Music Trade Review
Issue: 1924 Vol. 78 N. 12 - Page 44
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
44
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
MARCH 22, 1924
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
How a Newark, N . J., Sheet Music Dealer
Has Developed Demand for Popular Music
The Methods Used by the Broad and Market Street Store, Newark, N. J., Are Available to Every
Music Dealer Who Wishes to Build Up a Similar Business
T N the series of articles that has appeared in
this department in recent weeks covering the
activities of legitimate music dealers throughout
the country, reviewing general trade conditions
and calling specific attention to particular prog-
ress made by various dealers, as well as pointing
out the problems that must be considered by
those who contemplate entering this branch of
the music business, we took care to emphasize
the distinction between running a popular and
a standard sheet music department or both.
Standard and popular music are, after all,
entirely different problems, and although closely
related, they widely differ in the manner in
which they are presented to the consumer. For
this reason some of the most successful stand-
ard music retailers have most inactive popular
sheet music departments and, on the other hand,
there are a good many successful popular dis-
tributors who barely touch the possibilities that
can accrue to the merchant who properly pre-
sents standard publications. There are some
outstanding stores throughout the country
which have devised means to get the most out
of sales from both of these types of catalogs.
Such houses are, indeed, to be congratulated
arid they get congratulations in the form of
impressive profits from the sales returns. '
It may be possible that every sheet music
dealer in the country could follow the footsteps
of these successful merchants profitably. How-
ever, in most cases, their present locations, for
one thing, are a factor in not making the change
necessary. The exclusiveness of their clientele
is another and the problem of additional clerks
must also be taken into consideration. There
"What Doe? The Pussy CatJMiean
are, of course, several other angles, so when a
merchant confines his activities to either the
popular or standard we must believe that he
has a very good reason for doing so.
A specific instance of a popular sheet music
dealer who carries a very limited stock of stand-
ard selections, who has achieved remarkable
results in recent years, in fact, who has become
one of the outstanding retail distributors of the
country, is the Broad and Market Street Store,
Newark, N. J. This store, which has been in
existence for a number of years, started in the
days when it had the competition of the Wool-
worth ten-cent syndicate, as well as that of the
S. S. Kresge store. Despite this fact, this mer-
chant opened his salesroom in the same block
with both the above syndicates in probably a
slightly better location. He weathered the
storm of the days of ten-cent competition and
has successfully merchandised his goods on a
thirty-cent basis for the last several years in
competition with the Kresge store.
This merchant operates along the lines of
the syndicate store, giving demonstrations and
using other up-to-date sales methods, thus
showing that the music dealer who feels syndi-
cate competition can overcome it to a great ex-
tent if he is willing to operate a part of his
store along the lines used by such establish-
ments. This is not always possible nor is it
always advisable, but some form of these sales
methods can be used in many instances to
advantage. It does pointedly prove, however,
that the syndicate has no patent rights or plans
that cannot be met.
In the case of the Broad and Market Street
Store, the establishment is very close to one
of the busiest street intersections in the United
States. Where the syndicate store places the
music counter either in the basement, o-n a bal-
cony or in the rear of the first floor, the Broad
and Market Street sheet music counter is ad-
jacent to the street. Demonstrations are prac-
tically given in the window of the establishment
and the floor space in front of the counter is
of good width, thus allowing a fair-sized audi-
ence to gather and making the place a rendez-
vous for the younger element. Particularly is
this true during the luncheon periods. All of
this floor space is not lost, inasmuch as there
is shelving space along the walls holding rec-
ords, player rolls and similar stocks. An ad-
vantage of this is the fact that the prospective
purchaser, to a great extent, can wait upon him
or herself.
This, we believe, is a piece of successful evi-
dence of the volume of business that can be
obtained from a strictly popular store. It is
getting the most out of such sales, even in
greater volume than that obtained by syndicates
which have always been held up as the most
successful of merchandisers.
Now, most of the sheet music departments,
particularly where they combine standard with
SONGS THAT SELL
Mindin' My Bus'ness
Lovey Came Back
Oh, Baby (Don't Say No—Say Maybe)
—
—
If the Rest of the World Don't Want You
Sittin' in a Corner
That Old Gang of Mine
Indiana Moon
You
Shanghai Lullaby
Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of
Virginia
I Love My Chili-Bom-Bom
What'll I Do? (New)
Lazy (New)
My Papa Doesn't Two-Time No Time
(New)
—
Forgetful Blues
Yawning
Down Home Blues
Universal Dance Folio No. 7
Special Mid-Year Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
_____
Song Gems from Irving Berlin's Third Annual
MUSIC BOX REVUE
An Orange Grove in California
The Waltz of Long Ago
Little Butterfly
Learn to Do the Strut
Outstanding Song Hits from
TOPSY and EVA
Rememb'ring
1 Never Had a Mammy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
popular, could not carry on its business along
these lines. This is only presented as showing
what an independent merchant can do success-
fully in competition with the very largest dis-
tributors. Some form of this can be used in
many cases by some dealers and a minor form
of it must, undoubtedly, be followed to get any-
thing like the possible sales from the popular
counters.
The Broad and Market Music Co., of Newark,
proprietor of the above store, has just taken
over the building formerly occupied by the
National Drug Co., 101 Broad street, Elizabeth,
N. J.
-YOU CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS NUMBER —
ITS WONDERFUL
IM FALLING IN LOVE WITH ASHADOW
Be First
With A Hearst
HEARST MUSIC PUBLISHERS OF CANADA LIMITED
WALTZ
SONG
44
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
MARCH 22, 1924
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
How a Newark, N . J., Sheet Music Dealer
Has Developed Demand for Popular Music
The Methods Used by the Broad and Market Street Store, Newark, N. J., Are Available to Every
Music Dealer Who Wishes to Build Up a Similar Business
T N the series of articles that has appeared in
this department in recent weeks covering the
activities of legitimate music dealers throughout
the country, reviewing general trade conditions
and calling specific attention to particular prog-
ress made by various dealers, as well as pointing
out the problems that must be considered by
those who contemplate entering this branch of
the music business, we took care to emphasize
the distinction between running a popular and
a standard sheet music department or both.
Standard and popular music are, after all,
entirely different problems, and although closely
related, they widely differ in the manner in
which they are presented to the consumer. For
this reason some of the most successful stand-
ard music retailers have most inactive popular
sheet music departments and, on the other hand,
there are a good many successful popular dis-
tributors who barely touch the possibilities that
can accrue to the merchant who properly pre-
sents standard publications. There are some
outstanding stores throughout the country
which have devised means to get the most out
of sales from both of these types of catalogs.
Such houses are, indeed, to be congratulated
arid they get congratulations in the form of
impressive profits from the sales returns. '
It may be possible that every sheet music
dealer in the country could follow the footsteps
of these successful merchants profitably. How-
ever, in most cases, their present locations, for
one thing, are a factor in not making the change
necessary. The exclusiveness of their clientele
is another and the problem of additional clerks
must also be taken into consideration. There
"What Doe? The Pussy CatJMiean
are, of course, several other angles, so when a
merchant confines his activities to either the
popular or standard we must believe that he
has a very good reason for doing so.
A specific instance of a popular sheet music
dealer who carries a very limited stock of stand-
ard selections, who has achieved remarkable
results in recent years, in fact, who has become
one of the outstanding retail distributors of the
country, is the Broad and Market Street Store,
Newark, N. J. This store, which has been in
existence for a number of years, started in the
days when it had the competition of the Wool-
worth ten-cent syndicate, as well as that of the
S. S. Kresge store. Despite this fact, this mer-
chant opened his salesroom in the same block
with both the above syndicates in probably a
slightly better location. He weathered the
storm of the days of ten-cent competition and
has successfully merchandised his goods on a
thirty-cent basis for the last several years in
competition with the Kresge store.
This merchant operates along the lines of
the syndicate store, giving demonstrations and
using other up-to-date sales methods, thus
showing that the music dealer who feels syndi-
cate competition can overcome it to a great ex-
tent if he is willing to operate a part of his
store along the lines used by such establish-
ments. This is not always possible nor is it
always advisable, but some form of these sales
methods can be used in many instances to
advantage. It does pointedly prove, however,
that the syndicate has no patent rights or plans
that cannot be met.
In the case of the Broad and Market Street
Store, the establishment is very close to one
of the busiest street intersections in the United
States. Where the syndicate store places the
music counter either in the basement, o-n a bal-
cony or in the rear of the first floor, the Broad
and Market Street sheet music counter is ad-
jacent to the street. Demonstrations are prac-
tically given in the window of the establishment
and the floor space in front of the counter is
of good width, thus allowing a fair-sized audi-
ence to gather and making the place a rendez-
vous for the younger element. Particularly is
this true during the luncheon periods. All of
this floor space is not lost, inasmuch as there
is shelving space along the walls holding rec-
ords, player rolls and similar stocks. An ad-
vantage of this is the fact that the prospective
purchaser, to a great extent, can wait upon him
or herself.
This, we believe, is a piece of successful evi-
dence of the volume of business that can be
obtained from a strictly popular store. It is
getting the most out of such sales, even in
greater volume than that obtained by syndicates
which have always been held up as the most
successful of merchandisers.
Now, most of the sheet music departments,
particularly where they combine standard with
SONGS THAT SELL
Mindin' My Bus'ness
Lovey Came Back
Oh, Baby (Don't Say No—Say Maybe)
—
—
If the Rest of the World Don't Want You
Sittin' in a Corner
That Old Gang of Mine
Indiana Moon
You
Shanghai Lullaby
Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of
Virginia
I Love My Chili-Bom-Bom
What'll I Do? (New)
Lazy (New)
My Papa Doesn't Two-Time No Time
(New)
—
Forgetful Blues
Yawning
Down Home Blues
Universal Dance Folio No. 7
Special Mid-Year Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
_____
Song Gems from Irving Berlin's Third Annual
MUSIC BOX REVUE
An Orange Grove in California
The Waltz of Long Ago
Little Butterfly
Learn to Do the Strut
Outstanding Song Hits from
TOPSY and EVA
Rememb'ring
1 Never Had a Mammy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
popular, could not carry on its business along
these lines. This is only presented as showing
what an independent merchant can do success-
fully in competition with the very largest dis-
tributors. Some form of this can be used in
many cases by some dealers and a minor form
of it must, undoubtedly, be followed to get any-
thing like the possible sales from the popular
counters.
The Broad and Market Music Co., of Newark,
proprietor of the above store, has just taken
over the building formerly occupied by the
National Drug Co., 101 Broad street, Elizabeth,
N. J.
-YOU CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS NUMBER —
ITS WONDERFUL
IM FALLING IN LOVE WITH ASHADOW
Be First
With A Hearst
HEARST MUSIC PUBLISHERS OF CANADA LIMITED
WALTZ
SONG
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