Music Trade Review

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CHICAGO AND THE MIDDLE WEST
Frank W. Kirk, Manager, 333 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Entire QRS Sales Force
Assembles for Conference
Ambitious Plans far New Year Discussed at
Annual Meeting in Chicago With More Than
Forty in Attendance
CHICAGO, III., December 31.—One of the largest
sales meetings ever held by the QRS Co.
took place on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28
and 29, when forty representatives, officials, and
department heads of the various divisions of
the company gathered at the Chicago head-
quarters, 333 N. Michigan Blvd.
There were present all sales representatives,
except New York and San Francisco divisions,
who represent the various products that the
company manufactures, including player rolls,
amateur movie cameras, projectors and acces-
sories, Neon display sign tubing, electric and
regular portable phonographs and accessories.
Meetings were held during the two days' session
and manufacturing as well as sales subjects of
the various products were discussed.
In addition to talks by the officials of the
company the engineers who have developed the
well known QRS products outlined the ex-
tensive research and experimental work that has
been going on at the QRS laboratories, and
the plans under way for new equipment and
additional products. It was emphasized through-
out the meetings that the plans for the forth-
coming year include further expansion of the
QRS line. Each division discussed and out-
lined its respective sales and advertising plans
for 1929 which includes extensive educational
and promotional work.
One of the highlights of the gathering was a
dinner held Friday evening, December 28, at the
Union League Club. The principal talks were
made by President T. M. Pletchcr, A. N. Page,
vice-president and treasurer, and other officials
and department heads. Following the dinner
the company also acted as host to the visiting
representatives at a theatre party given at the
Cort Theatre, where "The Shannons of Broad-
way" is being featured.
Roll Head Tours South
E. G. Clark Returns to Chicago With Op-
timistic Business Reports
CHICAGO, III., January 1.—E. G. Clark, president
of the Clark Orchestra Roll Co., recently re-
turned from a Southern trip where he com-
bined business with pleasure.
Mr. Clark states that the music dealers he
called upon were unanimous in their opinion
that the radio has educated the music loving
public to not only appreciate the most popu-
lar musical hits but to demand the current
tunes as quickly as they are provided.
To meet the trend toward the demand for
popular programs, it is up to us to produce
musical hits while they are hits, and the deal-
ers and operators of automatic pianos must
necessarily follow in seeing that their patrons
are furnished with the latest popular music.
Opens in Fort Dodge, la.
The Holmquist Musical Instrument Co. has
opened a store at 225 Dowd Block, Fort Dodge,
la., handling a complete line of band and or-
chestra instruments and accessories. The com-
pany will specialize in the expert repair of band
and orchestra instruments and some time in
the future will provide instruction in those in-
struments.
Chicago's 1928 Promotional Work Is
Expected to Bring Results in 1929
Campaign to Make Public More "Piano Conscious" so Successfully Carried on That
Good Business is Anticipated in New Year—General Feeling Highly Optimistic
/CHICAGO, ILL., January 1.—The outlook
^ for the Chicago trade for 1929 guarantees
a good stable business to dealer and manufac-
turer alike in view of the far-reaching influences
in promotional work which has been developed
and brought to fruition during the past year.
The Chicago trade boasts of several aggres-
sive organizations, including the Chicago Piano
Club and Piano & Organ Association, the
members of which have worked individually
and collectively to make the Chicago public
more "piano conscious."
Outstanding among the activities which have
been recognized as a great aid in guaranteeing
future business was the installation of group-
piano instruction in the public schools of Chi-
cago, which the music-promotion committee of
the Chicago Piano & Organ Association worked
Entire Nation Reached by
Gulbransen Poster Series
CHICAGO, 111,, January 2.—The Christmas mes-
sage of the Gulbransen piano was carried to the
people of many communities through poster ad-
vertising done by Gulbransen merchants at
strategic points in addition to the national and
local advertising campaign.
Hundreds of these many-colored posters
were used by merchants throughout the coun-
try, and in many cases the Gulbransen dealers
not only covered their particular towns with
poster advertising but arranged to have the
boards appear in wide radius, taking in from
eight to ten surrounding towns.
The Gulbransen poster advertising is handled
by the company on an organized basis through
the advertising department, and the illustration
of the posters as well as the distribution em-
phasizes the thought and attention that is given
TO this type of advertising.
As a result of co-operating with the Farm
Journal, a national farm paper published at
Philadelphia, the Gulbransen Co. has distrib-
uted- to county agents and home-demonstration
agents many copies of an authoritative publica-
tion on the place of the piano in the modern
home.
This publication, entitled "Artistic Interiors,"
shows the place of the piano in various period
settings, including the Spanish, French and
early American, also the Italian home. It gives
hints on the use of color and other furnishings
of each particular period. In addition there is
shown a floor plan with the piano and other
articles of furniture properly placed. For each
period there is an authentic illustration showing
a Gulbransen piano of suitable design for a
setting. This book has attracted nation-wide
attention, because of the growing interest in
home furnishings and decoration.
L
u
D
untiringly to accomplish. This action, which
has been widely heralded throughout the trade
as a great step forward in piano playing, also
received a great deal of local favorable pub-
licity, making due impress upon piano pros-
pects and owners.
Another activity which proved successful in
this respect was the staging of the second an-
nual piano-playing contest which aroused un-
usual public interest in music by virtue of the
great amount of publicity and promotional
work. In fact the editorial and news space
which has exploited music during the past year
was greater than ever before.
It is these major activities as well as many
ether promotional factors which have sown the
seed of interest in music and musical instru-
ments. To these the trade points most con-
fidently for a much better year in 1929.
While 1928 has not been up to expectations
generally, there are a number of encouraging
reports among local retailers who have a good
business in their respective communities, and,
in some instances, have shown a considerable
increase over the previous year.
In summing up the reports of merchants
who have worked unceasingly in an endeavor
to make a showing in taking advantage of
every opportunity to make sales, these mer-
chants report that there has been a very dis-
tinct trend toward the higher grade instru-
ments. While price is still an important factor
it has been found that prospects during the
past year have done a great deal of shopping
or investigating, and demand good tonal qual-
ities as well as beauty of case design, which
makes it apparent that instruments of high
grade and those in the artistic class will be
unusually popular in 1929.
It is also conceded that the demand for the
small upright piano and small grand as well
a? period styles continues. There have also
been a number of encouraging reports on the
interest shown in the player piano, especially
where efforts have been directed to sell this
instrument along with instructions for playing
it.
A number of houses made a very good show-
ing for Xmas business, and were busy deliver-
ing instruments until late Xmas eve. The sales
of the past month or two in many instances
brought up the volume of sales for the year
which equaled that of 1927, and in some reports
showed a percentage of increase. There has
been a tendency of equalization in total sales
in handling various lines of musical instru-
ments. This tendency is leading local mer-
chants to add instruments or products classified
as home entertainment, such as movie cameras,
radios and novelty instruments in addition to
the regular lines of pianos, talking machines,
musical merchandise and sheet music.
W
I
G
Grands- -Uprights—Player Pianos—Reproducing Pianos
of the Highest Quality in Straight and Period Models
Ludwig & Co*, 136th St. and Willow Ave., New York
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