Music Trade Review

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News Number
THE
VOL. 87. No. 12
REVIEW
Published Weekly.
Federated Business Publications, Inc., 420 Lexington Ate., New York, N. Y. Sept. 22,1928
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Illinois Music Merchants Hold
Annual Meet in Chicago
Discuss Many Matters Relative to Trade Development at One-Day
Session at Palmer House on Wednesday—Herman
•
H. Fleer Re-elected President
C
HICAGO, ILL., September 19.—President H. H. Fleer, of the Illinois Music Mediants'
Association, opened the one-day annual convention of that organization at the Palmer
House here today with a comprehensive report on association activities and suggestions
as to what could be done by the organization to improve general conditions in the trade.
In his address Mr. Fleer said there has been ample evidence of what could be accomplished
by dealers through co-operation, particularly in Chicago, and declared that much could be done
by such means that was beyond the ability of
:
the individual to perform. He paid particular
tribute to the work of C. M. Tremaine, of the
National Bureau for the Advancement of Music,
at the Music Supervisors' National Conference
held at the Hotel Stevens last Spring in secur-
ing the endorsement of the supervisors for
group piano instruction in the schools, and told
of what Dr. J. Louis Browne, director of music
of the Chicago schools, had done in having
group instruction adopted in this city.
•', Mr. Fleer also endorsed the piano-playing
tournament as accomplishing a tremendous
amount of good at a moderate cost and cited
the two tournaments held in Chicago last year
and this as indicating the manner in which such
movements could center public attention on the %
piano. He also mentioned the plans for the
International Pia,no-Playing Tournament sched-
uled to be held here in 1933.
Continuing his address Mr. Fleer urged that
dealers combat fraudulent advertising in every
possible way, and set a proper example them-
selves by high-grade publicity.
Herman H. Fleer
He said in part in his annual report:
"To my mind, there Iras been more damage confidence in piano values and should be
done and the public's confidence shaken in stopped. We have had considerable help along
piano values by price inducement advertising this line from an organization outside of our
than by any other one activity in the piano in- own industry, namely, the Better Business
dustry. You can talk about your 'trade-in' evil, Bureau.
Piano Selling
commission evil, etc.; but fraudulent advertising
"Another opportunity for effecting a big im-
and false price-cutting advertising is by far
more, detrimental than any one other evil. provement in the operation of the piano busi-
There has been so much 'was, and is now' ad- ness is better training of our salesmen. It is
vertising that it is no wonder, when people ask no wonder that the average piano salesman
the price of a piano, they feel that it is an 'ask- does not put up a better sales talk, for the ex-
ing' price, a basis from which to staxt dickering ample set in the advertising by the dealer who
and they have absolute confidence that a lower employs him is, in the majority of instances,
price can be obtained by finally refusing to buy nothing more nor less than the price induce-
at the 'asking' price. Price inducement adver- ment. A dealer's advertisement is his sales talk
tising is responsible for destroying the public's and the salesman follows suit.
"If salesmen were made to acquaint them-
selves with the piano, its construction, and vari-
ous features that make it superior to any othec
instrument offered at the same price, and then
spend more time in selling the piano for what
it means to the home and tlje cultural advan-
tages it brings to the child, we would have a
far more attractive and profitable business. We
would have better satisfied purchasers if, for
instance, sales arguments were used by sales-
men such as the fact that a child who has
studied and knows music is far keener in the
other studies in school or college than the child
who does not know music, and it would certainly
have an effect and be a big help in making a
sale to a father or mother. In other words,
let's not have the price sell the piano. Let's
sell it on a 'quality' basis and what it will do
for the child who learns to play.
The Trade-in Situation
"Another very important fa,ctor in our busi-
ness which (while we have had many talks on
the subject) the dealers as a whole have never
treated seriously enough to actually better con-
ditions is the trade-in. I believe, however, that
so many dealers are suffering such large losses
on trade-ins that they have gotten to the point
where they must give it serious consideration
and stop over-allowances.
"I wonder if any of you have ever realized
from how many different sources you bring
used pianos into the store:
"First—and most important, of course, is the
piano that is taken in trade on an immediate
sa,le.
"Second—The piano for which you give a
due bill to apply on a future purchase.
"Third—The piano that you are obliged to
repossess.
"Fourth—The piano that you bring back to
your store from rentals.
"Fifth—The occasional piano bought for cash.
"This latter, of course, is not serious because
you are not obliged to buy this piano, but if a
prominent make is offered to you, a,t a very low
price, you buy it because you can in most cir-
cumstances make a better margin of mark-Op
than you can on a new piano. If you couldn't
do that, you wouldn't buy it. Here are five
sources from which you bring second-hand
pianos into your store. From what I can gather
interviewing a number. o.f dealers, trade-ins
amount to from 10 to 20 per cent of their
gross sales in dollars and cents. In units, of
(Continued on page 5)