Music Trade Review
Issue: 1924 Vol. 78 N. 16 - Page 3
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
REVIEW
THE
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. LXXV1I1. No. 16 Piblished Every Satirday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. Apr. 19, 1924
«ir^Kiiiaiii«iiiwiii«iireiiiKiH^
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8ln
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12.00
10 Cents
Per Year
IlllllllllllllllllllllUllllllliiiiimilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllll
Future Reproducing Piano Merchandising
'•'•••••
11111111
•••••••!
.....••..*
1.. . . . . . . . .
•
. . . . . . . . • • • . • • . . . . . . . . I . . . . ...................l.nl.... l Mll l .. l lllll 1 llllMll 1 IIMIIIIIIIIIIHI l ltl III
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is the clay of the reproducing piano, for it cannot be questioned that that type of instrument in
upright and particularly in grand form is the outstanding feature of the trade. Tt has established itself
securely; it has won recognition from those confessedly hard to convince; it has opened up broad and
productive new selling fields for the dealers who have gone into its merchandising intelligently and
intensively.
The future problem of the reproducing piano is that of sales and distribution on a basis that is economi-
cally sound and profitable to both the dealer and the manufacturer. The development work was completed
long ago and the instrument brought to a point where it represents a fixed quality and a fixed value with
none of the uncertainties commonly associated with new ventures. In short, so far as is mechanically possible,
the reproducing piano has been made fool-proof and certain of operation, and although there will undoubtedly
be further developments to come, since nothing can stand still and really progress, those developments will most
likely have to do entirely with minor refinements and have no bearing on the fundamental principles.
To insure the ultimate and continued success of this product, however, there is need for a more general
development of distribution to move a substantial number of reproducing pianos of various types and values
on an economical basis. The manufacturers have within the past few years spent many hundreds of thousands
of dollars in exploitation work. They have advertised extensively, retained the services of famous artists at
heavy expense, and given concerts and recitals the country over. This work was necessary in opening up what
to the public was more or less of a new field of musical expression and has had the result of acquainting the
layman with the possibilities of the reproducing piano. Later, in the exploitation of the reproducing piano
locally, dealers have either co-operated with the manufacturers in sharing the expense of concerts or, in a
limited number of cases, have undertaken to conduct such concert themselves.
The reproducing instrument has advanced to a point where it rests with the dealer to create a place
for it in the home. That work requires that he be able to present to his prospects, or at least those of his
prospects in a position to afford a reproducing piano, the desirable features of the instrument, together with
convincing testimony as to what it will accomplish.
The local recital either in a small hall or in the warerooms proper where quarters are available provides
one avenue for contact with interested music lovers and is particularly effective when competent artists are en-
gaged for the demonstration. The recital itself, however, will accomplish little unless it is handled in a way
to concentrate interest on the instrument itself rather than on the music it reproduces.
This means arousing the curiosity and the buying instinct of the members of the invited audience. It
means an intelligent study of that audience with a view to selecting from its members those who seem most
interested. It means furthermore the consistent and persistent following up of these prospects with a view to
capitalizing the favorable impression made by the concert itself.
The exploitation of the reproducing piano in a general way has been accomplished with considerable suc-
cess and the majority of the public are able to distinguish to a certain degree between that instrument and the
ordinary player-piano. Future efforts, therefore, must be directed to bringing the message direct to the pro-
spective customer by the dealer and his sales staff, convincing the prospect that in the dealer's studios or in his
own home the reproducing piano can do just what it did on the stage. In other words, that it will stand close
inspection as to its operation.
It would not perhaps be fair to say that reproducing pianos require an entirely new type of salesman-
ship in piano retailing, but it is not out of the way to point out that a more intelligent presentation is required
than is the case with the ordinary piano or player and that the salesman must understand hi3 business sufficiently
well to allow the instrument to do some selling of itself,
REVIEW
THE
flUJIC TIRADE
VOL. LXXV1I1. No. 16 Piblished Every Satirday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. Apr. 19, 1924
«ir^Kiiiaiii«iiiwiii«iireiiiKiH^
iilllMMIIIIIlim
8ln
«{|
12.00
10 Cents
Per Year
IlllllllllllllllllllllUllllllliiiiimilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllll
Future Reproducing Piano Merchandising
'•'•••••
11111111
•••••••!
.....••..*
1.. . . . . . . . .
•
. . . . . . . . • • • . • • . . . . . . . . I . . . . ...................l.nl.... l Mll l .. l lllll 1 llllMll 1 IIMIIIIIIIIIIHI l ltl III
iisciitMiisfliixiniKiiiKini!^
is the clay of the reproducing piano, for it cannot be questioned that that type of instrument in
upright and particularly in grand form is the outstanding feature of the trade. Tt has established itself
securely; it has won recognition from those confessedly hard to convince; it has opened up broad and
productive new selling fields for the dealers who have gone into its merchandising intelligently and
intensively.
The future problem of the reproducing piano is that of sales and distribution on a basis that is economi-
cally sound and profitable to both the dealer and the manufacturer. The development work was completed
long ago and the instrument brought to a point where it represents a fixed quality and a fixed value with
none of the uncertainties commonly associated with new ventures. In short, so far as is mechanically possible,
the reproducing piano has been made fool-proof and certain of operation, and although there will undoubtedly
be further developments to come, since nothing can stand still and really progress, those developments will most
likely have to do entirely with minor refinements and have no bearing on the fundamental principles.
To insure the ultimate and continued success of this product, however, there is need for a more general
development of distribution to move a substantial number of reproducing pianos of various types and values
on an economical basis. The manufacturers have within the past few years spent many hundreds of thousands
of dollars in exploitation work. They have advertised extensively, retained the services of famous artists at
heavy expense, and given concerts and recitals the country over. This work was necessary in opening up what
to the public was more or less of a new field of musical expression and has had the result of acquainting the
layman with the possibilities of the reproducing piano. Later, in the exploitation of the reproducing piano
locally, dealers have either co-operated with the manufacturers in sharing the expense of concerts or, in a
limited number of cases, have undertaken to conduct such concert themselves.
The reproducing instrument has advanced to a point where it rests with the dealer to create a place
for it in the home. That work requires that he be able to present to his prospects, or at least those of his
prospects in a position to afford a reproducing piano, the desirable features of the instrument, together with
convincing testimony as to what it will accomplish.
The local recital either in a small hall or in the warerooms proper where quarters are available provides
one avenue for contact with interested music lovers and is particularly effective when competent artists are en-
gaged for the demonstration. The recital itself, however, will accomplish little unless it is handled in a way
to concentrate interest on the instrument itself rather than on the music it reproduces.
This means arousing the curiosity and the buying instinct of the members of the invited audience. It
means an intelligent study of that audience with a view to selecting from its members those who seem most
interested. It means furthermore the consistent and persistent following up of these prospects with a view to
capitalizing the favorable impression made by the concert itself.
The exploitation of the reproducing piano in a general way has been accomplished with considerable suc-
cess and the majority of the public are able to distinguish to a certain degree between that instrument and the
ordinary player-piano. Future efforts, therefore, must be directed to bringing the message direct to the pro-
spective customer by the dealer and his sales staff, convincing the prospect that in the dealer's studios or in his
own home the reproducing piano can do just what it did on the stage. In other words, that it will stand close
inspection as to its operation.
It would not perhaps be fair to say that reproducing pianos require an entirely new type of salesman-
ship in piano retailing, but it is not out of the way to point out that a more intelligent presentation is required
than is the case with the ordinary piano or player and that the salesman must understand hi3 business sufficiently
well to allow the instrument to do some selling of itself,
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).