Music Trade Review
Issue: 1931 Vol. 90 N. 11 - Page 7
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SOME TESTED RECIPES
FOR
Bigger and Better
HOLIDAY
BUSINESS
By R. G. KING
T
HE holiday season is the one period of the year when
music dealers look forward with confidence to a sub-
stantial volume of business, which may fluctuate accord-
ing to conditions but nevertheless represents the high
spot of the year. To paraphrase the Salvation Army slogan,
"Santa Claus may be down, but he is never out." As a result,
holiday business usually shows up well.
The question for the retail dealer, however, is how to stim-
ulate and increase the normal holiday demand with the view
to getting the largest volume out of his market. It can be
done, as retailers have proven in the past, and T H E REVIEW
takes the opportunity of presenting in the following para-
graphs some methods that have proven successful in boosting
sales and should succeed again.
CAROLS HELP IN UTAH
Christmas carols and Yuletide melodies of all kinds,
played continually throughout the days of the holiday sea-
son last year, instilled the Christmas radio-buying spirit into
many passers-by and boosted trade considerably, W. C. Carnes,
manager of the Carnes Music Co., Ogden, Utah, reports.
"The Christmas records were played by means of a com-
bination phonograph and radio set with the loud speaker in
front of the store," explained Mr. Carnes. "Our radio shop
became knowns as 'The Christmas Carol Store,' and attracted
customers from every walk of life. Of course, after stopping
outside to listen to the carols, many of them came into the
store.
"We reminded the listeners that the same Christmas carol
melodies would be played over the local station on Christmas
Day, and as a result many radios were sold to persons who
might not otherwise have bought. 'Hear these Christmas
carols on radio sets of your own,' was the popular slogan.
BLIND ADS BRING RESULTS
A unique way of getting piano prospects is in force at the
Jenkins Music Co., Fort Smith, Ark. This is a small "blind"
want ad, which the firm inserts in county papers in its trade
territory.
"We simply announce that we have a piano for sale in that
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
November,
1931
vicinity which, if we fail to sell, we will let someone use for
storage, rather than ship," explained G. L. Bumpers, member
of the sales force of the company. "This has brought us
some of our best prospects.
"Of course it takes salesmanship, courtesy, tact and infinite
patience to close on most of these deals. But we have been
getting it across. And resuks are what count."
TALK OF TUNEFUL CHRISTMAS
A cleverly modernistic drawing, with the signature of the
artist, Melisse, which showed a Christmas party in progress
at a private home, with radio and piano as important adjuncts
of the entertainment, headed a successful 1929 advertisement
of the radio and piano salon of Loeser's, in Brooklyn, N. Y.
The title read, appropriately, "To the Tune of a Joyful
Christmas."
"You can't hang pianos on trees, nor can you stuff radios
into Christmas stockings, but don't let this deter you from
giving a piano or radio for Christmas," urged the advertising
copy.
FREE LESSONS AID SALES
Free music lessons are one of the best Christmas promotion
methods ever devised, in the opinion of leading music dealers.
There are, however, almost as many different ways of devel-
oping the idea of free lessons as there are music stores. If
you would like to try the idea out this year, you will prob-
ably find among the following plans one which is particularly
suited to your organization.
"The Melody Way has proved a great holiday piano stim-
ulant," said George Glen, manager of Glen Brothers Music
Co., Ogden, Utah. "This is something we have devised our-
selves. When begun just twelve weeks before Christmas, it
works out splendidly.
"Here's how it operates. Offer twelve piano lessons free,
provided prospective students buy a $2 Melody Way lesson
book and come to the store to take piano lessons. At the
end of this free lesson period, pupils are urged to buy a piano
and continue with their musical career.
{Please turn to page 20)
SOME TESTED RECIPES
FOR
Bigger and Better
HOLIDAY
BUSINESS
By R. G. KING
T
HE holiday season is the one period of the year when
music dealers look forward with confidence to a sub-
stantial volume of business, which may fluctuate accord-
ing to conditions but nevertheless represents the high
spot of the year. To paraphrase the Salvation Army slogan,
"Santa Claus may be down, but he is never out." As a result,
holiday business usually shows up well.
The question for the retail dealer, however, is how to stim-
ulate and increase the normal holiday demand with the view
to getting the largest volume out of his market. It can be
done, as retailers have proven in the past, and T H E REVIEW
takes the opportunity of presenting in the following para-
graphs some methods that have proven successful in boosting
sales and should succeed again.
CAROLS HELP IN UTAH
Christmas carols and Yuletide melodies of all kinds,
played continually throughout the days of the holiday sea-
son last year, instilled the Christmas radio-buying spirit into
many passers-by and boosted trade considerably, W. C. Carnes,
manager of the Carnes Music Co., Ogden, Utah, reports.
"The Christmas records were played by means of a com-
bination phonograph and radio set with the loud speaker in
front of the store," explained Mr. Carnes. "Our radio shop
became knowns as 'The Christmas Carol Store,' and attracted
customers from every walk of life. Of course, after stopping
outside to listen to the carols, many of them came into the
store.
"We reminded the listeners that the same Christmas carol
melodies would be played over the local station on Christmas
Day, and as a result many radios were sold to persons who
might not otherwise have bought. 'Hear these Christmas
carols on radio sets of your own,' was the popular slogan.
BLIND ADS BRING RESULTS
A unique way of getting piano prospects is in force at the
Jenkins Music Co., Fort Smith, Ark. This is a small "blind"
want ad, which the firm inserts in county papers in its trade
territory.
"We simply announce that we have a piano for sale in that
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
November,
1931
vicinity which, if we fail to sell, we will let someone use for
storage, rather than ship," explained G. L. Bumpers, member
of the sales force of the company. "This has brought us
some of our best prospects.
"Of course it takes salesmanship, courtesy, tact and infinite
patience to close on most of these deals. But we have been
getting it across. And resuks are what count."
TALK OF TUNEFUL CHRISTMAS
A cleverly modernistic drawing, with the signature of the
artist, Melisse, which showed a Christmas party in progress
at a private home, with radio and piano as important adjuncts
of the entertainment, headed a successful 1929 advertisement
of the radio and piano salon of Loeser's, in Brooklyn, N. Y.
The title read, appropriately, "To the Tune of a Joyful
Christmas."
"You can't hang pianos on trees, nor can you stuff radios
into Christmas stockings, but don't let this deter you from
giving a piano or radio for Christmas," urged the advertising
copy.
FREE LESSONS AID SALES
Free music lessons are one of the best Christmas promotion
methods ever devised, in the opinion of leading music dealers.
There are, however, almost as many different ways of devel-
oping the idea of free lessons as there are music stores. If
you would like to try the idea out this year, you will prob-
ably find among the following plans one which is particularly
suited to your organization.
"The Melody Way has proved a great holiday piano stim-
ulant," said George Glen, manager of Glen Brothers Music
Co., Ogden, Utah. "This is something we have devised our-
selves. When begun just twelve weeks before Christmas, it
works out splendidly.
"Here's how it operates. Offer twelve piano lessons free,
provided prospective students buy a $2 Melody Way lesson
book and come to the store to take piano lessons. At the
end of this free lesson period, pupils are urged to buy a piano
and continue with their musical career.
{Please turn to page 20)
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