Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
OCTOBER 4,
1924
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Music Trades Association of Northern
California Appoints Radio Committee
Committee Also Appointed to Investigate Interest on Unpaid Balances on Instalment Sales—
City Begins Preparations for Next Year's Music Week—George W. Gittins a Visitor
C A N FRANCISCO, CAL., September 25.—
Matters of great interest to the trade were
taken up at a meeting of the Music Trades
Association of Northern California, held this
week, the president, Shirley Walker, of Sher-
man, Clay & Co., being in the chair.
A Radio Committee was appointed to keep in
touch with the problems of the members of the
Association in radio. This Radio Committee
consists of F. A. Levy, of the California Phono-
graph Corp., chairman; James J. Black, of the
Wiley B. Allen Co., and H. A. Rehmke, of
Sherman, Clay & Co. Another committee was
appointed to look into the matter of changing
the interest on unpaid balances on instalment
sales into a carrying charge system. The idea
of the Association is to get all the dealers to
adopt the same system, the system approved,
to apply to pianos and other musical instru-
ments and to radio. The members appointed
on this committee consist of Frank Anrys, vice-
president and general manager of the Wiley B.
Allen Co., chairman; George Bates, comptroller
of Sherman, Clay & Co., and Bernard Gold-
smith, of the Oakland Phonograph Co.
A third committee was appointed to look into
the question of formulating some plan for figur-
ing out trade-in values on pianos, so that a suit-
able trade-in value would be offered by all the
stores if a piano prospect were shopping among
them all. The members of this committee con-
sist of Beeman P. Sibley, Coast representative
of the Kohler Industries, chairman; Morley P.
Thompson, Coast representative of the Baldwin
Piano Co., and Harald Pracht, sales manager
of the Wiley B. Allen Co.
Mason & Hamlin for New Radio Station
When San Francico's new broadcasting sta-
tion, KFRC, came to life with its first concert
on September 24 its studio was equipped with
a fine Mason & Hamlin grand piano, sold to
the station by the Wiley B. Allen Co. City
and county officials, radio engineers and men
of prominence in business were present when
the KFRC sounded its siren. The characteristic
call of this new station is an electric siren with
which it begins and closes its programs. The
idea was suggested by the bells used by the
Calgary, Canada, station. The KFRC, which is
owned and operated jointly by the Radioart
Studios and the Bulletin, is on the roof of the
Whitcomb Hotel. Stanislaus Bern and His
Hotel Whitcomb Orchestra will play on broad-
casting nights.
Lieutenant Lowell H. Smith, world-circling
flier, was to have opened the station, but the
fliers have only arrived this afternoon.
New Board Strong for Music
It is stated that San Francisco's new Board
of Education is very strong for promoting the
study of music in the public schools. One fact
that shows this is the recent purchase of a
number of pianos from the Wiley B. Allen Co.
for the public school department.
Harald
Pracht, sales manager of the Wiley B. Allen
Co., said that the pianos purchased by the de-
partment included Mason & Hamlin, Hardman,
Ludwig and Cable pianos, all going into hand-
somely appointed new schools.
Opera Season Draws Large Houses
The 1924 opera season of San Francisco is
attracting crowds to the Civic Auditorium. The
season opened on September 22 and closes on
October 4. The season is a municipal under-
taking which is sponsored by many leading citi-
zens who financed grand opera as sponsors.
Leading music houses were among the first to
endorse this movement with financial support.
First Move for 1925 Music Week
Organization for San Francisco's 1925 Music
Week commenced a few days ago, with a lunch-
eon held at the St. Francis Hotel, at the call
of Chester W. Rosekrans, executive secretary,
San Francisco Community Service, Recreation
League. Supervisor J. Emmett Hayden was the
chairman and numerous citizens who have
hitherto aided in working for music week were
present. The press was also well represented.
Members of the music trades participating in
the first Music Week luncheon for 1925 were
Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., and
Harald Pracht, of the Wiley B. Allen Co.
City Will Have Municipal Chorus
The city of San Francisco has appointed Dr.
Hans Leschke municipal chorus director. His
official work will be to train a municipal chorus
which will sing, when fully competent, in con-
junction with the Symphony Orchestra, directed
by Mr. Hertz, at the Spring Musical Festival
and in conjunction with next year's San Fran-
cisco grand opera season, as well as for any
municipal events that demand the presence of
a well-trained chorus.
Estey Piano President Arrives
George W. Gittins, president of the Estey
9
Piano Co., New York, is staying at the Palace
Hotel and is visiting friends in the trade here,
some of his time being spent with Sherman,
Clay & Co.
Among the visiting representatives of piano
manufacturers in town are: James A. Stitt,
of the National Piano Mfg. Co.; F. L. Chris-
tianer, of Story & Clark; R. O. Burgess, of the
Christman Piano Co., and C. B. Boothe, of the
Premier Grand Corp.
Music House Opens in South Berkeley
The Ashby Piano Co. has opened a store in
3317-19 Adeline street, South Berkeley, under
the management of Mrs. Bernice K. Chisholm.
Baldwin pianos are handled by this store, and
there is a fully equipped repair and finishing
department with Malcolm Rolls in charge. Mr.
Rolls is regarded as an expert. He was for-
merly with the Portland branch of Sherman,
Clay & Co. The new Berkeley store is planning
to install a line of phonographs and radio.
Good Report by Welte-Mignon Man
According to Fred Buehl, Welte-Mignon me-
chanical expert for the Pacific Coast, business
is picking up very nicely in southern California,
from which he has just returned. Mr. Buehl
is leaving by car for the Pacific Northwest.
The Jackson Furniture Co., of Oakland, which
has a large piano department, is doing especially
well with the Hardman piano, equipped with
Welte-Mignon.
Buffalo Music Merchants Report Big
Increase of Sales During Past Week
All Types of Musical Instruments Moved in Greater Volume Than in Any Previous Week
During the Early Fall Period—Increase Likely to Continue, According to Dealers
D U F F A L O , N. Y., September 30.—Piano deal-
ers in all parts of the city, interviewed by
The Review, report stimulated interest and all
types arc moving in greater volume than in any
previous week of the early Fall period. Repro-
ducing pianos, players, grands and uprights all
share honors in what is declared to be a steadily
improved condition in the music trade.
"While we did not suffer especially through
the Summer lull," said William H. Reilly, sales
manager of the Hoffman Piano Co., "we have
noticed an improvement which has grown into
a really encouraging early October trade. The
demand for pianos of all types has been so
gradual that it looks like a steady, healthy Fall
and Winter season is before us. Player de-
mand is especially good," Mr. Reilly said. "Both
the Main street store in Buffalo and our Tona-
wanda store have shared alike in the improved
piano business."
Many new buyers were attracted to the store
in Tonawanda through "Community Week,"
September 15 to 20, which celebrated the open-
ing of Main street, of that village. The Hoff-
man store took an active part in the celebration,
furnishing the piano for the outdoor musical
exercises, given each day of the celebration, and
gave souvenirs at the store on Main street.
The street has been widened and repaved,
making it much more attractive and inviting
to buyers.
Floyd F. Barber, of Barber & Wilson, in
Kenmore, gives an optimistic report of piano
business. The firm recently added the Behning
piano line and is doing a very encouraging Fall
trade in this and the Gulbransen player.
Cable-Nelson pianos are leading sales in the
Erion Piano Co.'s William street store. A. W.
Erion, president of the company, said the vol-
ume of business during the last week of Sep-
tember exceeded expectations of members of
the firm. Although figures of the first eight
months of the year are lower than those of
the same period of last year, indications are
that the last three months of this year will
compare favorably with the same period in
1923. Mr. Erion pointed out that 1923 was
the best year in the history of the company.
Leon McLaren, formerly of the record de-
partment of Neal, Clark & Neal, who has been
ill for some time in the Perrysburg Hospital, is
improving. Visits of scores of his faithful
friends in the Buffalo trade, Mr. McLaren said,
cheered him through what might have been
very discouraging days.
LAUTER-
HUMANA
Possesses
More
Exclusive
and
Practical
Features
Than Any
Other
Player
Piano!
LAUTER GO.
NEWARK, N. J.