Music Trade Review

THE
4
MUSIC
TRADE
(Registered in the U. S. Patent Office)
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President and Treasurer, C. L. Bill, 383 Madison Ave., New York; Vice· President,
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Madison Ave., New York; Secretary, Edward Lyman Bill, 383 Madison Ave., New York;
Assist ant Treasurer, Wm. A. Low.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
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Executive and Reportorial Staff
E.
THO• •
YV.
B. MUNCH, V. D. yVALSH, EnWARJ> VAN HARLINCEN, LEI< ROBINSON,
BRESNAHAN, E.
NJ1.ALY, C. R. TIGHII, FRIIDERICK B. DUWL, A, J. NICKLIN
A. FREDERICK CARTER. FREDERICK G. SAN DBLOM
J.
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Exposition Honors Won by The RevIew
Grand Pri.......... .. Par '. ' Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal... Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma .•• • Pan-American Ex,&osition, 1901
Gold Medal .... . St. Louis Exposition, 1904
_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _C_
, o
_l_d_ edal·-Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
1'ELEPH 0 N ES-VA::- Cable Address: uElblll, New York"
Vol. LXXVII
NEW YORK, AUGUST 18, 1923
No.7
CO-OPERATION OF LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS
N UR?I~G a closer. spirit of co-operation. between th e N ~ ti?n a l
AssaCIatlOn of M US IC Merchants and vanous local ass.oClatlOns
in the trade, President Robert N.Watkin .of the former body is
repeating the IJlea .of those presidents .of the National Association
wha have gane before him- -a plea that is justifiable and logical.
It is particularly desirable that the National Association have some
media far reaching directly the dealers in variaus sections of the
cauntry, and thc local assaciations, thraugh their close contact with
the retailers ill their rcs pertivc territa ries, pravide the id eal means
ta this end
For their I'.'ark in bringing the N atianal Assaciatian claser to
the individual dealer, local assaciatians are recampensed in having
reCQurSe La the faciliti es of the nCltianal bady in the matter of
business rievelopment, legislative protection, and in many other
ways. Same years ago, as a resu lt of cauntry ·w'ide tours made by
the present general counsel of the Music Industries Chamber of
Camm:rce, d form er president of the Music Merchants' Association
and .others, there was developed an imposing list of local trad e
bodies, but unfanunately the great majarity of them died prac­
tically abarning. There are seYfral li ve S tate a~<;aciati ons, how­
'.v·~ r, that 3till exist and which w ill benefit both themselves and
the national body by heeding the call of the latter's prf'sident.
I
A TIMELY LITTLE SERMON ON OPTIMISM
I
Na recent advert ise ment the Harriman N atianal Bank, one of
the large and canservative financial in stitutions uf New York,
feels warranted in .offering the following little serman an .optimism,
with a final paragraph that might well be read hy thase members
uf the music trade whu are perpetuCllly seeing trouble in the future.
The little sermon is headed: "The Rainbow," and read s as fallo\-vs:
"There has been a big storm, centering upan business in gen
eral, cavering a periad of over four manths, and naw a brightening
in the skies may be discerned. 'Ne are beginning ta distingui sh
features that stand aut in the trade situatian.
"A general improvement in rai lroad freight loadings is coming
from the increased grain movement. There is improvement in the
REVIEW
AUGUST
18, )':123
steel trade and a strengthening .of pig iron values owing tu de
creased production. Better busine ss in the trade is in sight. The
railraads are doing more business than la st vear. \iVestern raad s
have handled almost seventy thau sa nd more cars than last yea r.
Eastern roads are running fifteen per cent ahead of las t year.
Merchandise business is getting better. Sentiment is improving;
retail sales are fifteen ta twenty per cent in excess .of la st year.
Clathing and shoe manufacturers are doing an increased business.
Mail order houses are expanding. 1\'11'. r,'armer is beginning ta
find out that althaugh he has nat made as much in wheat as he
shauld (he never does), yet corn, cotton and hags have done well
and it is whispered that Mr. Farmer is the biggest au tomabile
purchaser.
"Banks in farm ing sectians report steady liquid ation .of laans.
Coll ections are satis facta ry. There is plenty of money ta be had
for crop moving. Only the palitician, as usual, is discredited. The
sun is shining through the storm :lnd pictures many calars. The
harvest promises to be good and that means radicali sm is diffusing
-scatteri ng- vanishing.
"However, a ft er all, this is a free ca untry, and a man has an
inalienabl e right to be mi serable if that makes him happy."
I SPECIALLY
DESIGNED CASES AND PRODUCTION
I
O
UT .of the West comes the plaint .of the dealer handling a
couple of very prominent lines .of pianas who offered the
.opInIOn that, during peri ods when stack is short ami production
cannot keep up with demand, the ordering of a specially bui lt and
decorative instrument is not a paying propasition. It is the dealer's
daim, 1l1d he is apparently backed up by same .others, that putting
a special order through [he fac tory means the produ ctian of that
instrument at the expense of several .others which might have been
turned out had the regular schedu le not been interf ered with.
It is a rath er interesting angle an the special .order in strument
and under existing conditions has some basis .of reason. There
have been dealers in th e past wha declared that, in view of th e
troubles often experienced in p roducing a special instrument that
satisfied the exacting customer, sl1ch bll,ines') rlid not pay a pra­
partionate prafit Clnd that the wisest thing was ta ust.. extra effarts
to sell the standard instrument on the "vareroam floor. The
specially designed piano is often of d caliber to reflect distinct credit
on the craftsmanship involv ed in its productian, and manu ·
facturers of such instruments are naturally praud .of their work,
which o ften represents the best 'a rt of publicity in the best sor t
of channels. 'Whether from th e cold-blaaded dallars and cenb
viewpaint the special case is to be cons idered a really paying pru
position is a matter upon which the trade shauld be able to develop
an interesting debate.
vVith the advent of stock lJeriod designs in piano ~ases, a
develapment of the past few years in pi special order case finds less reasan far being' than has ever been
the case in the past.
A NEW NAME FOR THE PIANO TUNER
M
OEE ;Ir I,,,,, seriaus efforts are naw being made in various direc­
tians to hit upan a new title for th e man wha has to do with
keeping the piana and player-piano in the proper candition. I t
is maintained, and justly so, that th e term piana tuner has long
been a misnamer for the reason that tht man who daes such work
has to da many things besides plain tuning. \iVhether the new
term be "piano technician" or some other all-embracing phrase,
thaught shauld be given to seeing that the title is calcul ated to
caver what the individual is expected ta knaw and to da.
N at .only should some general title be selected ta caver th e
abilities of the wark er, but it shauld be impressed upan the public
so that the man wha offers to tune a pian a far $2.50, $3.00 .or $5.0U
is nat expected ta inspect and adjust the pneumatics of the playe r,
repair the saunding board and da a gene ral 'overhau ling job for
that money. Perh aps there are men ta be fo und in the factorie s
ta-day who may praperly be term ed tun ers, and wha cia not cl a im
any skill along ather lines of repa ir work, but practically a ll
men in the field, the independents wha have cantact with the public,
a re, or shou ld be, mechanics of wide know ledge and ability and
are deserving of credit therefor.
There is a good deal more in selecting the proper name than
is generally thought.