Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
FEBRUARY 9, 1924
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
45
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Dearth of Qualified Music Salesmen
Obstacle to Wider Outlet for Music
Intensive Drive to Create More Sheet Music Departments in General Music Stores Checked
Largely by This Obstacle—Mere Addition of Outlets Will Not Increase Sales
'TPHE R E V I E W for a good many years has
been an advocate of the idea of the gen-
eral music store. Some worth-while results in
more recent years have been obtained in this
direction, particularly the increased carrying of
stocks of musical merchandise. The opening,
however, of sheet music departments in con-
junction with the piano store has shown slower
progress.
There is now being arranged another spas-
modic attempt to interest the piano merchant
in sheet music. The proposed arrangements
are being based on the theory that an intensive
campaign over a short period would arouse suf-
ficient enthusiasm to interest several hundred,
if not a thousand, dealers in the stocking of
such merchandise. One of the main objects of
the present plan is the elimination of the syn-
dicate stores as a factor in the distribution of
sheet music.
It is hoped to turn the attention of the piano
merchant, at least to some extent, from the
sale of reproducing pianos and other stock and
arouse his interest in sheet music with the mul-
ti-colored display of title pages.
Many of the ideas that are being presented
are impractical and the main obstacle against
their acceptance is being entirely overlooked.
That is the dearth of competent and well-quali-
fied music salesmen.
For over two years the leading sheet music
houses of the country and many of the smaller
merchants have been marking time with an
under-manned sales force. Efforts have been
made"to encourage the interest of the youth of
the country in the rewards accruing to the
sheet music salesman. Not much success has
been attained in this direction, due to the fact
that as soon as the salesman becomes familiar
with the retail music business he quickly sees
and accepts opportunities to become a piano
salesman, which are far more remunerative.
The profits from a sheet music department
are limited. It takes a large volume of business
to make the store or department a success. The
salaries paid to the sales force, therefore, are
also limited and a salesman achieving success
in the line sees better and larger opportunities
elsewhere.
It is thought that many piano merchants that
would not give consideration to a complete
sheet music department can be interested in
at least carrying the active selling popular num-
bers. The plea is to be made that the carrying
of popular music alone will attract customers to
the store and if the profits- are not large from
such sales interest can be created in other mer-
chandise.
To the piano merchant who is not at present
operating a sheet music department the sale of
popular sheet music will hardly reach sufficient
volume to justify the amount of space given for
the purpose. The mere showing of title pages
of popular numbers will, of course, create some
sales, but, if it is proposed to eliminate the
syndicate store entirely, the mere opening of
departments will not obtain the result. To ob-
tain the sales of sheet music now made by syn-
dicate stores it will be necessary to use syndi-
cate or similar methods in merchandising the
goods. Demonstrations of popular sellers will
be necessary. The music counter should be
©UOFUW INC.
to
come
"back
home.
placed well forward in the store and some plan
of attracting office workers into the establish
ment during their noon hour should be inaugu-
rated and other up-to-date methods used.
To the conservative piano house popular sales
in themselves will not be attractive. In many
cases the clientele which sheet music will draw
will not be of the type that the merchant is
used to doing business with. For instance, an
exclusive popular sheet music department
would do nothing to attract the music student
to the store, nor the music teacher, nor anyone
interested in better-class music generally.
The mere addition of outlets will not sell
sheet music. Competition alone will not elimi-
nate the syndicate store. The idea of having
all music sales made in exclusive music estab-
lishments is a good one, but an intensive sales
drive to obtain this result will carry a great
many impractical ideas that will do very little
to advance the cause of the general music store.
A well-thought-out campaign, covering a wide
territory; an analysis of the possibilities and
market in particular localities and a presenta-
tion of such facts to logical and enterprising
merchants might take a longer period to get
results, it might involve some expense. But it
would have the merit of being practical, con-
structive and would get somewhere.
"I Love You" Featured
PORTLAND, ORE., February 2.—By featuring "I
Love You" played on a Victor trombone-record
in the lobby entrance of the Seiberling, Lucas
Music Co., on Fourth street, the sales in the
sheet music department of the store were greatly
stimulated, according to Maybelle Elliott, the
manager. The best sellers at the present time
are "I Love You" (Feist), "So This is Venice"
(Clarke-Leslie), "Last Night on the Back
Porch" (Shapiro-Bernstein) and "Bring Back-
That Old-fashioned Waltz" (Remick).
These Hits-Hit The Bui Is eye ~
, My Sweeties
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