Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER, 19Ul
and under the present conditions, anything
else is extravagance. There is no difference
between throwing it away when it could be
had, or having it and lighting cigars with
$100 bills . . . it's the same loss, altho the
former is done inefficiently, and the latter
could be called "efficiently" as one at least
knows what he is doing. One mfr plans less
numbers this year, and he will make more
money than he did last.
T would be interesting to know the
truth on the "shortage" situation in
pianos. Apparently, from our best
contacts, there are now orders on hand
at factories for about 100,000 pianos—about
twice what the factories can produce during
the next 6 months. There is such a backlog
(far exceeding the reported numbers) that
compounding is evident.
Dealers are
suckers to be piling orders around for from
4 to 10 times what they expect to get, and if
the mfrs. believe these orders (unless paid
for in advance) . . . then, if the slightest
thing goes wrong, the avalanche of cancella-
tions would melt like July snow. One thing
it does show to mfrs. that if dealers are so
anxious for pianos, then they can be willing
to pay proper prices for them. Out of all
these orders placed, certainly, there are
enough dealers in the group to waive argu-
ments on price "as long as we get the pianos."
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OW is the time for piano mfrs to
change the rules; to suddenly real-
ize that it would be quite welcome
to get adequate profits, for under
the new conditions, working for nothing is
"out." Also, dealers who have been specu-
lative in buying at lower prices and storing,
can also make profits by raising the prices of
the pianos to replacement costs, and not pass
on the money to the public, which they have
already made by being on the button—or in
Bostonese, "alert and far thinking." Nothing
counts nowadays except "profits" . . . any
other common denominator of piano busi-
ness is model " T " management.
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T also should come to pass that special
inside prices of odd-angle character-
istics, such as inside prices because of
being a "house-account"—no sales-
man's commissions, and the other hoss-
trading figures that are found here and there.
No need to "gild the lily" in reverse. Sales-
men don't particularly object to house acts
as long as there is no preference in ship-
ments, and maybe now is the time to have
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no house accounts, unless the salesman isn't
qualified to pick up the work. All these com-
ments on sand-papering the financial plates
and sounding boards can go on the list of
"do" to the ultimate satisfaction of the doer.
N Hempstead, N. Y. 4 years ago, there
were no piano dealers. Today, there
are 6. One of the newer ones is doing
$100,000 this year; one of the older
ones, brodied—had he remained, there
would be 7. This is one of the sparkling ex-
amples of piano growth in small towns. It
is evident that a piano dealer needs 32,000
pop. to "live on," taking 4,000 dealers versus
the U. S. population . . and this means 35
pianos per dealer per year in that size of pop.
But in Hempstead, about 35,000, it is big
enough to handle 6 dealers, no doubt due to
the intensiveness of cultivation necessary
for dealers to "Live." There is a contiguous
territory, to be sure, but the rule of thumb
averages still go. Who was it that said:
"Averages are the best of the best and the
worst of the worse."
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ARRY ROSENTHAL, Sunset Blvd.,
Hollywood —piano- player- actor-
opens a music store and gets pub-
licity via the columnists. Latter
say it is a swanky shop—we'll show photos
we hope—and that Rosenthal is going to New
York to buy pianos — Chicago publicity
bureau, take notice. Industry welcomes
Rosenthal as a retailer, but is looks as if Los
Angeles is in about the same situation as
Detroit—try and get a major line. Sugges-
tion to Harry, with his following in movie-
land, is to specialize in pianos with custom
built cases, from $2,500 to $5,000.
T wouldn't be out of order to again re-
peat this—dealers can re-mark their
stocks to conform to the present
wholesale prices, and not be suckers
to give the public a value which they won't
even know that they are getting. Look at the
sur taxes; the regular taxes; the extra costs
of doing business, and then ask yourself if
this is wrong. Even the second-handers
are worth more, and can be remarked.
Wouldn't push up the advertised price of
tunings, etc., altho the same conditions pre-
vail . . Would advertise the regular prices
and give the tuners new prices on repairs,
etc. on which they will get a bigger cut. If
they know how to "get" them then the extra
earnings a c comm. is ok.
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