Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President and Treasurer, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President,
J. B. Spillane, 373 Fourth Aye., New York; Second Vice-President, Raymond Bill, 373
Fourth Ave., New York; Assistant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
WILSON D. BUSH. Managing Editor
CARLETON CHACE, Business Manager
L. E. BOWERS, Circulation Manager
Executive and Reportorlal Staff
EDWARD VAN HARLINGF.N, V. D. WALSH, E. B. MUNCH L. M. ROBINSON, C. A. LEONARD,
EDWARD LYMAN I'ILL, SCOTT KINGWILL, THOS. W. URESNAHAN, A. J. NICKLIN.
WESTERN
DIVISION:
BOSTON O F F I C E :
Republic Bldg., 209 So. State St., Chicago.
JOHN H. WILSON, 324 Washington St.
Telephone, Wabash 5774.
Telephone, Main 6950.
LONDON, ENGLAND:
1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St., D. C.
N E W 8 SERVICE IS S U P P L I E D WEEKLY BY OUR CORRESPONDENTS
LOCATED I N T H E LEADING CITIES THROUGHOUT
AMERICA.
Published Every Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered as second-class matter September 10, 1892, at the post office at New York, N. Y.,
under the Act of March 3, 1879.
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ADVERTISEMENTS, $6.00 per inch, single column, per insertion.
On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising pages, $150.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill, Inc.
PIUVAI* PtonA anil
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
r a a j e i - r i a l l U «MIU
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning,
Torffinfaol IlAnaplniDntfi
regulating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos
I C H l l l l v a l LTC|Fal IIIICUIS a r e dealt with, will be found in another section of
this paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning
which will be cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal...Charleston
Exposition, 1902
Diploma
Pan-American Exposition, 1901 Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal—Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG
DISTANCE
Vol. LXXI
TELEPHONES—NUMBERS
5982—6983
Connecting all Departments
Cable address: "ElblU, New York"
MADISON
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 20, 1920
SQ.
No. 21
WORKING FOR REDUCED TAXES
CCORDING to reports from Washington there is little hope
for immediate action being taken to relieve the burden of war-
time taxes from the industries of the country, and it will be late
next year before any real definite action is likely to be taken to so
adjust the financial affairs of the country as to warrant any curtail-
ment of Governmental revenue.
So far as the music industry is concerned, efforts must be di-
rected not alone to seeking means for bringing about a reduction
in excise and general taxes, but towards discouraging certain ele-
ments from endeavoring to increase the taxes on musical instruments
and other products in order that the lines in which they are par-
ticularly interested shall be free from carrying their just proportion
of the burden.
Even should Mr. Harding, upon assuming the Presidential chair,
call a special session of Congress to consider the various problems
that the Republican administration is expected to solve for the benefit
of the country, it will be next Fall before the new Congress can be
expected to function properly.
In preparation for the, time when the national legislature will
take up the question of taxes, the music industry must have ready
sound and convincing arguments in support of claims for tax reduc-
tion. Propaganda to this end cannot be too strong or persistent.
Other industries are working steadily and earnestly in their own
behalf, and the one that makes the strongest argument may be
expected to win out.
A
PIANO PRICES AND THE PUBLIC
W
H E T H E R or not the public should be taken into the confidence
of piano manufacturers or dealers in an endeavor to keep piano
prices at a point where they offer a fair and logical profit to those
making and selling them appears to be a matter of dispute among the
various factors in the trade. There are those who believe that piano
men should follow the lead of the piano manufacturer and present
their case squarely to the public in an effort to re-establish confidence
and stimulate buying. There are others of the opinion that the best
REVIEW
NOVEMBER 20
1920
thing is to let the price question alone so far as the public is con-
cerned in the belief that any declaration of policy would have little or
no effect on sales.
Still others appear to have little faith in any fixed policy of price
maintenance, believing that the inexorable law of supply and demand
will prevail in the piano business just as it does in every other line
of business.
Differences in opinion and methods have much to do with the
success or failure of business ventures. One merchant may take the
public into his confidence and be the gainer thereby. Another may
stand pat, say nothing and also get his share of business. The main
thing is to make the proper impression on the public, and this is
where the piano merchant can collect upon the confidence he has
won for himself and his store in his community.
THE STATUS OF PIANO PAPER
A
MATTER that every organization in the piano trade, includ-
ing the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, should give
earnest thought to is the present attitude of some of the banks
throughout the country toward piano paper. According to reports
from various sections some bankers are inclined to ignore piano
paper entirely and those who can be persuaded to accept it as col-
lateral, or discount it at current rates of interest, will take such a
limited amount that the retailer is afforded very little relief.
The attention of The Review was called not so long ago to a
situation in a Southern city where a piano merchant had difficulty
in persuading the bank to accept $5,000 worth of paper in order
to tide him over a limited period, although that same bank had
carried, and was carrying, between $30,000 and $35,000 worth of
instalment paper for a retail automobile concern, and was appar-
ently quite willing to accept more of the same.
It must be admitted that piano paper of to-day suffers somewhat
from the reputation that it gained in the past, but the thing to do
is to prove to bankers not already acquainted with the fact that
piano paper to-day is of substantial worth and is entitled to con-
sideration. If bankers are once persuaded of this fact, the thing
for the trade to do is to see that piano paper lives up to its present
standard and is not allowed to deteriorate to past levels.
This question of securing recognition from the banks for the
proper sort of piano paper is one that demands immediate attention,
for the question of financing retail piano business is going to assume
large proportions. Piano manufacturers cannot be expected to
carry even a fair proportion of paper for their dealers, and there
is a limit to what the discount companies can do. The relief, there-
fore, must come from the banks, and the banks must be shown
that it is to their interest to act fairly in the matter.
When some retailers are carrying so much other paper that
they are almost afraid to sell more instruments on instalments and
add to their burdens, it is time that plans were evolved for financing
them on a sound and sane basis. This condition exists right now.
CREATING A BROADER
OUTLOOK
T
H E traveling representatives of piano manufacturers can per-
form a very important role at the present time by helping broaden
the outlook of the retail merchant who, in many cases, is forming
his opinions on purely local conditions. The newspapers in the
smaller cities are not able to devote a great deal of space to matter
of the kind which gives a broad national outlook on business con-
ditions, such as can be found in the newspapers of the big com-
mercial centers. By sitting down with the dealer and running over
everything he knows about business conditions in general, the piano
traveler can eliminate the panicky state of mind which is apt to exist
where mountains are made of local molehills.
THE Q R S CO.'S NATIONAL ADVERTISING
T
HE makers of player-pianos owe no small measure of thanks to
the Q R S Music Co. for the national advertising it has been
conducting recently. In practically every instance, a very large per-
centage of the space and of the illustration appeal has aimed to sell
people on the pleasure derived from a player-piano. This is very
valuable propaganda work and, needless to say, doesn't come free.
In a recent two-page spread which appeared in the Saturday Evening
Post, over the signature of the Q R S Co., one full page was devoted
exclusively to the player-piano appeal, and that page alone cost
$6,000. Let gratitude be bestowed where it is fairly due,