Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
NOVEMBER 6, 1920
THE MUSIC TRADE
ADVERTISING BRINGS TRADE TO PHILADELPHIA DEALERS
Music Men Find Satisfactory Demand Existing as a Result of Intensive Advertising in Local
Papers—Lester Co. Preparing Holiday Advertising Service for Dealers—Other News
PHILADELPHIA, PA., Nov*nber 2.—The' piano
business has been quite satisfactory in Philadel-
phia the past week, considering the conditions,
the unseasonable weather and the election. The
dealers report that they believe that the business
is to be had, but it requires constant advertising
to get it. As one dealer said: "I find as long as
We advertise and can get the people in the store
&v r | e can do business, but we must keep at it con-
•sjantry, for it seems that the public forget from
•day to day, and it is necessary to keep constantly
reminding them."
Manager Robert McCarthy, of . the Gimbel
Brothers' piano department, says that their busi-
ness has been fairly good, and that they had
what he might be safe in calling a very good
month generally, several of his departments hav-
ing gone ahead of last year. Among Mr.
McCarthy's visitors were C. H. Tracy, of the
Aeolian Co., and F. C. Harlow, of Vose & Sons,
of Boston. The Gimbel department has just
put on a new salesman, F. D. Stapleford, who
has had considerable experience in the trade while
connected with the firms of F. A. North & Co.
and the Huver Piano Co. Mr. McCarthy's sister,
Mrs. Mary A. MacGonigle, wife of Prof. Mac-
Gonigle, a prominent music teacher here, died
yesterday and will be buried on Thursday.
H. A. Weymann & Son report that their busi- '
ness has been keeping up remarkably well, and
H. W. Weymann, the head of the firm, says:
"The desire for musical instruments among all
classes, especially the younger element, for string
instruments i'or amateur orchestras, is greater
than ever. The Victrola has been largely re-
sponsible for creating this desire to have music
in the home."
-. Frank Kneidler, of the firm of Hartman-
Laushe, of Allentown, was a Weymann visitor
this week. Charles Paulson, of the talking ma-
chine department sales force, has been away for
several weeks sick, but has so far recovered that
he has been able to go out on his territory.
• The Lester Piano Co. has just notified all of
its dealers that it has gotten out an especially
fine line of Lester holiday advertising which they
can get in plate form by addressing the house.
It is a part of the regular dealers' service, but it is
considerably more elaborate and artistic than any-
thing yet gotten out in this line. W. W. Crocker,
the Southern salesman of the Lester, started on
Saturday last to cover his Southern territory.
C. J. Heppe &.Sons report that their busi-
ness has been fair, and not very much more.
They have been getting in very few instruments
af late, as they were fortunate early in the Fall
to get quite a stock on hand, and have been hav-
ing trouble to get further storage room for addi-
tional stock. The Heppe firm has been holding
up its prices, in spite of the fact that several of
the firms here have been advertising pianos at $35
down and $10 a month.
A member of the sales force said this week: "I
do not believe that it is good business to sell
pianos at the present time, unless you get a big
first payment, for if a great wave of unemploy-
ment should come in the near future I would
not want to think what - will happen. I think
$75 ought to be the minimum. That is, gen-
erally speaking, 10 per cent of the value
of the instrument down. The installments should
then be arranged that the instrument be paid for
at least in three years."
OARDMAN
PIANOS
f
ESTABUSHED~IN—1837
ALBANY, N. Y.
13
REVIEW
N. Stetson & Co. report that business is good,
and that they are selling a little of everything,
from their highest to their lowest priced pianos
and they have also been doing well in their talk-
ing machine department. . They have been able
to collect a good stock of pianos, and have quite
WHAT IS BEING DONE FOR MUSIC
Attitude of Trenton Piano Man Shows That
Trade as a Whole Does Not Fully Understand
Work of Bureau for Advancement of Music
The following letter from J. Albert Harris, of
Trenton, N. J., to the National Bureau for the
Advancement of Music of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, is typical of the attitude
of many music dealers toward co-operative work
for trade betterment with which they are not fa-
miliar, because it indicates a radical change in
attitude by his making a direct request for all
the Bureau's literature. The letter reads:
"Replying to yours of October 14 will say we
have been receiving your mail right along and
must say we did not give it the attention that
it deserves.
"1 hope you will pardon our neglect and send
us all the information at once and also tell us
what we may do as our part."
The question is sometimes asked what are
the National Bureau for the Advancement of
Music and the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, of which it is a part, doing with the
money they are getting from the piano stamps?
This is a good question when made by some-
one who desires an answer. The music trade
ought to know what is being done with the
money. It is true that the Bureau may be
squandering money; on the other hand it may
be rendering an invaluable service to the trade.
If dealers consign the Bureau's literature to the
waste basket they will have no means of judging
and may be losing some assistance of great
value, even direct value.
There are signs of the slowing up of business
and it behooves the entire music industry to
utilize the agencies which have been developing
for just such a situation as now confronts it.
In its reply to Mr. Harris, the Bureau gave
full information regarding the work it has been
and is carrying on, covering the music memory
contest, Christmas caroling, the work during
New York's Music Week, music in industry,
the campaign through the newspapers, Mme.
Powell's lecture recitals, the spread of the com-
munity chorus, the co-operative advertising cam-
paigns, and other activities.
There are special booklets devoted to many of
these features which are available to members
of the music trade upon request.
INTERESTED IN EXPORT TRADE
A Number of Western Concerns Consider the
Development of Foreign Business in Cheerful
Light, Reports A. M. Lawrence, Export Man-
ager of the Chamber of Commerce
According to A. M. Lawrence, manager of
the Export Bureau of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, who spent last week in
Chicago, the Middle Western members of the
music industry, especially those located in Chi-
cago, believe themselves in a position to develop
export business, and are enthusiastic about the
plans of the Export Bureau for assisting them.
Not only are the Middle Western concerns in-
terested, but they are making plans to go *out
for foreign business energetically.
~
While in Chicago Mr. Lawrence called upon
almost all of the piano manufacturers, publish-
ers, supply houses; music roll manufacturers and
other representatives of the industry and dis-
cussed with representatives of the trade the chief
export problems which face the firms located in
enough to supply the present demand and have
the assurance that they will be able to get suf-
ficient for their holiday trade. They have a num-
ber of unfinished pianos on hand, the only firm
here to have such instruments, and with an ex-
pert man to finish them in any style desired
to conform with the home furnishings they have
had quite a trade on pianos of this class. They
have taken the agency for the Premier grand,
which is made by the Premier Grand Piano
Corp., of New York.
the Middle West. Chief among these is the
question of shipping goods so as to eliminate
the danger of expensive storage in New York,
on account of failure to reach a certain boat
before sailing time. Mr. Lawrence was able to
assist several members of the trade in making
arrangements for shipping which would elim-
inate this danger.
Mr. Lawrence found some confusion concern-
ing the proper export terms to use in quoting
prices, and in the best methods to offer concern-
ing delivery, as well' as in the matter of obtain-
ing proper credit information, and protection
against refusal of the buyer to accept and pay
for the goods upon arrival at foreign destina-
tion. Mr. Lawrence was not only able to help
inquirers with specific information, but by the
questions asked he was given the necessary in-
formation on which to plan the development of
the Chamber's work most needed to assist in-
land shippers.
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