Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
8
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 2,
1924
The Associations' Mid-Winter Meeting—(Continued from page 7)
over to the officials of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, who summarized that
body's activities.
Chamber of Commerce
Alfred L. Smith, the general manager, out-
lined the work of the Chamber in a general
way as it affected the music merchant and ex-
plained how its various services could be util-
ized to advantage. C. M. Tremaine, director
of the National Bureau for the Advancement
of Music, talked briefly on what his bureau
was accomplishing, and the fact that there were
now available over 100 publications having to do
with music advancement work, music memory
contests, music weeks, etc. He presented to the
conference his latest book on "Music Credits
in the Schools." Kenneth Clark, a well-known
figure in community service work, who recently
joined the bureau's staff, told of the plans for
national music week, May 4 to May 10, and
outlined the many organizations which had been
interested in the movement. C. L. Dennis,
director of the Trade Service Bureau and Better
Business Bureau of the Chamber, exhibited be-
fore the merchants some of the material made
available for their use by the Trade Service
Bureau, including a portfolio in which is re-
produced all the retail advertisements entered
in the advertising contest held last year with
prizes awarded at the Chicago convention. He
stated that a plan was under consideration for
holding a window-display contest along the
same lines with awards to be made at the June
convention in New York this year.
Those Present
Those who attended the meeting included
President Robert N. Watkin, Dallas, Tex.; First
Vice-President William C. Hamilton, Pitts-
burgh; Secretary Matt J. Kennedy, Chicago;
W. W. Smith, Toledo; Alex McDonald, New
York, and John W. Booth, Los Angeles, of the
directors; M. V. DeForeest, Sharon, Pa.; E.
Paul Hamilton, Baltimore, Md.; P. E. Conroy,
St. Louis; Edmund Gram, Milwaukee; E. H.
Droop, Washington, and C. A. Grinnell, of the
advisory board. There were also present
Charles H. Yahrling, president of the Music
Merchants' Association of Ohio; Charles E.
Wells, of Denver, and R. W. E. Hunt, of Port-
land, Me.
Piano Manufacturers Adopt Resolution
Prohibiting Exhibits at Convention
all hotel exhibits by manufacturers in connec-
tion with the convention and to prohibit them
entirely in the official convention hotel.
A report of the committee on retail sales
course was presented by E. Paul Hamilton,
chairman, and accepted by the directors, as a
result of which the trade service bureau was
authorized to secure advance enrollments suf-
ficient to warrant proceeding with its plans for
such a course, to be approved by the committee
and the directors.
The directors adopted a plan whereby the
Chamber will offer prizes for the best window
displays of retail music merchants in connec-
tion with National Music Week, May 4 to
May 10, 1924. The awards will be made on
photographs submitted of a number of these
windows, which will be displayed in connection
with other prize winning advertisements at the
convention in June.
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which will be the
official convention hotel, offers excellent facili-
ties both in the matter of rooms and accom-
modations for committee meetings, luncheons
and banquets. An added advantage which was
given considerable weight in the selection of
this hotel was that the McAlpin and Martinique
Hotels, located on the same block, are under
the same management as the Waldorf and
arrangements can be made for the satisfactory
accommodation at reasonable rates of members
of the industry who prefer to be in an adjoining
hotel. The Waldorf has set aside three hundred
rooms for the use of delegates to the conven-
tion and has made arrangements for as many
more as may be needed in the McAlpin and
Martinique.
collecting dues directly from members. It was
admitted that such a plan, though logical, was
based on developments far in the future, and
at the suggestion of C. A. Grinnell it was de-
cided to endeavor to secure a paid organizer
to travel about the country and assist dealers
in the formation of local associations giving
them the benefit of expert advice and assist-
ance.
It was agreed that the work should start as
soon as possible so that some results at least
might be realized before the national conven-
tion.
Convention in June
At the opening of the afternoon session the
question of the convention hotel and date came
up for discussion and it was decided by the mer-
chants to hold their annual meeting at the Wal-
dorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, during the week
of June 1.
With the exception of a talk by C. A. Grin-
nell on the value of State commissioners as
points of contact for the national body in the
development of local and State interests, prac-
tically the entire afternoon session was given
Prohibition Extends to Convention Hotel—Outside Exhibits Disapproved—Reports Read on Traf-
fic Bureau, Standardization and Credit and Collection Bureau of the Chamber
DROBABLY the most important development
of the mid-Winter executive committee meet-
ing of the National Piano Manufacturers' Asso-
ciation at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Friday
morning of last week was the adoption of a
resolution disapproving and prohibiting exhibits
of any character at the convention hotel during
the period of the coming annual convention or
those to follow. This question has been de-
bated for a number of years and this definite
action was taken following the experiences
during the past few conventions, when exhibits
affected seriously the attendance at Association
meetings and hampered the work.
It is understood that the executives of the
National Association of Music Merchants have
concurred with the manufacturers in opposing
the holding of exhibits at the convention hotels.
A particularly interesting report from E. J.
Whelan, chairman of the traffic committee, was
read at the meeting, showing that some excel-
lent work had been done during the year for
the protection of piano manufacturers and ship-
pers in general. The suggestion for the re-
establishment of a Traffic Bureau, which has
come up several times, was again rejected.
Both Max J. deRochemont and J. W. Stevens,
the latter as president of the New York Piano
Manufacturers' Association, reported on the
matter of standardization of piano parts and the
progress that has been made in that direction.
The New York Association has been instru-
mental in developing definite plans for stand-
ardization which have been passed on for the
consideration of the national body.
Alfred L. Smith, general manager of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, and
Beach Barrett, his assistant, described at some
length the workings of the credit and collection
bureau of the Chamber and the facilities of
which have been given the manufacturers.
A number of other matters of general asso-
ciation interest were taken up and discussed in
the rather short session, which was attended
by Mark P. Campbell, president; Max J.
deRochemont, second vice-president; Charles
Jacob, treasurer; Herbert W. Hill, assistant
secretary; Richard W. Lawrence and Herbert
Simpson, of the finance committee; Stanwood
Miller, of the nominating committee; J. Harry
Shale, of the national legislation committee;
George W. Gittins, of the merchant marine and
export committee, and Ava W. Poole, D. D.
Luxton, C. C. Conway, C. D. Bond and J. W.
Stevens, of the executive committee. William
M. Plaisted was also present.
Convention Will Be Held at Waldorf-
Astoria During the First Week in June
New York Manufacturers
Give Dinner to Visitors
Directors of Chamber of Commerce Plan National Window Display Contest During National
Music Week—Committee on Salesmanship. Course Authorized to Secure Enrollments
Herman Irion, Robert N. Watkin, Mark P.
Campbell and Alfred L. Smith Among the
Speakers at the Banquet at the Waldorf
[Although a member of the Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce, The Review, with other trade papers, had
no reportorial representation at the meeting of the direc-
tors of that body held in New York on Friday of last
week. The report of the meeting- presented herewith is
that issued by the Chamber itself.—Editor's Note.]
*TpHE Board of Directors of the Music Indus-
tries Chamber of Commerce held an im-
portant meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
on Friday, January 25, following a luncheon at
which the members of the executive edmmittees
of the National Association of Music Merchants,
Musical Supply Association of America and
National Piano Manufacturers' Association were
invited. The meeting was very well attended,
sixteen members of the board of directors being
present and twenty-five members of the execu-
tive committees of the Associations named.
Upon a motion by Robert N. Watkin, presi-
dent o chants, who spolce as the representative of a
joint conference which had just been held be-
tween the executive and advisory boards of the
music merchants and the executive committee
of the National Piano Manufacturers 1 Associa-
tion, it was unanimously decided to hold the
1924 convention of the music industry during
the first week in June at the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel, New York City. Upon recommendation
of the executive committee of the piano manu-
facturers, concurred in by the members of the
executive committee and advisory board of the
music merchants, it was decided to discourage
The executives of the National Associa-
tion of Music Merchants, the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association and the Musical
Supply Association of America, who attended
the mid-year meeting of those bodies in New
York last week, were the guests of the New
York Piano Manufacturers' Association at an
informal banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria on
Thursday evening. John W. Stevens, president
of the Association, presided and made a great
success as a toastmaster.
The first speaker was Hermann Irion, of
Steinway & Sons, chairman of the Music Ad-
vancement Committee of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce, who gave an enthu-
(Continued on page 9)