Music Trade Review

10
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
DECEMBER 1, 1923
WORK PROGRESSING ON NEAL, CLARK & NEAL BUILDING
AEOLIAN CO. SALES MEETINGS
New Store, However, Will Not Be Ready Until After Christmas--"-A. E. Webb Buys Out Lan­
dauer Co. in Medina-Hans Barth Appears With the Ampico at Buffalo Hippodrome
Series of Sales Conferences Inaugurated for
Benefit of Company's Staff-Various Products
Explained in Detail and Various Successful
Selling Methods Explained and Discussed
.BUFFALO, N. Y., November 27.-Members of the
Buffalo music trade are quite pleased with re­
turns for the month of November. Despite
the fact that dealers are maintaining a waiting
attitude sales have been gOOQ and, in a num­
ber of instances, the buying public is not con­
sidering price when making their choice of an
instrument. It is believed that the moderate
weather has more or less affected the trade and,
with the appearance of freezing weather, buy­
ing and selling will be greatly stimulated. In­
dications are that December will be a whirl­
wind month for dealers. November balances
were greatly in advance of the balance on
books of the same IlIonth last year, is the gen­
eral report.
T A. Goold, of Goold Bros., Inc., said: "No­
vember started out rather slow, as it did last
year, but business was greatly stimulated about
the middle of the month. I look for December
to be a much better month than for the same
period last year. Our Ampico· trade has been
extremely good."
Mr. Goold believes their
Ampico business was stimulated by their ex­
hibit at the Homes Beautiful exhibition, where
concert~ were conducted daily with the Ampico.
R. E. Smith, sales manager of the Hoffman
Piano Co., said that November has been a very
pleasing month and. with the appearance of real
\;Vinter weather, there will be a great improve­
ment. "'vVe are experiencing an increasing de­
mand for grands and players," he said.
F. F. Barber, manager of the ]. N. Adam
Music Store, said: "We notice a greatly in­
creasin~ demand for talking machine~, but
players are still leading in volume of sales. The
greatest demand this month has been for
higher priced grands and player-pianos. Oc­
tober was rather slow and November has been
steadily increasing, so that now I can say we
are having the best piano business we have had
in a long time."
Work on remodeling of the Neal, Clark & .
Neal store is progTessing, but will not be com­
pleted until after Christmas. A good, thriving
business is being carried on at the temporary
store at 643 Main street.
Clarence Lucore, manager of the Neal, Clark
& )real s tore and the Mu,ic Lovers' Shoppe in
Rochester, is on an automobile trip to the Mid­
dle West, where he will visit a number of piano
factories. He has planned to call at the Gul­
bransen plant in Chicago; the Holton instru­
ment plant in Elkhorn, Ill.; the Schumann fac­
tory in Rockford,. Ill.; the Story & Clark Piano
Co., in Chicago, and a number of others.
A. E. Webb has bought out the business of
the Landauer Co., Inc., in Medina, and has re­
modeled the store into one of the finest music
establishments in a town the size of Medina in
the country.
Hans Barth is appearing in concert at Shea's
Hippodrome during the week of November 25,
with the Ampico, under the auspices of Goold
Bros., Inc.
O. 1.. Neal, of the Buffalo Talking Machine
·Co., spen t the week of N ovem bel' 19 in Camden,
N J., at the Victor plant.
FIRST SETTERGREN SHIPMENTS MADE
New Settergren Grand Chosen for Haviland
High School in Highly Competitive Sale
BLUFFTON, IND., November 24.-B. K. Setter­
gren, of the B. K. Settergren -Co., of this city,
announces that the first shipments made of the
Settergren grand have proved highly satisfac­
tory to the dealers who have received them.
One of the first instruments shipped out was
for the Haviland High School of Haviland,
Mich. Mr. Settergren was highly pleased with
this order as it ' was received in competition
with four other instrument, and, on the instance
of the local dealer, the Haviland high school
authorities sent a committee to the factory to
inspect the instrument. It was only after a
visit to four other factories that the final choice
of a Sattergren grand was made.
DEDICATION FOR HOCKETT=COWAN
VISALIA, CAL., November 22.- The Hockett­
Cowan Music Co., which moved from 302 Fast
Main street to its new quarters at :vrain and
Locust, has jus t held its formal dedication. S. S.
Hockett, president and senio·t member of the
firm, is one of the oldest music merchants still
'active in the Joaquin Valley. The Visalia store
was first opened in 1920 under the management
of Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Robbins, who are still
in charge.
Making tnore of the
stnal1 piano business
New Miessner Sales Plan
Means Bigger Dealer Profits
The new Miessner sales plan is even exceeding expecta­
tions. vVith it dealers are finding that they are able to
make more of their small piano business-that the Miess­
ner is becoming a leader as a money maker.
If you haven't the new Miessner sales plan, write to-day
and get it working for you immediately.
Dealers not handling the 3 ft. 7 in. high Miessner wi 11 find
it to their advantage to look into this now. The Miessner
is the original small piano. Built by \;V. Otto Miessner, a
music educator of note, first for schools. Its wonderful
tone and other qualities have brought the Miessner into
wide use for smaller homes and apartments, theaters,
clubs, etc.-which could lise no other instrument. Thu s
the Miessner in no way interferes with regular business.
If yOll are in a position to consiner the ?\fiessner line, we ~UggL:,t that
you look into it now, ·as there is activ~ demand for franchi .ses in almos t
every locality.
MIESSNER PIANO CO.
136 Reed St., Milwaukee, Wis.
MIESSNER
THE LITTLE prANO WITH THE. BIG TONE
With a view to lIlcreasing the efficiency of its
sales organization as a whole, the Aeolian Co.
has inaugurated a series of meetings which are
attended by all the salesmen and at which they
are given lectures and demonstrations covering
the various products marketed by the Aeolian
Co.
At the second meeting of the series held last
week, for instance, the subject was the Duo­
Art piano and impo·rtant facts regarding that
instrument and the best methods of selling it
v,'ere presented and discussed under the direc­
tion of William H. Alfring, general sales man­
ager of the company, who presided.
The sales lecture at the meeting was delivered
by Eleanor Shaw, the popular piamst, who has
been on tour with the Duo-Art, and a demon­
s tration r ecording was offered by Robert Arm­
bruster. Talks were also given by Mr. Alfring
and by Charles A . Laurino, retail sales manager
of the Aeo·l ian Co., special emphasis being
placed on the forthcoming holiday period of
the year.
Miss Shaw treated salesmansh.ip from the
angle nf the wnman buyer, detailing important
points for salesmen to remember in doing busi­
ness with her. She stressed the family and
home music notes, emphasizing the pride the
w oman buyer feels in the instrument. Miss
Shaw pointed out, too, the importance of the
'Salesman's sales story, showing that the buyer
alw a ys reme-mbers the things which the sales­
man says and the advice he gives during the
course of making the sale.
In the course of her talk Miss Shaw told of
a recent Duo-Art recital which she and Fred­
rrick Child, tenor, gave in the home of Josephus
Daniels, former Secretary of the Navy, in
Raleigh, N. C. From the recital and a subse­
quent interview with Mr. Daniels Miss Shaw
told her a udience she drew several very im­
portant facts from the viewpoint of the head
of the family which owns a Duo-Art. Mr.
Daniels said that the instrument, which had
come into his home as a piece of furniture, had
become a member of the family. The first meet­
Ing of the series was held October 25. Talks by
Mr. Alfring, Mr. Laurino, Herbert T. Proudfit,
"dvertising manager of the Aeolian Co. and
di recto·r of its promotion activities, and Lancelot
Farrar, who recently joined the Aeolian forces,
were featured.
PHOTO PLAYERREORGANIZATlON
Photo Player Co. Takes Assets of American
Photo Player Co. and Robert Morton Co.­
Claims Will Be Met as Soon as Possible
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., November 22.-It is an­
nounced that the plan fo'r the reorganization
of the American Photo Player Co. has been
successfully carried out and that all the assets
of the American Photo Player Co. and the Rob­
crt Morton Co. have been transferred to the
new firm known as the Photo Player Co.
Both the plant in Berkeley and the plant in
Van Nuys are in operation. The sales organ­
ization is being perfected and financing is be­
ing arranged as conditions warrant.
It is
stated that it is too early yet to make any defi­
nite commitment as to the payment of claims,
but the new company is controlled by the cred­
itors' committee and it s stock has been de­
posited as collateral to secure payment o·f
creditors of the old concern.
The assets of the Photo Player Co., the reor­
ganized concern, amount to $789,573.55, and are
free of obligation s, subject only to liabilities
contracted by the new corporation. I t is the
purpose in carrying on the business to confine
purcha ses as nearly as possible to concerns
that are creditors of the old corporation
,.