Music Trade Review

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The Basis of Greater Profits in the
Music Roll Department
Atherton Furlong, of the Vocalstyle Music Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, Tells How, by Proper Classification of
the Stock, the Customer's Requirements Can Be Met Immediately and Thus a Steady Repeat
Demand Built Up in This Usually Neglected Section of the General Music Store
I
T has often been said in the retail music
trade that the music roll department is the
most neglected section of the retail music
store. Yet retail music merchants who have
developed and handled this department as it
should be handled have found it not only a
means of direct and constant net profit, but one
of the most direct methods at their command in
increasing their sales of the player-pianos as
well.
One of the best analyses of the methods
which are necessary to create a profit-making
music roll department in the retail music store
was recently made by Atherton Furlong, of the
Vocalstyle Music Co., Cincinnati, O., the most
salient points of which follow:
A successful roll department should turn its
investment at least once every thirty to forty-
five days. We can refer you to many dealers
making a turnover in thirty days.
How may this be done? From the selling
and service angle why not tell the public what
we have in the boxes by display. We should
first properly display our music rolls by classify-
ing them, showing the customer where the char-
acter and tunes desired may be found.
Display of music rolls is just as essential
as other products. So why continue to mix up
all kinds of music in a jumbled mass, alphabeti-
cally arranged only? One never knows where
to find any particular type of music. Sales-
people cannot remember the thousands of titles
and seldom suggest the exact tune desired. Are
we not, even you and I, most interested in char-
acter and tunes? The public buys tunes—not
rolls. The roll is only the medium by which
the tune is transported to the player. If the
public bought rolls we would then sell them
any roll and never have an overstock. Is this
not true? Thus some simple systematic, orderly
attractive display is necessary to make it easier
for ourselves and the customer to find the tunes
desired. So by classification we display our
merchandise. The customer may at a glance
be conducted to the section which appeals to
him and by classified suggestion find the char-
acter or tunes he has been looking for. This
is accomplished by arrangement of stock.
Efficiency, quickness in handling your mer-
chandise and ability to place your hands on the
tunes immediately is imperative.
It is therefore necessary to arrange our rolls,
first classifying each type of music under its
designated character, alphabetically arranged,
omitting A's, The's and O's. "A Perfect Day"
should be listed under "Perfect Day," etc.
The tune is what one wants, not the arrange-
ment in which it is played, so it is important to
classify the tunes under their characters rather
than list them as fox-trots, waltzes, etc.
We must learn to talk the language of the
buying public and classify our stock in accord
with their understanding. We must not take
them literally as so often the customer misleads
one. How often do we hear a customer when
approaching the roll department say, "What
have you that's new?" "What's the latest hit?"
After showing him several of the latest bul-
letins he will say "I don't know or care for
those, have you
?" mentioning some song
that has been out for several months. The
public are only interested in the tunes they
know. Is this not.so? Then again the general
public only knows the two kinds of music—
popular and classical. This is again misleading.
Popular being the new song hits of the day and
classical to them meaning any tune that has a
duration of life that they have known for years,
no matter whether it be "Turkey in the Straw"
or Mendelssohn's "Spring Song." (These would
come under "Favorite Songs We Love to Sing,"
Series C and Series A.) So we classify our
stock by arranging it according to the six pre-
dominant characters known to the American
buying public, as shown in the chart accom-
panying this article.
Popular Dances
Favorite Songs We Love to Sing
Marches
Blues
Hymns and Sacreds
Hawaiian
So that the different types and cliaracters
may be displayed under their respective
classified stock signs—thus assuring a rea-
sonable representation of all types to meet
customer's preference.
Favorite Songs
Popular Dances
We Love to Sing
Fox-trots
New Favorites
One-steps
Old Favorite Songs
Waltzes
Ballads
Etc.
Waltz Ballads
Hymns and
Square Dances
Minstrels
Sacreds
Mountain Tunes
Gospel Hymns
Etc.
Revival Hymns
Semi-Classics
Billy Sunday
Classics
Sacred Songs
Operatics
Christian Science
With words or
Catholic Hymns
Secular
Instrumental
Oratorio
Hawaiian
Marches
With words or
With words or
Instrumental
Instrumental
Blues
Foreign Songs
Foreign songs should be listed in the same
manner to meet the local requirements.
Armenian
Jewish
Lithuanian
Bohemian
French
Polish
German
Portuguese
Spanish
Hungarian
Etc.
Italian
List instrumental rolls with song rolls, as
the desired tunes are readily accepted in instru-
mental form if unprocurable with words.
As the demand in a locality justifies any one
of the individual units, they may then be
grouped under their character, such as "Moun-
tain Tunes."
What This Classification Plan Means to You
Classification means quicker turnover of
stock; saves time; educates salespeople in musi-
cal titles and types of music; greatly increases
the sale of certain numbers in certain classifica-
tions that generally have been considered slow
sellers; is a sure cure for overstocking; is a
sure cure for understocking; creates an inviting
impression with the public; systematizes selling
effort; promotes, invites and makes buying
easier for the customer; creates desire for cer-
tain numbers that otherwise would not be called
to mind; makes it easier for the sales person to
sell, because the sales person can suggest a
certain "classification" and the customer imme-
diately has a chance to make a quick decision;
enables you to keep stock perfectly balanced
7
and guides you in making up orders by show-
ing "long" or "short" of a "high" and "low"
stock in certain classifications; promotes addi-
tional sales and prevents underselling; lets the
customer decide what he wants and suggests
what he might want, for customers are always
better satisfied with selections of their own
choosing; acquaints sales people with actual
musical tastes and desires of customers and
saves 1 time by showing them immediately just
what they are looking for; improves service
that promotes business; makes money and
friends for your store; promotes the sale of
many numbers that some sales people think
there is no demand for; stimulates enjoyment
and interest in player-pianos as it promotes the
use of a wider variety of better and more diver-
sified types of music; educates player-piano
owners and appeals to their desire for more
rolls; enables the customer to actually wait
upon himself—promotes "self service"; sells
more of the different types of music instead of
so much of just one type, and this, in turn,
makes the ownership and musical results ob-
tained in the home with a player-piano less
monotonous and more interesting; allows the
customer to concentrate when buying and the
sales person to concentrate when selling; makes
your whole complete line of rolls a live selling
department, turning every section into a money-
making unit because the numbers are not hope-
lessly buried beyond the customer's attention;
eliminates "dead" stock which makes greatly
reduced prices on "old" stock unnecessary be-
cause it eliminates all causes leading to dead
stock; best of all, when selling a player, the cus-
tomer is more likely to receive from you the
selection of tunes that prompted hts purchase
of the player, for you can easily pick out the
character he desired and give him a diversifica-
tion of tunes for each classification, thus elim-
inating some of our past trouble of sending them
too many of the same character and arrange-
ment—so select your fox-trots last, and watch
the repeat effect; enables the merchant to sell
more rolls from a smaller stock, which greatly
reduces his investment by ordering conserva-
tively, but often. This insures tunes in demand
from running out of stock and keeps fresh, clean
rolls coming in. Insures quick turnover and
prevents overstocking.
Of the popular selling numbers, which con-
sists of from fifteen to twenty popular songs
(there are seldom more than this number in
demand at one time), inventory should be taken
every morning if necessary, and the orders
mailed in almost daily. You will then have the
sellers on hand at all times.
Always keep order pad handy. List numbers
that are moving and mail orders in promptly.
This insures prompt service and a complete
stock of all numbers called for.
Always have a good selection of standard
songs—they are always salable and live forever.
Do not allow dead or unsalable popular num-
bers to crowd out the sellers.
How to Handle Your Customers
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Take time
to find out your customer's desires. Study him
carefully. Feel him out. Be sure you know the
character of music he wants before your demon-
strate. Remember, he comes to your depart-
ment to purchase music—tunes that are familiar
to him. He is in a receptive mood and will
buy more rolls if you cater to his preference.