Music Trade Review

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APRIL 18,
1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
9
Go-operative Talking Machine Campaign
Is Begun by the Philadelphia Trade
What the Piano
Industry Needs Today
Final Plans Decided at Banquet of Victor Manufacturers, Distributors, and Dealers—Starr Co.
Exhibits at Ben Franklin Hotel—John Hession With F. A. North Co.
that the piano industry is still the basic indus-
try in the musical world. Mr. Brown's un-
bounded faith in the stability of the piano in-
dustry as such finds its foundation in the fact
that the Simplex Player Action Co., and its or-
ganization, is itself, a remarkable exhibition of
stability.
Mr. Brown is a great believer in the future
of the piano business, particularly the reproduc-
ing grand. He has seen the trade shift from
square to upright, and from cabinet player to
interior player, and the same conditions forcing
the changes are present to-day in the growing
popularity of the small grand. The buyers are
beginning to realize the advantages of the grand
over the upright in tone quality, and the great
improvement in playing devices will tempt them
to invest the larger sum in a musical instru-
ment really worth while in order to meet the
greater musical appreciation that exists in the
country to-day.
P H I L A D E L P H I A , FA., April 13.—Easter and
its holiday diversions held the interest of the
public more than the purchase of musical instru-
ments, either in the piano lines or in the mer-
chandise group. Preparation for the sale of the
various Summer lines of string instruments,
however, is reflected in the booming demand for
these specialties among the wholesale dealers.
Launch Drive on Talking Machines
Outstanding in importance in the music trade
of the Quaker City during the week was the
banquet of the combined dealers, manufacturers
and distributors of the Victor line, held in the
Crystal Ballroom of the Ben Franklin Hotel
to celebrate the opening of the big sales cam-
paign for talking machines. Those who com-
bined in this opening festivity were, in addition
to the dealers, the Philadelphia Victor Distrib-
utors, Inc., of which Louis Buehn is president;
the H. A. Weymann & Son Co., distributor,
and the Victor Co., of Camden. Representing
the various firms contributing to the entertain-
ment were President Buehn, Frank Reinick,
Harry Ellis, of the Victor Distributors, Inc.;
President Weymann and his son Herbert Wey-
mann and Charles Bahl, of the H. A. Wey-
mann & Son Co., and R. A. Bartley, Jr., chair-
man of the Victor Campaign Committee, and
Sales Manager F. K. Dolbeer, of the Victor
Co., both of whom spoke during the evening.
Elaborate Starr Co. Exhibit
In the combined exhibition of the Starr Piano
Co. to be held at the Ben Franklin Hotel the
week beginning April 27, the music trade of
Philadelphia and throughout the State and terri-
tory supplied by the local distributors the Wit-
lin Musical Instrument Co. will have an op-
portunity to view all the Starr products of the
piano, talking machine and radio lines. This
most comprehensive of Starr exhibits will in-
clude a dual display of the Starr uprights,
grands, reproducers and players and Starr pho-
nographs and radio loud speakers, and through
the courtesy of the well-known publishers of
text books, Ginn & Co., there will be given an
educational program for the benefit of music
supervisors in both the public and private in-
stitutions of the territory. Two groups are to
be invited to view the exhibit—the trade asso-
ciates and the supervisors of musical institu-
tions and other educational faculties along mu-
sical lines.
The exhibit will be held in Room 1640 of the
newest of Philadelphia hotels. Here there will
be held during the week demonstration con-
certs with vocal talent to accompany the ren-
ditions on the Starr instruments. There also
will be given demonstrations of the Gennett
records and the Starr phonographs with the
Starr loud speaker. President Ben Witlin re-
cently attended the Eastern Music Supervisors'
Conference in New Haven, where there gath-
ered at the Hotel Taft several hundred super-
visors of music from all parts of the country,
and there displayed the new School Minimum
Upright and talking machines for educational
work. The little piano was well received and
many orders booked, and it expected that its
success at this event will be duplicated at the
coming Philadelphia exhibit.
John Hession Returns to North Co.
Having but a few months ago severed his con-
nection with the F. A. North Co., John Hes-
sion, after returning to his home in England,
again has joined the North forces, assuming
his old duties as manager of the talking ma-
chine, record and music roll department this
month. It was love of his adopted country that
led Manager Hession to return to America. He
intended to remain in England, where he jour-
neyed to the native home in Manchester at the
time of severing his association with the North
Co., but the customs of American business life
and its freedom of social contact had been so
firmly established in him that he followed his
inclinations back to the country that now will
be his land by adoption.
W. G. Dierks, of Mellor,
Returns From Europe
Back From Two-Months' Tour With Family—
Pittsburgh Schools Hold Annual Festival
Concerts—Frederick Broadcasting
PITTSBI'KGH, PA., April 13.—W. C Dierks, treas-
urer and general manager of the C. C. Mellor
Co., has returned from a two months' tour of
Europe, on which he was accompanied by Mrs.
Dierks and their daughter Elizabeth.
The
primary purpose of the trip overseas was to
visit their son and brother, Barry C. Dierks,
who is a rising young architect of Paris, where
he makes his home. The Dierks family toured
France, spent some time at Nice, visited Italy,
saw something of Germany and visited Eng-
land, sailing from Southampton on the Cunard
Liner Aquitania. While in London Mr. Dierks
visited the new Steinway Building and was
much pleased with it. In speaking with The
Review representative, Mr. Dierks stated that
the best part of his trip was that stretch lead-
ing homeward past the Statue of Liberty in
New York Harbor. Mr. Dierks is much im-
pressed by the thousands of men who were idle
in England and were living from hand to mouth
on the weekly dole paid by the government. In
France and Germany, Mr. Dierks stated, there
were evidences of prosperity and thrift on every
hand.
The annual festival concerts under the aus-
pices of the school children of Pittsburgh and
directed by Will Earhart, supervisor of music
in the schools, held April 6 and 7, proved a
rousing success. On Monday afternoon there
participated in this concert 300 girls from the
Junior High Schools, 300 boys from the Junior
High School, 500 mixed voices from the Senior
High Schools, students for the High School
harmony classes, and a combined High School
orchestra of ninety-six members. The cantata,
"I Hear America Singing," by Harvey Gaul,
was done with the understanding and verve
equal to any adult chorus.
Pittsburgh piano merchants who are troubled
with persons who regard their contracts lightly
arc much interested in the statement made by
a prominent attorney a few days ago to the
effect that "debtors can be examined orally in
open court." Attorney H. Levin made the
statement in addressing the Retail Credit Men's
Association on Judgments and Executions.
They can be made to testify as to his or her
assets and the source of income, the lawyer de-
clared. He showed that this proceeding is
being adopted by some of the members of the
association, in the case with those who attempt
to ignore their just obligations.
The Frederick Trio, a musical organization,
a product of the W. F. Frederick Piano Co. at
Johnstown, is giving a series of concerts from
station WTAC of the Penn Traffic Co. at Johns-
town.
The partnership heretofore existing between
Peter O. Hunger and Joseph Stribrny, under
the firm name of Hunger & Stribrny, dealing
in musical instruments at 313 Cameo Building,
Pittsburgh, was dissolved, effective as of April
1, by mutual consent. Mr. Hunger retiring.
The business will be carried on by and under
the name of Joseph Stribrnv.
(Continued from page 7)
Heads Retail Bureau
C. G. Campbell, head of the Knight-Campbell
Music Co., Denver, Colo., was recently elected
president of the Retail Merchants' Bureau. This
institution represents the leading retail estab-
lishments of Denver.
Among the recent visitors at the plant of the
Brambach Piano Co., New York, were: William
L. Nutting, of Nashua, N. H.; Dan Sullivan, of
Boston, Mass.; Paul Hangen, of Reading, Pa.
Pratt Read
Products
Piano Ivory
Piano Keys
Piano Actions
Player Actions
Established in
1806
at Deep River, Conn
Still There
Standard Service and Highest Quality
Special Repair Departments
Maintained for Convenience
of Dealers
PRATT, READ & CO.
PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Oldest and Best