Music Trade Review

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Chamber President Dinner
Guest of British Federation
the adverse tide. Of course it was not so bad
as it seemed, but it was serious enough to
arouse our trade to realize the necessity for
concerted action to reawaken the people to the
fact that the piano maker and merchant were
still trying to do business at the old stand. It
was not to be thought either that music would
be cast aside for good. Too many prominent
ERMANN IRION, president of the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, was the guest piano manufacturers had always taken great
of the Council of the Federation of British Music Industries at a dinner held at the May- pains and spent considerable sums of money in
fair Hotel, London, on September 12, and attended by the leading lights of the industry connection with musical affairs, artists and
from many sections of England and Scotland. *S. E. Moon, of Plymouth, chairman of the Fed- schools to make certain that the art should
eration, presided at the dinner, and in addition to Mr. Irion the guests included John Eshelby and thrive and expand, but the new condition re-
quired more than all of these individual houses
Wm. R. Steinway, of Steinway & Sons of London.
could
possibly cope with and I am happy to say
In his address Mr. Irion made some interest-
~
ing comparisons between the Music Industries and realized the need for promotional work as a that we feel that in the work of our association,
as in your own, a solution has been found, work
Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of means of investment for future business har-
which indeed only an association well con-
British Music Industries, the latter, as a matter vests.
ducted with a definite goal always in mind can
of fact, having been modeled more or less after
"As we pause at periodical intervals to take
accomplish for the benefit of the whole.
stock of our achievements and to measure their
"Your own great poet, Kipling, has aptly
results, where this may be possible, we wonder
why this thought and the need for it was so
tardily recognized," said Mr. Irion. "I think
the reason for this is quite clear. A new era
had begun to set in. At first the effects of it
were not clearly definable, even if they were
recognized, partly because the industry itself
became the beneficiary of it in the shape of the
player-piano and the phonograph.
Both of
these instruments for quite a period of years
.urnished manufacturers and dealers alike a
goodly portion of their annual turnover and in-
deed I will recall periods at which prediction^
were freely made that the time was near at
Land when the straight piano would be a thing
HI the past. Even the music teacher was in
great fear that his usefulness was nearing its
md. However, the new era did not confine the
i hanges wrought by it to the music industry.
It brought the automobile, at first a costly and
troublesome affair, but later perfected and com-
mercialized as it is now, which diverted the
thoughts of the people from home pleasures and
amusements to those of the countryside,
forests and fields, and in its wake came a dozen
Hermann Irion
or more of new mechanical contrivances, cal-
President, Music Industries Chamber of
culated to produce greater comforts, efficiency
S. E. Moon
Commerce
and economy in the household, all of which
Chairman, Federation of British Music
contended seriously for a slice of the house- said, 'The strength of the wolf is the pack,' and
Industries
holders' budgetary allowances and available applying it to our associations this may be
the Chamber, and being made up of divisional spare change, if any. All of these new and de- paraphrased to read, 'The strength of the In-
sirable devices quickly took a hold of the popu- dustry is its Association.' Far be it from me
and individual membership.
In comparing, at some length, the work lar fancy, and, lo and behold, along came the to imply that a trade association can supply
of the trade organizations, Mr. Irion pointed radio with its fascinating ability to put one in the intelligence, energy, experience and talent
necessary for an individual to achieve a worth-
out that up to the time of the war they had communication with all the world.
"Small wonder that the player-piano, which while success in business, but I do wish to em-
devoted themselves chiefly to purposes of de-
fense against labor troubles, inimical legisla- up to that time had held the center of the phasize that no trade can prosper as a whole,
tion and questionable trade practices, and with stage for automatic musical instruments, and in our modern high-tension type of competition
the coming of the conflict and its curtailment even the gramophone for a while, dropped into —not alone with this industry, but competition
regulations proved a strong factor in preserv- disquieting desuetude for the piano manufac- with other active industries—unless it has an
ing the foundation of the industry. With the turer and merchant alike. It.seemed as if the ably managed association competent to cope
passing of the war there came the need for bottom were going to drop out of the music with every new phase arising on the constantly
(Continued on page 6)
rehabilitation and the association officers saw business, and something- had to be done to stem
Hermann Irion, President of Music Industries Chamber of Com-
merce, Honored by Officials of Federation of British
Music Industries at Dinner in London
H
ESTABLISHED 1862
L^UTER
ONE OF AMERICA'S
GRANDS
NEWARK, N. J.
FINE PIANOS
UPRIGHTS
THE LAUTER-HUMANA