Music Trade Review

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NOVEMBER 29,
THE
1924
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
How Sohmer Sells the Period Grand—(Continued from page 3)
is always done, but professional purveyors of
exclusive merchandise carry out the idea with
sufficient frequency to make the cautious buyer
a bit more than shy.
There are those who would pay without limit
for the exclusive and the beautiful, but there
are many more who, while willing ^o pay a
fair price for beauty and exclusiveness, hesitate
to meet the charges of a specialist. When
period styles of grand pianos, therefore, are pre-
sented simply as things of beauty, backed, of
course, by the reputation of the maker for insur-
standard type cases that are in general use.
We hear of dealers now and then objecting
to handling period styles in any quantity on the
grounds that only occasionally can they find
the special homes into which some certain type
of instrument fits to best advantage. The secret
of their failure to move such instruments lies
in that one point, making the appeal to the
occasional individual instead of to the average
prospect who is often in the market for a period
model if it is there for him to inspect and is
not offered in a way to indicate that he is
expected to pay the special order price for an
exclusive model.
There are a number of features in the retail
merchandising methods of Sohmer & Co. which
have proven their value most convincingly
through the successful results that have been
obtained, but none of these methods has been
more effective or worthy of study by the trade
than those connected with the successful pres-
entation of the period models.
At the Sohmer warerooms the period model
is the usual thing. It is offered to the prospect
as an ordinary but attractive style of the
Sohmer piano line, and that the public appre-
ciates the artistic in the piano case as well as
in its tonal qualities has been proven by the
extraordinary large percentage of sales of these
same period models.
Endorse Musical Program
for Atlantic City Show
winners, and an information bureau to serve the
various musical publications and musical talent;
also a series of recitals, lectures and concerts
are contemplated in the program.
Among those who attended the meeting and
expressed themselves as being in favor of the
program was Dr. Sigmund Spaeth representing
the American Piano Co.; Julius Horvath, presi-
dent of the American Violin Association, said to
represent several hundred violin makers in the
United States, who would like to avail them-
selves of an opportunity to display and dem-
onstrate American-made violins; Geo. M. Bundyf
representing C. G. Conn, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind.,
and H. & A. Selmer, Inc., New York, who, as
president of the Associated Musical Instrument
Dealers, New York, gave assurances of the co-
operation of that body; Harold L. Lyman, rep-
resenting Thos. A. Edison, Inc., Orange, N. J.,
who told of the success of his company's exhibit
at the exposition this year when nearly 120,000
people attended the 212 recitals given by Edison
artists. Several other trade members also at-
tended and representative professional people,
including Alexander Savine and Mrs. Louise
Weigester, also lent their endorsement to the
proposed program.
Music Trade and Profession Consulted in Musi-
cal Plans for National Art and Industry
Exposition to Be Held Next Year
DOW
Family tradition and love of craftsmanship
mark the SOHMER Piano of today, when
90 many distinguished piano names are but
shadows of the past. It is a SOH M ER prod
uct, owned, controlled and made under
the personal direction of members of the
SOHMER family who have devoted more
than half a century of experience to the
making of nne pianos under the SOHMER
There are more SOHMER pianos in use in
greater New York than any other artistic
make This preference by the most discnni*
mating musical public of the world is your
assurance of absolute satisfaction.
The purchase of a SOHMER involves bur
a sm-ill cash outlay—ten percent—and the
,halance in thirty J &IX months Your present
piano taken as part payment.
SOHMER & CO.
31 WEST S?T
ing intrinsic value, they are accepted for what
they arc, and not placed in a false light.
There is no particular reason why the home
owner should be forced to buy a piano plainly
cased in ebony, walnut or mahogany with little
or no ornamentation any more than he should
be called upon to confine himself to any one
style of chair or table. There are limitations
as to general design in the piano trade naturally,
but there is no particular reason why those so
inclined should not be able to feel and be ready
to believe it is possible to get a piano so
cased that it will fit well into the decorative
treatment of a special room without being com-
pelled to pay the penalty of a special order price
for that instrument, any more than for furniture
in the same room.
The success of Sohmer & Co. in merchan-
dising the grand and period cases is simply
found in the consistent featuring of several
attractive period styles as an accepted part of
the company's regular line The artistic case
is worth more money—that is understood—for
it represents more and costlier work than the
ordinary case, but the average buyer is quite
willing to pay a little more for something a
little better, particularly when he has a full
range from which to choose and upon which to
base his judgment of values.
The Sohmer campaign has .not stressed the
period model as something so far out of the
ordinary as to represent special factory produc-
tion. In the so-called institutional copy the
value of the name Sohmer on the piano is em-
phasized, for it is stated that Sohmer pianos
are "all of one quality—the best." In other
words, the period style is something a little
different and perhaps a little more elaborate
than the average case, but the intrinsic musical
quality is no different. In featuring the period
styles there is no direct Or indirect move made
to disparage the instruments in the line with
Higbast
Quality
On November 20 there was held at Chicker-
ing Hall, New York, a special meeting attended
by many members of the music trade and pro-
fession to discuss a proposed plan of musical
activity at Atlantic City next year. The meet-
ing was called by A. Conrad Ekholm, managing
director of the Art and Industry Exposition,
Atlantic City, with a view to obtaining the
opinions of the music trade and profession on
what may be done at the annual affair for the
cause of music. The program as submitted by
Mr. Ekholm included the following features:
A composite music trades exhibit of leading
musical instruments, demonstrated by compe-
tent artists employed by the manufacturers; a
music master course, providing instructions by
famous teachers for the various leading instru-
ments and the voice; a national musical talent
contest, with attractive prizes offered to the
Hill & Sons, Brooklyn, Make Fine
Window Display of Vocalstyle Rolls
A STRIKING display of Vocalstyle music rolls
has been placed in the double-store show-
window of Hill & Sons, 1365 Myrtle avenue,
Brooklyn, and is drawing much valuable music
roll trade into this old piano house, which
specializes in the sale of player-pianos. The
window exhibit features the timely Christmas
rolls and minstrel series of the Vocalstyle cat-
alog, as well as the Billy Sunday rolls and late
popular music.
The Hill & Sons concern uses Vocalstyle
music rolls practically exclusively for demon-
stration work in the player-piano end of the
business, and the sale of several standard Vo-
calstyle rolls generally accompanies every
player purchase. In addition to selling a large
number of new instruments, Hill & Sons have
developed a wholesale trade in used instruments
for which the house also has a market through-
out the country.
Highest
Quality