Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
EDITORIALLY
MUSICAL TRAINING URGED
IN BANK'S BILLBOARD PUBLICITY
O
N this page appears an editorial designed, by one of
the leading savings institutions in New York City
—The Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank—that
should prove an inspiration to every individual en-
gaged in the business of making and selling musical instru-
ments. The editorial, so-called, is really an impressive new
advertisement of the bank in question, a twenty-four-sheet bill-
board in colors to be found in many sections of the metropoli-
tan area, one of them within a short block of a piano factory
in the Bronx.
What better slogan could a music dealer find to meet the
situation? "Save to teach them" is a piece of sound logic
which, when put forth by the music dealer, smacks of com-
mercialism, but when advocated by a bank is regarded as
sound advice. The bank is advocating sound saving, and
careful spending,—not .hoarding. In selecting musical train-
ing as one of the avenues for wise spending, the compliment
is being paid to those who provide musical instruction as well
as those who supply the media for musical expression.
Not long ago T H E REVIEW had the privilege of reproduc-
ing a page from a booklet issued by a New Jersey savings
bank advocating the saving of money for the purchase of a
piano as well as other home comforts, and, with increasing
frequency, outside interests are found who, for one reason or
other, give recognition to music as one of the essential arts and
advocate the spending of money for instruments and musical
education. Unquestionably within the past year or so, pianos
and other musical instruments have received more favorable
attention from newspapers and others outside the industry than
over any previous ten-year period in the history of the coun-
try. The pessimist will ask why, in the face of this, sales
have not shown a heaw increase. He can be answered with
another question: what would present sales have amounted to
without this helpful propaganda? This is the proper time
for the trade member to take stock of himself with a view
to finding out just what he is doing as an individual to
capitalize this publicity.
ARE MORE DEALERS OR MORE
PER CAPITA SPENDING NEEDED?
T
HE citizens of these United States paid only $2.31
per capita for musical instruments and music including
radio, purchased through music stores in 1929. This is
not a very impressive figure but it might be increased
somewhat if we consider sales of radio made by electrical
dealers, garage keepers, department stores, etc. Yet it is
loudly declared that we are the most musical nation in the
world, although figures compiled by Uncle Sam would indi-
cate that we are likewise vain for, during that same year of
1929, $4.37 per capita was paid for jewelry and we were
kind or unkind to our throats or our Adam's apples to the
extent of $3.47 per capita spent for cigars, cigarettes and
tobacco. This interesting picture of the musical purchases
of the nation is drawn from the national summary of the
Census of Retail distribution commented upon to some length
elsewhere in T H E REVIEW this month. The sales of musical
instruments already referred to were credited to 2,174 music
stores not handling radio and to 4,384 music stores selling
radios, with a grand total of 6,531 music stores worthy of
the name.
Analyzing the average annual sales of these two types of
stores we find that music stores handling radios do an average
annual business of $54,522, while those without radio, report
average annual sales of $19,842. Certainly neither figure is
impressive for while it might be possible to realize a living
profit on an annual business of $50,000 there is not much left
EXINCTON AVE.
51 CHAMBERS ST.
save to
teach them
- teach them
to save
A TWENTY-FOUR-SHEET BILLBOARD TO HELP THE CAUSE OF MUSIC TRAINING
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
October,
1931