start active cam-
in a chief measure upon conditions in the agri- paigns in the small towns. Some of the houses
cultural fields for, with the exception of oil, the are opening branches in various centers and
industries of this section do not represent its others are increasing their sales forces, so that
already reports have come in of large orders
main dependence.
Crops promise to be far above normal, de- frcm the country districts.
spite the heavy rains during.the late Spring and
The great drawback in the present prosperity
early Summer. So far as rice is concerned, the in the music trades is the lack of stock. Nearly
rains have insured a bumper crop. When it all lines are short, but it is felt the most in
high-class goods, such as Steinways, Duo-Arts
and all grand pianos; in fact Steinways are
hardly obtainable. All piano stock is very low.
One house had a recent shipment of 361 pianos
all sold before they were unpacked and other
houses report that their sample pianos in the
display rooms are sold but_ cannot be delivered
because of the- impossibility of replacing instru-
ments for demonstration purposes.
Buying in most lines, however, is not as heavy
as it was a few months back and probably that
in the music trades would not seem so heavy if
stocks could once be caught up with the demand.
People seem more cautious in buying but when
they buy they want worth rather than cheap-
ness. The demand for a better class of goods
is noticeable also in music accessories such as
rolls and records, where a number of the deal-
ers report more calls for high-class music and
less for jazz.
In Southern California the industrial and ag-
ricultural conditions have never appeared
brighter than to-day.
At one time Los Angeles and neighboring
cities were regarded as having but two great
qualifications—climate and tourists. Both of
these remain, but whereas the latter were more
or less transient there has been added a great
permanent population which has settled here, is
increasing rapidly and looks for its livelihood
(Continued on page 16)
American
P
iano Wire
"PERFECTED" "CROWN"
Highest acoustic excellence dating
back to the days of Jonas
dickering. Took prize over whole
world at Paris, 1900. For
generations the standard, and used
on the greatest number of pianos
in the world
P
ipe Organ
Wire
Modern organ mechanism is of wire.
Round and flat wire; springs; wire
rope; reinforcing wire; electrical wires,
such as Americore rubber-covered for
conveyance of current; magnet w'ire,
silk-insulated, for releasing wind to
pipes; paraffined cotton-insulated, for
connecting keyboards with stop action;
console cables.
"American Piano Wire and Pipe Organ
News," "Wood and the Piano Build-
ers' Art," also "Piano Tone
Building"—sent free
Services
of our Acoustic Engineer
always available—free
A merican Steel & Wire
Company
Acoustic Department
208 S. La Salle Street, Chicago
SEPTEMBER 11, 1920
THE
MUSIC TRADE
13
REVIEW
A GENERAL SURVEY OF TRADE CONDITIONS—(Continued from p a g e 1 1 )
mer months; in fact, local dealers are thorough-
ly satisfied with trade conditions.
In the matter of stocks the music merchants
are well prepared to meet the demands of a
heavy Fall trade, except, perhaps, in the case
of a very few pianos of exceptionally high stand-
ing. The merchants for the most part saw the
handwriting on the wall and, profiting by their
experience of last year, invested heavily and
early in an effort to forestall manufacturing dif-
ficulties, freight embargoes and higher prices.
The majority of the leading houses in this
State are advertising liberally through the me-
dium of newspapers and billboards and by other
"means. As a matter of fact, they have advertised
liberally right along, even when they did not
have sufficient stock to meet demands, and the
cumulative effect of the publicity is now making
itself felt.
Sales for the most part are made on a most
desirable basis, the average time limit on pianos
being twenty-four months.
comes to cotton, the only sure way of figuring
that crop is at the time it is marketed, though
present prospects are good.
The tendency of the public to stop buying re-
ported from other sections of the country is not
very evident in the Southwest. The result is
that musical instruments, automobiles and other
articles of substantial cost are being sold with-
out great difficulty, although the article must
have quality to demand attention.
Stocks of pianos and other goods are very sub-
stantial and there appears to be no prospect of
a shortage. A number of retailers as a matter
of fact report that they have sufficient instru-
ments on hand to carry them over to the first
of the year at least. Generous stocks, however,
have not resulted in the lowering of business
standards, and both advertising and selling
methods arc being kept on a high plane. This
is especially evident in the matter of terms,
which average twenty-four months on pianos
and twelve months on talking machines.
==LI I kl UH-4-HI-IMI! U M11 i I M,! I M M Mil i«4«#* l-l 1111MI n IM hUJ-l 11N }41 M111! M J n l I! 111 [ I •: 11 i,; IL11J n 11111M1111HIT1111111 i, IMIHIU11111IIM1111111111II11' I' 1 1 I I ' '-MI r ([ [! T L (1 r ] I
Heavy Trade Anticipated in California
f
H
Fall business in California has opened up un-
usually well and dealers are expecting one of the
biggest seasons in the history of the music trade.
After a quiet Summer, the month of August
proved one of the busiest and liveliest ever ex-
perienced at this time of the year, and all indi-
cations point to the same condition continuing
^IIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIII!!lllllllllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllllll!linillllllll!!IIIIIIM
throughout the Fall.
| Florida Dealers Plan
§ California is enjoying a prosperous business
this Fall, both in industrial and agricultural
|
Aggressive Campaigns I lines. There have been a great many improve-
Eiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiii^
ments and enlargements in industrial houses
One of the principal industries of Florida is and, while the tightening of the money market
the manufacturing of cigars, and the general has held back some expansion, there has never-
strikes that have prevailed in the cigar factories theless been a decided growth in industrial and
in the southwestern section of the State for the manufacturing lines. A number of new plants,
past few months have naturally had a dampening some of them very large, are coming to the
effect upon business. Most of the other indus- Pacific Coast with branch factories that will
tries are running along normally, although the handle their products west of the Rocky Moun-
tightening of the money market has had some tains. Probably the transportation conditions
effect in keeping industrial development within are somewhat responsible for this activity, for
prescribed limits.
it is undoubtedly true that every line of staple
The prosperity that prevails among the agri- and high-class products could have doubled
culturists, however, and in many other lines, business if stock could have been secured. This
serves to keep up the spirits of retail business has led many firms to realize the necessity of
men, and particularly music merchants, who see manufacturing west of the Rockies to handle
nothing particularly to worry about during the the trade in this territory.
coming months. The average buyer appears ex-
Several firms in the music trades are falling
tra cautious in the matter of selecting his in- into line and three new factories are now either
struments, but invariably demands a quality in the course of construction or shortly will be.
product, and investigates so-called bargains very The Q R S music roll factory in San Francisco
carefully.
has been in operation for about two weeks and
Selling and advertising methods are not de- will soon be running to its full capacity. The
generating in the least, and the majority of the Emerson Phonograph Co. and the Columbia
advertisements are confined strictly to the qual- Graphophone Co. will start operations this Fall
ity appeal without harping on prices. Retailers for the manufacture of records.
have stocked up heavily largely as a precaution-
Agricultural prosperity in California this Fall
ary measure, and are planning strong campaigns is something of a paradox, for while crops have
to move these large stocks before the first of not been unusually large the farmers have done
the year. Terms are kept within reasonable better than in many years. The lack of rain for
limits with a maximum average of thirty months the past three years has led to a water short-
on pianos and twelve months on talking ma- age in California that has been detrimental to
chines.
crops all over the State and so in many lines,
especially fruit, the yield is below normal. Not-
this, the large demand and the very
| Excellent Demand in
§ withstanding
high prices that the farmers were able to se^
|
the Southwestern States § cure for their products have made the profits for
. SjunrtniiiuuniiiHiuuiitiiiiiniiiiiiiiEiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiJitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiHiiiiiitiiiiiMiJii^
the farmers greater than for some years. A
The prosperity of the music trade in the number of the music houses are taking advan-
Southwest, and particularly in Texas, depends tage of this rural prosperity to start active cam-
in a chief measure upon conditions in the agri- paigns in the small towns. Some of the houses
cultural fields for, with the exception of oil, the are opening branches in various centers and
industries of this section do not represent its others are increasing their sales forces, so that
already reports have come in of large orders
main dependence.
Crops promise to be far above normal, de- frcm the country districts.
spite the heavy rains during.the late Spring and
The great drawback in the present prosperity
early Summer. So far as rice is concerned, the in the music trades is the lack of stock. Nearly
rains have insured a bumper crop. When it all lines are short, but it is felt the most in
high-class goods, such as Steinways, Duo-Arts
and all grand pianos; in fact Steinways are
hardly obtainable. All piano stock is very low.
One house had a recent shipment of 361 pianos
all sold before they were unpacked and other
houses report that their sample pianos in the
display rooms are sold but_ cannot be delivered
because of the- impossibility of replacing instru-
ments for demonstration purposes.
Buying in most lines, however, is not as heavy
as it was a few months back and probably that
in the music trades would not seem so heavy if
stocks could once be caught up with the demand.
People seem more cautious in buying but when
they buy they want worth rather than cheap-
ness. The demand for a better class of goods
is noticeable also in music accessories such as
rolls and records, where a number of the deal-
ers report more calls for high-class music and
less for jazz.
In Southern California the industrial and ag-
ricultural conditions have never appeared
brighter than to-day.
At one time Los Angeles and neighboring
cities were regarded as having but two great
qualifications—climate and tourists. Both of
these remain, but whereas the latter were more
or less transient there has been added a great
permanent population which has settled here, is
increasing rapidly and looks for its livelihood
(Continued on page 16)
American
P
iano Wire
"PERFECTED" "CROWN"
Highest acoustic excellence dating
back to the days of Jonas
dickering. Took prize over whole
world at Paris, 1900. For
generations the standard, and used
on the greatest number of pianos
in the world
P
ipe Organ
Wire
Modern organ mechanism is of wire.
Round and flat wire; springs; wire
rope; reinforcing wire; electrical wires,
such as Americore rubber-covered for
conveyance of current; magnet w'ire,
silk-insulated, for releasing wind to
pipes; paraffined cotton-insulated, for
connecting keyboards with stop action;
console cables.
"American Piano Wire and Pipe Organ
News," "Wood and the Piano Build-
ers' Art," also "Piano Tone
Building"—sent free
Services
of our Acoustic Engineer
always available—free
A merican Steel & Wire
Company
Acoustic Department
208 S. La Salle Street, Chicago
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).