Music Trade Review

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Quality Pianos Are
The Greatest Sales Stimulant
Chester L. Beach, Treasurer and General Manager of the Bush & Lane
Piano Co., Holland, Mich., Points Out Public Has Definitely Emerged
From Indiscriminate Buying and Its Effects on the Conditions in the Trade
O
F particular interest and significance to the
piano industry is the tendency on the part
of the buying public, which has become
noticeably apparent in the country at large, to
demand bona-fide quality merchandise in return
for the wages and income that are now being
spent for furnishings for the home and for mod-
ern articles of convenience and enjoyment. The
public has quite definitely emerged from the
era of indiscriminate buying. People are now
more deliberate in their selection of merchan-
dise and are taking time to learn and acquire
information and facts in regard to any par-
ticular article of cost that they may be planning
to purchase.
Reaction Evident
In the field of piano merchandise the reaction
that is now evident in the attitude of the pub-
lic toward the "low-price-regardless-of-quality"
piano is a factor that is being almost tragically
realized by many dealers.
The advent of the so-called "price" grand
that lacks distinction in design and is without
tonal merit, for instance, was accompanied by
such violent exploitation in the way of mer-
chandising effort that piano purchasers were
virtually swept off their feet by price appeal
without time to realize that anything in the
shape of a grand piano did not mean the qual-
ity that should rightly be expected of a piano
in grand form. The enthusiasm of the trade
in the fertile new pasture of exploitation car-
ried away even conservative retail piano es-
tablishments in a veritable frenzy of desire
to take advantage of opportunities that the new
field opened.
Time, however, is demonstrating that it is
not only difficult to collect on contracts cover-
ing the sale of inferior grands that were
made to people of musical discrimination, but
that the people have awakened to a realization
of the fact that a good grand costs money
and that the price piano purchased was not
what they wanted and that they could never
be satisfied with an inferior instrument in their
home. Many of these discriminating purchasers
are now demanding good piano merchandise
in exchange for their original purchase and
many dealers are faced with a genuine problem
in this connection.
It has been the conviction of our company
throughout its years of service that the manu-
facture and merchandising of" good pianos is
the best policy and we believe in this more
than ever to-day. It is our thought that the
retail trade has matter for real consideration
in this connection and that the manufacturer
should encourage his dealer connections to a
program of quality piano merchandising, both
for the good of the trade at large and for the
particular good of the retailer and the per-
manent prestige of the trade in the eyes of the
retail customer.
Advance of Musical Taste
Musical education of the general public along
more classically appreciative lines is definitely
in progress through the piano-playing contests
that are being held and through the teaching
of piano, which is becoming so universal in the
public schools. Good music cannot emanate
from a poor piano. Inferior piano tone is .not
very much out of harmony with the spirit of
jazz, but music of refinement naturally requires
purity of tone to be interpretatively successful.
In other words, the public of to-morrow will
know good music and will want to possess
high-grade pianos for its personal musical
gratification.
The day of the quality piano is dawning
brighter than many would have thought pos-
sible a few years back. The dealer with sym-
pathetic comprehension of the new order of
things is already giving more serious considera-
tion to the merchandising of higher-grade in-
struments. The public is expressing itself as
being more interested in high-grade pianos and
the real piano merchandiser should early sense
this change and organize to ingratiate his name
and reputation in the minds of his community
as being in line with the spirit of the times
in the way of offering for sale pianos-'that are
real instruments.
One very important element? iff a retailing
program should now be to never attempt to
sell to a musically discriminating customer an
instrument of poor tone and construction. Such
tactics must inevitably react unfavorably to a
dealer's standing in the community.
It could furthermore be suggested that the
retail trade comprehensively set out to develop
more genuine salesmanship in their selling force
as regards interesting prospects in quality
pianos. It has been alleged that piano sales-
manship has depreciated from the old-time
standards and this may be true to quite an
extent. It would seem there could be no mis-
take now, as a business proposition to piano
salesmen, to be, themselves, more appreciative
of high-grade pianos in order that they may
have the enthusiasm which can be turned to
profitable account from now on in the mer-
chandising of a larger percentage of higher
standard instruments.
Exclusive Allegiance
In regard to asking exclusive allegiance of
a dealer to a high-grade line, it must be recog-
nized that no retail business can operate on
high-grade goods alone. The few exceptions
there may be but prove the rule. It is, how-
ever, our viewpoint that the manufacturer of
high-grade instruments can very well provide
his dealer clientele with moderate-priced
models, which will give an entree piano, which
will meet to a practical degree the matter of
price competition. Our new program, for in-
stance, provides a comparatively quality instru-
ment at a price that will enable the trade to
maintain an advantageous position in regard
to the many buyers to whom price is a neces-
sity of real consideration. The large class of
buyers who have some appreciation for quality,
yet who simply are not financially able to buy
high-priced instruments, must welcome the op-
portunity to get real quality at reasonable
price. This kind of a set-up, in fact, offers a
real bargain proposition that can be termed
reputable. In other words, even for his lower-
priced trade the dealer, we believe, ought to
handle substantial merchandise and the manu-
facturer should be in a position to supply it.
The development of a larger public musical
intelligence indicates golden opportunities for
the high-grade piano merchandiser and the
handling of substantial piano merchandise,
while even now pre-eminently profitable, will
prove to be more and more satisfactory from
every standpoint.
Celebrates Thirtieth Year
KANE, PA., June 13.—Hanson's Music Store,
one of the largest complete music stores in
northwestern Pennsylvania, has been celebrat-
ing its thirtieth anniversary here. The business
was founded in the Spring of 1897 by Peter
Hanson, locating in the Lafferty Building on
Fraley street. In 1911 his son, O. W. Hanson,
took over the business and in 1916 the concern
was moved to 109 Fraley street, purchasing
the building here in 1920. The business has
grown steadily during O. W. Hanson's man-
agement and now has a floor space of over
4,000 square feet. A full line of pianos, phono-
graphs, sheet music and small goods is handled
by the establishment.
Pratt Read
Products
keys actions
players
are shipped on time.
When we make a
promise you can
count on it.
When you want
quick service you
can get it.
We have over
200,000 sq. ft.
of manufacturing
space to back you
up with.
Write us at the
first opportunity.
PRATT, READ & CO.
Established in 1806
The PRATT READ PLAYER ACTION CO.
Deep River, Conn.