Music Trade Review
Issue: 1925 Vol. 80 N. 2 - Page 7
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
JANUARY 10,
1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Kansas City Music Merchants Report
Fair Volume During Holiday Season
Despite Handicap of Severe Weather, General Business Was Good—Radio in Big Demand
During This Period—Fox Music Co. to Market Own Automatic Piano
J Z ANSAS CITY, January 3.—Holiday trade,
in practically all lines, was handicapped
this year by the arrival and stay of the most
severe weather in several years. But despite
the disappointment, dealers look back and see
r< very good month, and a year that had many
favorable features. And the prospects are par-
ticularly bright, with an undeniably more opti-
mistic spirit among the people generally. The
January 1, 1925, report of the Federal Reserve
Bank of the Tenth District contains in figures
the note that business men have been sounding.
This report says that it is estimated that more
than half a billion dollars increase in wealth
has been produced in 1924 in this district above
the 1923 production. This total for 1924 is
$2,500,000,000—and this does not count the ad-
ditional value that will be produced in the man-
ufacturing of the commodities included.
Chas. A. K.enie, musical merchandise dealer,
has found a very marked increase the past few
weeks in the demand for better old violins, in
this territory. Several instruments running in-
to hundreds of dollars each have been sold
and there is a constant demand for them, teach-
ers keeping in touch with Mr. Renie and send-
ing their better pupils. The banjo ukulele has
b*en a popular item this Winter, high school
girls and younger having the most avid longing
for these .instruments.
The Wunderiich Music Co. had a good trade
in December, especially for Christmas, iu, the
('bickering, Mason & Hamlin and Ampico, this
class running proportionately ahead of the
medium classes. It is said, in fact, that there
are perhaps a larger number of real live pfos-
pects for good pianos and reproducers of the
best class than for a long time.
Radio led in the Christmas business in Kan-
sas City; possibly seeming to be dominant be-
cause of the inability of merchants to meet all
calls. Perhaps the best single merchandising
feature was the demand for the Radiola; and
at Wunderlich's, where Radiola service has
been enhanced by the operation of a real studio,
it is reported that the "combination outfits,"
the units of Radiola with Brunswick talking ma-
chines, ran fully fifty-fifty with the sales of
separate radio sets. But in the same breath
must be mentioned the fine December results
in phonograph sales by the Kimball store here
—in which radio had no part whatever, the
store not handling the wireless equipment. It
is concluded that phonographs can be sold
separately; though it is said a few, and only
a few, sales were lost.
The Fox Music Co., 920 Oak street, is pre-
paring to market an automatic piano under its
own name, the coming year. This company is
already manufacturing the piano, securing the
case, motor and action and, some other inci-
dental parts from manufacturers, but making
the automatic mechanism in Kansas City. The
company has been distributing pianos of the
"nickel-in-thc-slot" type for drug stores and
similar places for fourteen years, and has a
large number now in service.
The Knabe Studios presented a window for
the Christmas season that was not only artistic-
ally effective, but actually brought business.
The window had a Winter atmosphere, with sem-
blance of snow, and with a Christmas tree in
the background, decorations being disposed con-
servatively. A talking machine near the Christ-
mas tree gave a hint of the suitability of that
gift; but the central figure was a Knabe, with
Ampico, bearing a tag, "Merry Christmas from
Dad." This window brought in many pros-
pects, whose cheery introduction of themselves,
and reference to the display, accurately dem-
onstrated the effect of this picture and the sales
possibilities of good display.
Adam, Meldrum & Anderson to Open
Music Department in Store in Buffalo
Mrs. Loretta C. Spring to. Have Charge—Ampico Business in Buffalo Reaches Imposing Volume—
Retail Store of the Kurtzmann Piano Co. Slightly Fire Damaged
N. Y., January 3.—Final details
B UFFALO,
of the new music store of Adam, Meldrum
& Anderson, one of the city's largest depart-
ment stores, are now in the process of comple-
tion. The music department is not an entirely
new venture for Adam, Meldrum & Anderson,
having closed their old department, which was
operated on a small scale, several years ago, no
musical instruments have been handled by the
store since, but the new store will be as com-
plete as any similar division of a department
store.
Large purchases of stock have been made and
appointments of executives to handle the depart-
ment are being made. Mrs. Loretta C. Spring,
who won so much favor in the trade here
through her efficient management of the music
store for the J. N. Adam Co., will have charge
of the Adam, Meldrum & Anderson music store.
The music department will occupy a large
portion of the building recently purchased from
the Walbridge Co., now being converted into
an annex. The building gives the company
almost a third added space, a large portion of
which will be devoted exclusively to musical
merchandise. No date has been set for the
opening of the department. It is expected, how-
ever, that it will be completed and ready for
opening by early Spring.
Buffalo's two Ampico stores, Goold Bros.,
where the Chickering is featured, and Neal,
Clark & Neal, representatives here for the.
Knabe, report a year's business in Ampicos of
surprising proportions. In spite of the instru-
ment being a quality product and high in price,
volume in sales ran high, and a rich turnover
resulted. Much publicity had been given the
Knabe through consistent advertising of Neal,
Clark & Neal, both through newspaper advertis-
ing, prepared by E. Paul Hamilton, and bill-
board posters and painted signs in prominent
sections of the city.
Likewise, the Duo-Art has received some
good publicity and clever advertising through
Denton, Cottier & Daniels, and Mr. Huber,
sales manager, said the store has had an ex-
cellent Duo-Art year. Newspaper advertising,
particularly in the rotogravure sections of the
Sunday newspapers, featuring the Duo-Art,
could not be rivaled. It has been said by many
persons in the trade that the secret of the
Denton, Cottier & Daniels' newspaper advertis-
ing is their ability to make their copy easy to
understand and to read, yet making it artistic
and appealing, particularly to the class of trade
interested in the higher-class instruments. In
analyzing exploitation of this house, which is
done on a very conservative yet productive
manner, their display windows cannot be over-
looked. They are unusually large and invariably
dressed so as to tell a story, whether it is a
stage set for some prominent orchestra, a Boy
Scout encampment or a tastily furnished music
room. Details to attract any casual passer-by,
such as a striking color scheme of blue and
silver or dull Persian effects, are not overlooked.
Studying the display windows of Denton, Cot-
tier & Daniels would teach many dealers a les-
son in window salesmanship. Their Duo-Art
windows of recent months have undoubtedly
done much toward impressing consumers.
Fire in an adjoining building did several
thousand dollars' worth of damage to the retail
music store of the Kurt/.mann Piano Co. in
Main street. A fire wall, separating the Kurtz-
mann store from the building which had been
gutted by the blaze, protected the music house
from total ruin. Water and smoke which seeped
in through the basement were responsible for
the damage done to stock stored there.
The furniture store of Ringbom & Minster-
man, at 110 Elrnwood avenue, was damaged by
fire last week, the loss estimated at $15,000.
E. W. Gray on Extensive Trip
Mr. Gray starts January 5 on a business trip
which will take him practically all through the
large cities west and south of Chicago in the
interests of the Conway Securities Co. The
trip will include two weeks in Chicago and then
to Denver, Salt Lake City, Montana, Seattle,
Tacoma and other cities of Washington, Ore-
gon and California, then to New Mexico and
Max Udko to Take Bride
The announcement is given of the betrothal
of Miss Florence A. Lewis, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Joseph D. Lewis, of New York City, to
Max Udko, president of the Greeley Music
Shop, New York and Brooklyn.
Pratt Read
Products
Piano Ivory
P i a n o 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
PRATT, READ A CO.
READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Oldest and Best
JANUARY 10,
1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Kansas City Music Merchants Report
Fair Volume During Holiday Season
Despite Handicap of Severe Weather, General Business Was Good—Radio in Big Demand
During This Period—Fox Music Co. to Market Own Automatic Piano
J Z ANSAS CITY, January 3.—Holiday trade,
in practically all lines, was handicapped
this year by the arrival and stay of the most
severe weather in several years. But despite
the disappointment, dealers look back and see
r< very good month, and a year that had many
favorable features. And the prospects are par-
ticularly bright, with an undeniably more opti-
mistic spirit among the people generally. The
January 1, 1925, report of the Federal Reserve
Bank of the Tenth District contains in figures
the note that business men have been sounding.
This report says that it is estimated that more
than half a billion dollars increase in wealth
has been produced in 1924 in this district above
the 1923 production. This total for 1924 is
$2,500,000,000—and this does not count the ad-
ditional value that will be produced in the man-
ufacturing of the commodities included.
Chas. A. K.enie, musical merchandise dealer,
has found a very marked increase the past few
weeks in the demand for better old violins, in
this territory. Several instruments running in-
to hundreds of dollars each have been sold
and there is a constant demand for them, teach-
ers keeping in touch with Mr. Renie and send-
ing their better pupils. The banjo ukulele has
b*en a popular item this Winter, high school
girls and younger having the most avid longing
for these .instruments.
The Wunderiich Music Co. had a good trade
in December, especially for Christmas, iu, the
('bickering, Mason & Hamlin and Ampico, this
class running proportionately ahead of the
medium classes. It is said, in fact, that there
are perhaps a larger number of real live pfos-
pects for good pianos and reproducers of the
best class than for a long time.
Radio led in the Christmas business in Kan-
sas City; possibly seeming to be dominant be-
cause of the inability of merchants to meet all
calls. Perhaps the best single merchandising
feature was the demand for the Radiola; and
at Wunderlich's, where Radiola service has
been enhanced by the operation of a real studio,
it is reported that the "combination outfits,"
the units of Radiola with Brunswick talking ma-
chines, ran fully fifty-fifty with the sales of
separate radio sets. But in the same breath
must be mentioned the fine December results
in phonograph sales by the Kimball store here
—in which radio had no part whatever, the
store not handling the wireless equipment. It
is concluded that phonographs can be sold
separately; though it is said a few, and only
a few, sales were lost.
The Fox Music Co., 920 Oak street, is pre-
paring to market an automatic piano under its
own name, the coming year. This company is
already manufacturing the piano, securing the
case, motor and action and, some other inci-
dental parts from manufacturers, but making
the automatic mechanism in Kansas City. The
company has been distributing pianos of the
"nickel-in-thc-slot" type for drug stores and
similar places for fourteen years, and has a
large number now in service.
The Knabe Studios presented a window for
the Christmas season that was not only artistic-
ally effective, but actually brought business.
The window had a Winter atmosphere, with sem-
blance of snow, and with a Christmas tree in
the background, decorations being disposed con-
servatively. A talking machine near the Christ-
mas tree gave a hint of the suitability of that
gift; but the central figure was a Knabe, with
Ampico, bearing a tag, "Merry Christmas from
Dad." This window brought in many pros-
pects, whose cheery introduction of themselves,
and reference to the display, accurately dem-
onstrated the effect of this picture and the sales
possibilities of good display.
Adam, Meldrum & Anderson to Open
Music Department in Store in Buffalo
Mrs. Loretta C. Spring to. Have Charge—Ampico Business in Buffalo Reaches Imposing Volume—
Retail Store of the Kurtzmann Piano Co. Slightly Fire Damaged
N. Y., January 3.—Final details
B UFFALO,
of the new music store of Adam, Meldrum
& Anderson, one of the city's largest depart-
ment stores, are now in the process of comple-
tion. The music department is not an entirely
new venture for Adam, Meldrum & Anderson,
having closed their old department, which was
operated on a small scale, several years ago, no
musical instruments have been handled by the
store since, but the new store will be as com-
plete as any similar division of a department
store.
Large purchases of stock have been made and
appointments of executives to handle the depart-
ment are being made. Mrs. Loretta C. Spring,
who won so much favor in the trade here
through her efficient management of the music
store for the J. N. Adam Co., will have charge
of the Adam, Meldrum & Anderson music store.
The music department will occupy a large
portion of the building recently purchased from
the Walbridge Co., now being converted into
an annex. The building gives the company
almost a third added space, a large portion of
which will be devoted exclusively to musical
merchandise. No date has been set for the
opening of the department. It is expected, how-
ever, that it will be completed and ready for
opening by early Spring.
Buffalo's two Ampico stores, Goold Bros.,
where the Chickering is featured, and Neal,
Clark & Neal, representatives here for the.
Knabe, report a year's business in Ampicos of
surprising proportions. In spite of the instru-
ment being a quality product and high in price,
volume in sales ran high, and a rich turnover
resulted. Much publicity had been given the
Knabe through consistent advertising of Neal,
Clark & Neal, both through newspaper advertis-
ing, prepared by E. Paul Hamilton, and bill-
board posters and painted signs in prominent
sections of the city.
Likewise, the Duo-Art has received some
good publicity and clever advertising through
Denton, Cottier & Daniels, and Mr. Huber,
sales manager, said the store has had an ex-
cellent Duo-Art year. Newspaper advertising,
particularly in the rotogravure sections of the
Sunday newspapers, featuring the Duo-Art,
could not be rivaled. It has been said by many
persons in the trade that the secret of the
Denton, Cottier & Daniels' newspaper advertis-
ing is their ability to make their copy easy to
understand and to read, yet making it artistic
and appealing, particularly to the class of trade
interested in the higher-class instruments. In
analyzing exploitation of this house, which is
done on a very conservative yet productive
manner, their display windows cannot be over-
looked. They are unusually large and invariably
dressed so as to tell a story, whether it is a
stage set for some prominent orchestra, a Boy
Scout encampment or a tastily furnished music
room. Details to attract any casual passer-by,
such as a striking color scheme of blue and
silver or dull Persian effects, are not overlooked.
Studying the display windows of Denton, Cot-
tier & Daniels would teach many dealers a les-
son in window salesmanship. Their Duo-Art
windows of recent months have undoubtedly
done much toward impressing consumers.
Fire in an adjoining building did several
thousand dollars' worth of damage to the retail
music store of the Kurt/.mann Piano Co. in
Main street. A fire wall, separating the Kurtz-
mann store from the building which had been
gutted by the blaze, protected the music house
from total ruin. Water and smoke which seeped
in through the basement were responsible for
the damage done to stock stored there.
The furniture store of Ringbom & Minster-
man, at 110 Elrnwood avenue, was damaged by
fire last week, the loss estimated at $15,000.
E. W. Gray on Extensive Trip
Mr. Gray starts January 5 on a business trip
which will take him practically all through the
large cities west and south of Chicago in the
interests of the Conway Securities Co. The
trip will include two weeks in Chicago and then
to Denver, Salt Lake City, Montana, Seattle,
Tacoma and other cities of Washington, Ore-
gon and California, then to New Mexico and
Max Udko to Take Bride
The announcement is given of the betrothal
of Miss Florence A. Lewis, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Joseph D. Lewis, of New York City, to
Max Udko, president of the Greeley Music
Shop, New York and Brooklyn.
Pratt Read
Products
Piano Ivory
P i a n o 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
PRATT, READ A CO.
READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Oldest and Best
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).